St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-07-23
THE GOOD STATE OF VERMONT.
Secretary PrOctOr'S Address before the
Vermont Press Association at Boston.

perfect confidence, for they have saved
me so many times, have so often
made me say good things when
knew l said very poor ones, and have
covered all my shortcomings with
such mantle of charity that [ have
come to feel entirely safe in their
hands And if 1 was inclined to
criticise the Vermont press at all it
would be only for the good fault
which it seems to me is a marked
characteristic of the people of our
state in general, and that is we are
too modest by half in regard to the
merits of our own state.
We are somewhat like the lawyer
of whom it was said that he was an
excellent man and very sound law
yer, but that he had an unfortunate
habit of putting his evidence with
out letting the jury knowit. Perhaps
we have something of the same un-
fortunate habit. Knowing the fact
so well ourselves, we do not take
quite pains enough to let the great
jury of the public know how good
state we have.
Now if we are to lay our modesty
aside and let the evidence of out Writ
ues be known to the jury | will will
ingly admit, and it will doubtless be
conceded by all, that the press can
take the initiative in this new de-
parture with less strain and violence
to their personal feelings and previ-
Gus methods and characteristics than
any other class of our people.
You will doubtless claim for Yer
mont that it is the best place to stay
in. to live in as well as tObe born in,
the best place for a home, and as
good as any for all ordinary bust
ness not good for the doctors, for it
is so healthful they will have few pa
TENTS; nor for the lawyers, because
the people are so honest and law
abiding that they will have few eli
ents, but good for ministers and
teachers, because we believe in schools
and churches, and especially good
for editors because the peolpe are in
telligent and all read the papers.
And you can fairly claim much
more than this. For it is my firm
conviction, based upon a very careful
consideration of the subject, that
there is today no better state for
the farmer, whether he is worth five
hundred or five thousand dollars or
more, and that it offers to the bust
ness men, the investor or laborer, as
good if not a better opportunity for
average success than any section of
the country. The great prizes may
not be frequent, but the wretched
failures are unknown.
An opportunity to compare our
state, its people. its resources and it's
opportunities with other sections of
the country must tend to make us
contented with our lot. l know
that agriculture is depressed and
values low, but there is this same
complaint from all sections, and
from many with much greater force
than from us. Many who have
gone from Vermont in recent years
to the West and South wish them
selves back, and many who have
not gone themselves, but have sent
their money, wish that back. fully
believe that our state has passed its
worst period of depression, that
farm values have passed the turn,
and the demand is better and the
pressure to sell less; that fewer OF
our young men will leave and more
of those who have left will return,
and more who are seeking desired
homes will come from other states
and that we are on the eve, not of a
great boom, but of steady, healthy
increase of prosperity.
No state has less of the extremes
of wealth and poverty, and none
has population more homogeneous
in character, and not one is so pure.
lv representative of the old New
England stock. This last propo
sition is one of great Importance il
considering the character of oul
people, and it is so obvious to even &
casual observer that it requires nc
proof. The reason for it is plain
Originally settled from Massachu
setts, either directly or by way o
Connecticut, we have had much les:
admixture from foreign or interstat'
immigration than any other New
England state, and the land being
better has been more generally helC
by the descendants of the first settlers
No state can preserve the peculla
New England institutions, politica
and social, so generally as Vermont
For instance, we have today 24(
townships with the identical OLE
New England township government
the best system of local self-govern
ment ever devised by man. Only tw,
townships have changed since the or
ganization of the stateto city govern
ment, although several are large
than many cities in other states, blu
have wisely, as | think, chosen to re
tain the old system of town govern
ment as long as practica BILE. Gu
other city, as you know was origina
lv chartered as such, soon after TIL
Revolution. and was organized an
named out of compliment to GU
French allies and their great Mini:
ter, and as a sample to show Bosto
and other newer cities how the