The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-08-15

state concern, respecting which the
state convention made these very en-
phatic declarations, are hardly secondary
in their bearing upon state prosperity
to those national questions in the right
settlement of which Vermont has an
interest in common with her sister
states. In the enactment of laws that
J shall regulate railroad traffic within the
state and shall make local control of
the roads supplementary to the national
law regulating interstate traffic, all
classes, but more particularly the farm
ing class, have direct and vital interest.
No business more important than the
revision of the school system will come
before the legislature. The aggregate
of school expenses for year is prob
ably not less than round million
dollars. Does the state-or, what is the
same thing, do the towns of the state
get reasonable return for this large
large for Vermont? The
resolution adopted at the county con-
vention respecting school affairs COM
mits the senators to the enactment of
some law that shall at least begin a
reform, the need of which has been too
often enforced upon the attention of
our readers to require review at this
time. Mr.. Smith and Mr.. Jones have
both had a great deal of practical eX-
perence in school affairs and will bring
ability and good judgment, as well as
experience, to the performance of this
important part of their legislative duties.
There was nothing conventional in
the resolution relating to agriculture.
In the past the legislature has appro-
priated money with liberal hand to
every object for which it has been
asked except agriculture. For soldiers
monuments, bridges for the "island
county," penal and reformatory insti-
buttons, the railway commission, ETC.. .,
money has been appropriated by thou
sands or tens of thousands of dollars.
The states employees and agents under
these appropriations have been literally
paid, but for the purposes of teaching
the people engaged in the chief industry
of the state-farming-the misery sum
of 49, 800 year for the Board of Agri-
culture and the beggarly pittance of S2
day to the members of the board has
with difficulty been obtained from the
legislature. Clearly there is some
thing wrong here in the states policy
towards the main source of its pros
perity, and we are glad the capital
county has put itself on record in favor
of wiser and more liberal policy.
Washington county, so far as our OBJ
servation has extended, is the only
county that in direct and specific terms
has declared for the railway reforms en-
bodied in the state platform and that
put school and farming plank into the
county platform and clinched the whole
by " requesting and instructing its
senators to assist to secure, by their in
luence and votes, each and all the above
matters of vital state concern" The
speakers, citizens of Vermont, who
are " stumping" the state, and the state
press will best serve the dominant in
terests of the state by devoting during
the remainder of the canvass a liberal
part of their time and space to these
matters of vital state concern" The
legislature, in both branches, should be
constituted with special reference to
the enactment of laws that shall secure
an efficient supervision of railway
traffic, thorough revision of the school
system and the encouragement and pro-
motion of agriculture.