The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-11-27
HISTORY AS SHE is WROTE.

Vermont was first visited by white
men in 1909, first settlement at Fort
Drummer in 1924. The territory of Yer
mont was claimed by both New Hamp-
shire and New York. The king of Great
Britain granted jurisdiction of all land
west of Connecticticut to New York. In
III Vermont declared herself indepen-
dent of both New York and New Hamp-
shire and made several Intellectual at
tempts to join the thirteen original
States, but were opposed by New York,
and not till March 4th, 1901, did they
gain admission, having first cOmprom-
ised New York's claim by the payment
to her of $4,000. The first constitution
was adopted in 1777, amended in 1856,
and again in 1892, and in 1870 several i'm
portant changes were made.-BrddfOrd
Opinion.
There ale two mysteries about the
above paragraph. The first is why the
Bradford Opinion should launch such a
hodge-podge of political errors and gram
NAUTICAL mistakes upon it's readers; the
second is why the Burlington Free Press,
which ought to know little something
about the history of Vermont, should
placidly reprint it.
Vermont was first visited by white
men in 1609 but the first settlement was
made more than half century before
Fort Dummer was founded. We had
supposed that the date of Vermonts dec
laration of independence was known by
every school boy in the State, and if such
is the case the school boys have a great
advantage over the Free Press and the
Opinion. The wicked king did many re-
prehensible things, but he never granted
jurisdiction of all land west of Con-
necticut to New York" The statements
about the several ineffecturl attempts"
to join the Union and the compromising
of New YOrk's claim, are simply ridicu-
ious. And finally, passing over some
smaller errors, the State constitution was
amended not only in the years named,
but also in 1925 1886 and $685.. Johns
bury Republican.
How the Bradford Opinions bungling
paragraph came to be reprinted in the
Free Press, remarks that paper, we do
not know. Certainly there was no nee d
to copy it, for our readers have had the
facts repeatedly set before them in fuller
and better shape. But our Bradford
contemporary and the subordinate who.
as we suspect, slipped the paragraph into
our paper to fill gap in a column, need
not feel wholly crushed by the St. Johns
bury critic. Correcting what were prob
ably typographical errors, the OpiniOn'S
history is as accurate as the Republicans.
For its first statement the Opinion
might fall back on Slade's State Papers
which opens with the words: 1.-THE first
settlement within the territory now
known by the name of Vermont, was
made at Fort Dummer," or on Thomp-
son, who says: 1.-THE first civilized es-
tablishment within the present limits of
Vermont was made in l724 by the cree
tion of Fort Dummer." Hiland Hall
says: "The first permanent occupation
of the territory of Vermont by civilized
men, was at Fort Drummer; and if the
Opinion had put the word permanent be-
fore settlement it could hold its ground
fairly well, in its claim for Fort Dummer.
''Half century before Fort Drummer
was founded would take us back to 1914
Will the Republican please mention where
anything that can properly be called a
settlement, by civilized men, was made in
Vermont before that date
Replacing the little word the (which
was probably ommitted by accident) be.
fore Connecticut, the Opinions statement
about the king will stand fire. Its date
of vermont's declaration of independence
was probably also typographical error.
The Opinion must know the date of the