Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-05-22

known that this mountain line" law is
| as old as the political history of the state.
The early settlers of this region, finding
themselves shut off from free and easy
intercourse with neighbors on the oppo-
site sides of the state by reason of this
mountain barrier, soon naturally fell into
that sectional exclusiveness that estab-
lished a condition of affairs still potent
in political issues after nearly century
and half.
1t was the the west side that was prin-
cipally interested in that famous partisan
warfare which the Vermonters waged
against New York sheritfs when this ter
ritory was claimed by both the provinces
of New Hampshire and New York. Most.
if not quite all, the grants of land made
by the New York authorities in this state
covered homesteads on the west side of
the mountains already allotted to other
settlers by New Hampshire.
The first time this division of ''east'
and ''west side'' seems to have been Off
cially recognized was in the autumn of
| 1915, when the settlers called 'conven-
| tion of representatives of the several
towns on the west side of the Green
Mountains. who, on mature deliberation
agreed to send an agent to the court of
Great Britain to state to the king and
council the illegal and unjust proceed
ings of the governor of New York.
1t was by the people of the west side
also that the first committee of safety
was organized when the settlers deter
mi ned to secure their rights and property
by force of arms after justice had been
deDied them. This was the beginning of
the days of"beech sealing" made famous
in Thompson's Screen Mountain Boys"
All through the exciting struggle, the
people of the west side maintained their
exclusive organization and waged parti-
san warfare against New York indepen.
dent of their neighbors beyond the
mountains. The latter, however, sympa-
thizing with them most heartily, and
| April IL, 1775, the first least side' con-
vention was held at Westminster, at
which the conduct of the New York gov
ernment was condemned and it was re-
solved to petition the king to be annexed
to some other government or formed into
new one.
The west side was the first to raise a
regiment of troops upon the yecOmmen-
dation of the Continental Congress in
June, l775. The record of the conven-
tion which agreed to raise these troops
uses the significant words, west of the
range of the Green Mountains"
| Again, in strict recognition of the
natural barrier made by the mountains,
the warrant for a convention which was
to receive report from special mesSen-
| ger to the Continental Congress begins:
| These are to IuGrn the several inhab-
itants of the New Hampshire Grants on
the west size, and to desire those on the
| east side the range of Green Mountains,
that they meet,etc
Notwithstanding the foregoing call,
| the first convention in which the east
side took part was that at Dorset, Sep
tember 25th, 1776. In the record of
that convention the rolls Of delegates
from each side of the State are kept
separate. AT this convention practically
the first step toward the organized indie
pendence of Vermont was made by the
famous Covenant or compact in
which delegates from both sides of the
mountains pledged their mutual respon-
sibilities.
Vermont being admitted into the
Union in 1901, an act was passed by the
general assembly in that year dividing
The State into three Congressional dis
tricts, Bennington and Windham coun-
ties forming the first, Windsor and
Orange the second, and Rutland, Addi-
son and Chittenden (which included
what is now Franklin), the third But
it was anticipated that Congress would
admit only two representatives, so here
again the old mountain line was resorted
to, and, in the event that three were re-
fused, it was agreed that the counties
ON the west side of the mountains were
to form the first district, and those or
the east side the second; and, though
many changes intervened, this original
plan is precisely the definition of the
two Congressional districts which exists
to-day.