The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-08
THE TOWN MEETING.
1t Will Always Meet in New England
and Whenever 1t Pleases Itself.

Edward Everett Hale in the Cosmopolitan.
Remember this is no accidental
hurrying into the town hall to vote
as you go to your business in the
morning. 1t is not an election,
where man goes in and drops his ballot
and is off, so that at night he forgets to
tell his wife he has voted. A town meet
ing is a solemn matter for the day long,
perhaps for two or three days. All busi-
ness stops on that day. The general
court of Massachusetts itself adjourns
for one or two days in March so
that its members may be present at the
that this should be on any special day in
March; for there IS no power on earth
which can say to a New England town
that it must meet on this or on that day !!
the town will meet when it chooses to.
But practically it is convenient for the
town to meet after the wood has been cut
and before the plows are put in in the
spring; and that means it is convenient
for the town to meet in March. It is
also the general habit for the town
to meet on Monday. We have accord
ingly dared, in the general court of
Massachusetts, to go so far as to say that
1.-THE annual meeting of each town shall
be held in February, March or April"
Observe. however. it may be called at any
other time. when the selectmen shall inter-
fere For in Massachusetts, we do not die
tate to our sovereign. If the selectmen re-
fuse to call meeting any justice of the
peace of the county may call one, on the
application of ten or more voters.
Whatever the day is, everybody comes
together. There is no decent boy over IA
years old who would not be ashamed if he
could not go to the town meeting to sit on
the back benches and hear Nahum Smith
in his doubts about the side
walk or to join in the applause
at the discontinue of the chairman
of the school committee. There is no pos
sble ring where there is town meeting
There is not boss in this world who has
brass enough to stand the interroga-
tory . Of that gsVa hsn jury when it is
have made their report about that
business of crossways, what has been
done and what has not been done, then
Nahum Smith may rise, whoever he be-
and put the fatal question, 81 should like
to be informed why the selectmen took
the stone from the Red Hill quarry
and did not take it from
nearer?" If there is any cat behind that
meal that cat will appear. The town meet
ing opens all eyes and all ears, and we
must all be ready to give an account of our
selves, of what we have done and what we
have not done.
Now it will be easy enough to call meet
ing of volunteers TO discuss matters of the
public veal in any town in America
Under abe novelty, and with the promise
of the leading citizens that they will
be present, it would probably be pos
sible to bring together half of the men
of the town and all the women. But
be it observed that there is no room for
women in the genuine town meeting of
New England. 1t is not an arena with
Leaving them out everybody is an
actor, or may be. Still / should hope
that there might be found two or
three of what are called holidays in the
year. when almost all the people, even
a town unused to a town meeting, might
be brought together. men, women. boys
and girls, for discussion of its affairs.
Could not the new Arbor day be made
use of in this way? Could We not set out
our hundred trees on the highways
and then adjourn to the town hall
TO hear a set of reports from the town
officers and to discuss the best improve
ment for the future? Or could not
an occasion be made at the end of the
meeting of the legislature to invite our
delegate to the legislature to give an ac-
count in brief of the most important
things which the legislature had done
for our county or neighborhood or for
the state? Could not this occasion
be taken for a discussion of what interests
us most-the health of the town, the edu-
cation of the town, the charities of the
town. its hospitallties, its beauty, its
cleanliness. its advance in whatever
way toward the ideal town which we
mean it shall be? / am one of those
who think that the members of the legis-
lature are most ungratefully treated. They
spend, perhaps, half the year away from
home in working for the state and for
the community. They are abused
in the public press. and con-
slant effort is made TO show
that, as a body, they are pack of the
most insi gnitcnat hounds in existence
Yet in truth We know that We generally
send gentlemen OF character and real
ability to represent Us. and that they give
time which hardly anything can remuner-
ate 10 this service.