The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-11-23
One Important Duty.


The legislature of 1892 has done some
splendid positive work. 1t has done
some equally commendable negative
work. One of its most commendable
negative acts was the defeat of Hon. d.
j. Foster of Burlington, member of
the senate, for the Office of state super
intendent of education. One more act
of positive legislation should have been
placed TO the credit of the general as
sembly. 1t should have enacted law
that no legislature should elect one of its
own members to any public office.
The practice that got its first black
eye in the defeat of Mr.. Foster, Thurs
day, has become public scandal. 1t is
of long standing. The case is this:
There is a vacancy or a prospective va
cancy in an important state office; or
some ambitious individual has his COW
etous eye on an Office with good salary
and opportunity for personal advertis-
ing and advancement held by some
other man. In either or any case, the
aspirant for the office within the gift of
the legislature goes to work and gets
himself elected to the general assembly.
He sometimes captures the speakers
chair. From the coign of vantage of
his legislative office, he lays siege to the
object of his ambition, and be usually
captures it.
When member of a legislature is a
candidate for any office within the gift
of that body, no outsider need apply.
Ability, qualifications, experience, com
mon decency, 90 for nothing. The
legislative candidate, canvassing along
inside lines, in close and daily contact
with the members of the general as
sembly, working up his case in thous-
and insidious ways, neglecting his Of
fetal duties or making them subsidiary
to the object of his ambition and his
main reason for being in the legislature,
manages to make his calling and cleo
ton sure. This Objectionable practice
reached its elimination in the recent
candidacy of Senator Foster for the
office of state superintendent of educa-
ton, and in the scenes and incidents of
that candidacy, from start to finish.
The people have long cried out against
this practice and the scandals it breeds.
The effects of Senator Fosters per-
sonally conducted canvass cropped out
at every point in the meeting of the
joint assembly Thursday-in the elab-
crate and numberless speeches and
specious pleas in his behalf, in the
smothered applause that was with diff
Guilty restrained as each fresh champion
of the Burlington candidate SHE'D his
castor into the arena, and eliminated
in the fortuitous presence in the ballot
box of more votes than there were
members of the joint assembly.
We have no personal quarrel with
Senator Foster. We made no personal
opposition to his candidacy. We OPP
posed him solely on public grounds
which we have fully and freely stated.
We do not charge him with any part in
or responsibility for the unfortunate
circumstances connected with Thurs
days balloting, but we maintain that it
was the bounden duty of the legis-
lature to supplement its good work by
statute that should in the future make
impossible the recurrence of the public
scandals connected with candidates.
such as his was, and to which all similar
legislative candidates. are liable.