Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-17
The State Firemen's Association

A Rutland despatch to the Burlington
Free Press, the 14th, says:
A fact which is of interest to all volun-
teer tiremen, past and present, and
which has as yet not been spoken of, is
the extreme probability that the State
Firemen's Association will die after it's
tournament this year at Fairhaven. 1t
is well known that Burlington and Rut-
land firemen have furnished the main
life of tho Association, and now each
city has instituted a paid fire depart
ment and the volunteers have been for
mally excused from further service, that
death as above noted will follow in the
wake of these changes.
Last year, Rutland sent two companies
to the State tournament, but Chief En-
gineer Hannum says that he has none to
90 this year. Burlington has ordinarily
sent al even half dozen companies to
participate in the parade and tournament
hut none of her fire laddieS will 90 this
time, except, possibly, the Boxers and
the EthanS,
TIE Association, of course, could be
kept intact and alive if the volunteer
firemen in st. Adams, Montpelier, Bat
teboro, Barre, Bennington, Fairhaven,
Vergennes and other places would take
more active part in the Association and
its doings, thing which they have not
done in the past, excepting Fairhaven
and Bennington.
The death of the Association will mean
the loss of popular State organization.
The public have attended its meetings
and tournaments in great crowds from
the very first, and this years meeting at
F1irhgVnn will fNrnhn hlyy NJ
uIl number. To its popularity it can at.
tribute the pleasant condition of its
treasury, which will permit it's passing
into state of innoXuous desuetude in
July, with credit to itself, its originators
and members.
WILL KEEP IT ALIVE.
The people of Vermont who are inter-
ested in the State Firemen's Association
will be pleased to learn that the associa-
ton is not at all likely to disband as pre-
dicted above.
Chief Engineer J. G. Leslie, who is a
member of the executive committee of
the association, says:
Il was very much surprised when my
attention was directed to the article
which appeared IN the Burlington Free
Press yesterday morning and which
pIdCllCd!ly SGdJeu JndJ, dIJer JnlS year
tournament, the States Firemans Asso-
citation would fall into oblivion. As am
member of the executive committee |
cannot understand by what authority or
in what manner such statement could
have been made as the officers OF the as
ISOLATION have not held meeting since
last winter and will probably not meet
again until the tournament takes place.
81 admit that the loss of Rutland and
Burlington has made large gap in the
association and we have lost very valu-
able help and support, but it would seem
that the departments of these cities
could still attend the meetings of the as
sociaton and could do good work in up
holding the same if they but wished it.
At any rate 1t would seem that,
with little effort on the part
of the Iema ming members and officers,
a great many other towns could be
brought into the Association and enable
it to maintain its present standard.
81 look forward to very successful
and beneficial tournament at Fairhaven
this summer. think that this Associa-
ton and these meetings have accomplish
ed great deal in building up, stimulat-
ing and making better the volunteer de-
partments in this State"