The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-10-09

great many familiar faces faces OF warm
and tried friends, yet | am quite over
whelmed by all feel in the presence of so
much intelligence, wisdom and virtue.
purpose to call your attention to some
former legislation, and the effect It has had
upon the people and the prosperity OF the
state"
He then compared the call for the present
reunion and a call issued in 1887 by Ira AL
lem secretary of the Council OF Safety, IL
Illustrating that the people then, as now, be-
leved in law and acted according to law,
although those days OF emergency de
manded desperate remedies and measures.
He spoke of some of the first laws enacted
in 1887 and read extracts from several stat
utes OF those days, comparing these with
acts of recent years. He referred to some
of the important acts enacted since 1882,
among them the highway act, the school
laws, the acts relating to the militia, and in
doing this he paid the First Regiment, Yer
mont National Guard, handsome compli-
ment for their appearance and work during
the recent muster at Fairlee. He spoke of
the prohibitory law, the town system act,
the establishing of the agricultural expert.
ment station, laws for the protection OF
fish, the Australian ballot law, the estab.
lishment of the fish hatchery at Roxbury
(the speaker said 1t might perhaps be well
to call upon the fish commissioners to ex-
plain), teaching patriotism In the schools,
the law limiting the time OF imprisonment
for the sale of Intoxicating liquors. In re.
gard to this law he said
" believe that our friends who sell in
toxicating liquor break the laws with their
eyes open, own two or three hotels and run
them for the profit there is in them. /
think If they break the laws, they ought to
suffer for IL the same as for any crime"
In closing, he referred to the revised
statutes of Vermont, just issued, as being
all the people OF Vermont will need for
many years to come.
The presiding officer next introduced ex-
sx,sN -
Sunday-school boys. The speaker was
cordially received. He said, in opening:
GOVERNOR STEWARDS SPEECH.
IT hardly know how to address this as
sembly. L feel some as that member of
congress did, not great while ago. He
was making flamboyant eloquent speech,
and somebody interrupted him, breaking
the thread of his discourse. He turned sud
denly, to the surprise of the house and the
amusement of the whole country when they
heard of it, and said, Mr.. Speaker, where
was | at?' l don't see the point of my
friends story. He called on me directly
after it, but don't see how it applies to
me, to my character, habits or abilities. 1
don't know who has been running this ma
chine. l say they are an arbitrary set of
men, and L am sorry to say that | think
they are unprincipled. When 1 replied to
the letter asking me to say something. 1
said it would be impossible for me to be
here earlier than the last day; but If there
was banquet, that being my strong point,
i would say something at the banquet. In
spite of this, am called upon to speak this
m3rning; ,,.
cences. As have sat here, looking over
the faces of the gentlemen before me, see
very few men who were here when first
came, and the memory of those vanished
faces of many distinguished men who were
an honor to the legislature, an honor to
their state. has come to me, All L refer to
are men now dead, with whom / either
served or whose service l witnessed, and
their names have become historic. L Re-
member the first time l entered the old
house, since burned. / noticed large,
fine.looking man rise in his place and make
bitter, sarcastic speech in reply to some
thing that was said. l said to the gentle
man in front of me, Who is that? and he
replied, 1t is Tom Bartlett. He was man
of rare power and great ability. There was
Tom Powers, then member, afterwards
for long time, speaker. He was never out
of his seat never tired, always opposed to
recesses. We never had but one recess in a
session. We didn't dare run away. Tom
would not let US. There was Chris. X.
Field of Windham county, man OF genius
and fine character. There was D1rr Brad
ley, man of splendid memory. He inner.
tied great deal OF the power of his father,
William q. Bradley, valuable man, thor
oughly honest and one of the finest debat-
ers have seen in our legislature. There
was Governor Wash burn, with whose dis
tinguished service you are all familiar.
There was the courtly, dignifed Kittridge,
from Rutland county, Spencer from Castle
ton, strong, rugged man, and Grandey, a
fine speaker and good debater. There was
Robert Pierpoint of Rutland, a fine, strong
man, as was John Pierpoint of Vergennes,
whose name is synonym of Justice, whose
name is forever blessed. There was Fred
Woodbridge 1--WE always called him FREDDY,
Willard of Montpelier, who was a fine de-
batter, strong and capable man, and Gov
ernor Smith of St. Adams, man of rare
power and persuasive manner, controller
OF men, and man who made his influence
felt wherever he went. There was our
charming and brilliant Lyman G, Hnckley,
who presided over gathering like this ten
years ago. When he got up to speak, every
body was anxious to hear him. l might go
on for several hours. | might mention
Miner of Manchester and that bright man,
T. w. Park of Bennington, man of mar.
velous power to gather up arguments and
hold them until he could use them"
He said that every one of these men were
elected, not once, but many times. Our
government is of the people, and the law is
what they make it. The speaker said ii he
were to make any criticism, he would say
there has been a growing Indifference and
inattention on the part of the people OF the
state in regard to the laws enacted.
The tendency now Is toward consolida.
ton and trusts, rather than by individual
efforts, as formerly. This may be for The
best, and perhaps we ought not to complain
about it. Bosssm in little state like ours
works no evil, but in large cities we see the
disastrous working of such state Of affairs.
Vermonters are conservative, and they
don't like change; but the sooner the people
Of Vermont get out of the idea that man
should only be sent once to the legislature
the sooner wi, experience have chance in
framing the laws of the state. Experience
counts, and is not a disqualification for re.
election to the legislature, as it seems to be
under the one-term regime now in vogue in
Vermont The one term custom is fatal tc
continuity of legislation. Our little state
with its honest legislature, is an honor tc
us, and 1t will maintain its character so Ions
as these mountains shall stand aud the free
air Of heaven shall blow over them"
Congressman Grout was the last speaker
of the morning. His theme was the history
OF law. He first referred to the Mosaic law
and the alleged mistakes of Moses, who was
the author of all legislative assemblies In
a comprehensive way, he sketched the i'm
portance Of the common law of the country
down to the present time and closed will