Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-05-30
has since 1884 been engaged in the prac-
tice of the law and Mr.. Powers has con-
tinued his work on the bench:

tinued his work on the bench:
James X. Batchelder, Arlington, the
speaker of the present House of Repre-
sentatives, Republican, was born in Pc
ru. Nov. 16, 1912. He is lawyer, and
located in town in 1866. Was educated
at Middlebury college, class of 1854. lie
has held the usual town offices in Airing
ton and has been States attorney of Ben
nington county and presidential eector,
and was member of the general assem-
bly, in 1864 and 1876. Religious prefer
ence, Episcopalan.
Hon. H. Henry Powers of Morristown,
third associate judge, Republican, was
born in Morristown, May 20, 1885. Was
a graduate of the university of Vermont,
class of 1850. Read law with the late
Hon. Thomas Gleed of Morristown; was
admitted to the bar of Lamolle county
in 1855; commenced the practice of his
profession in Hyde Park, and represented
that town in the general assembly of
1858, and he was States attorney for La
moile county in 1861 and 1862; was a
member of the council of censors in 1869
and of the constitutional convention in
1870. In 1872 he was IA Senator from La
moile county. In 1874 he was repre-
sentative from MorristOwn, serving that
year as speaker of the House. Was
elected an associated Judge of the SUI
preme court in 1874. receiving successive
elections since; was appointed third as
sociate Judge by Gov Farnham in 1882,
vice Jonathan Ross, promoted, and was
elected third associate Judge in 1882. Re-
ligous preference, Liberal.
1t will be at once seen from the above
that Judge Powers has had the wider eX-
perence as legislator and that he has
held all the offices Mr. Batchelder has
had, to say nothing of his long, faithful
and acceptable service on the bench of
the supreme court. He ranks well up
among the foremost of the able men COM
posing that court and by many is regard
ed as the ablest of them all. His life has
been that of an active, successful lawyer
and Woodworking iurist. When he has
sought political office it has been because
the people wished him to take it and be-
cause he felt capable of doing the busi-
ness of the Office. Ia all the relations Of
life, private and public. Judge Powers
has proved himself to be a man of yigor-
Gus intellect, strong will, earnest convic-
tions and honest purposes, one on whose
capabilities OF doing and rightness of in
tention the utmost reliance might always
be placed.
The highest office Mr.. Batchelder ever
filled was that of speaker of the State
House of Representatives. in 1884. The
impression he then made is strongly
limited at in the following extract from a
leading article which appeared in the
Rutland Herald of May 20, 1856, when
Mr.. Batcheder was a candidate for gov
ernOr:
The character and emplOyments of
some of these leaders of Mr.. Batchel-
ders campaign show to the discerning
that Mr.. Batchelder's candidacy is part of
a long programme of public control in
behalf of interests that are not common
to the whole people. His election as
speaker of the House of Representatives
had the same support and it was often re-
marked by members of the legislature
that his appointments and rulings took
note of the power behind the throne
... Men who are soicitous for
changes in our laws in relation TO cOrpor-
solved that the veto power and the APP
pointing power shall be i'm the hands of a
friend of the people, who. while hostile
to no interest, is obligated to none, and
whose private and professional life, as
well as his public services, give assurance
of honor and impartiality in administra'
tiOn.
Such were the opinions of an obvi
ously conservative and careful writer
four years ago. That Mr.. Batcheldel
has materially changed in four years i:
extremely improbable. If his "privatt
and professional life" did not then ''giyt
assurance of honor and impartiality il
administration" in the rather limited
sphere of the governorship, what shall
be said of the probabilities in the place
f of member of Congress, with its almos
unlimited opportunities for self-aggran-
, dizement at the expense of the peoples
rights?
The foundation fact to be borne in minC
is that Mr.. Batchelder is, first and fore
most, politician. 1t was the Springfield
Republican which said: 'Mr. Batchel
, der of Arlington can promise one oflc
+ to ten men with grace and bearing onl.
q equaled by few politicians Of nationa
y eminence." His present campaign is tn
, campaign of politician. He gets hi
. support on the strength of what he ha
n done or hopes to do in political way TO
= some man or body of men. He does not
. like Judge Powers, go into the fight up
q on his merits-on what he is and has &C
< complished as citizen, lawyer and
a public servant; for he knows that h
. could not then stand a chance to win
n Present indications point to his certai
! defeat; but if he should succeed, it woul
' be a politicians victory, pure and simple
As to the character of that political
we have quoted the opinion of
n newspaper now supporting him. 1t
hardly conceivable that the substantif