Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-05
LEADING VERMoNTERS.
Past and Present-Cossip From
Chicago, About Some of Our
Strong Men, Living and Dead.

Rev. Lewis B. Hibbard, formerly of
Cavendish, now of Chicago, who was
chaplain of the Vermont Senate in 1878,
writes a gossipy letter to the Spring
field Republican, most of which we copy
below: II see there is slight move
ment in the tops of the political mulbury
trees up in Vermont over the probable
successor of Senator Morrill,. Ibid not
know he was dead, and 1 hope overam-
bilious politicians are not waiting for a
dead mans shoes. From the way the
| Nestor of the Senate has thrust his javel-
in into the inflated forms of Populism of
late, he seems to have some vitality left
Had he very little vitality, some mems
shadows are worth more than others
substance. He is entitled to rest, if he
wants it; but the people Of Vermont
don't ask, because they do not wish him
to retire; he has their entire confidence
to-day, as he has always had it.
81 remember about 1879, when it was
rumored that President Hayes was about
to put Senator Edmunds on the Supreme
Court bench, there were several who
wanted his place. Though Gov. Proctor
never said word to me about the pres
sure that was brought to bear on him in
favor of certain candidates, l knew of it
full well, and so, meeting him one day
in his Lative town of Cavendish, asked
J him if he did not want some good advice
in the matter, and proceeded to name
three first-class men, who, in my opinion,
would fill the bill. One of them l may
name, now that he is dead, Judge Poland.
l told him knew the Judge had his
faults, which he always wore on his coat
sleeve, but he was a man of large ability
and experience, and Vermont ought in
some way, to get the benefit of his gifts
and attainments. l have never been sat
isfied that Judge Poland died without
having been governor.
He was open, frank, genial, social,
brim full of humor, keen, alert and more
fond of good practical joke than of his
dinner, and he did not despise good liv-
ing. In 1878, while Senator Proctor was
governor, Judge Poland was in the
House, and l was connected with the
Senate, and saw him continually, and
soon came to prize very highly the brief
walk with him, at the close of the daily
sessions, down from the State house to
the Pavilion. 1t took the farmer men,
bers of the House some little time to get
| e Al Il,
against him, but he came, long ere the
session closed, to be recognized as the
foremost man in either branch. l re.
member celebrated hearing before the
Supreme Court, which the Rutland rail
road, with Gov. Page, and the Central
Vermont, with Gov. Smith, were the liti-
gants, and the cream of the State bar
Senator Edmunds, Judge Poland, B. F.
Fiield of Montpelier, Daniel Roberts of
Burlington, with lesser local lights, and
Judge Z. r. Hoar of Concord, Mass,
were present as counsel. The hearing
lasted most of the week, and when Judge
Poland came to close the arguments for
the Central Vermont, he had less than
half an hour in which to do it; no time
of course for an elaborate address, and
he set to the work in a humorous way,
of rounding off the sharp corners and
smoothing the rough places left by his
associates, as well as puncturing some
inflated places in the arguments of his
opponents; and such wit, satire and hap
| f,,r I h,,E
consecutive minutes-and that was when
Wendell Phillips entertained a fair-sized
audience one dark rainy night in that
round, spireless church of the ''HOly gas.
ometer' at Bostons south end, with a
half-hour's string of Irish bulls as pre-
clude to the 30 delivery of the Lost Arts.
During his brief address, Judge Poland
alluded to Lawyer Roberts plea as a
Joe Bagstock" kind of an argument.
After the court had adjourned, and ere
the company dispersed, Mr.. Roberts came
along and said to Mr.. Poland: Judge,
don't quite recall that Joe Bagstock to
whom you referred; who was hep Don't
you,' said the judge, with merry
twinkle in his eye, why Uncle Dan, he
was Chittenden county lawyerp The
burst of laughter which greeted the final
sally can we'll be imagined.
"Since the deaths of Judge Poland,
Frederick Billings and Gov. Smith, not
all of like or equal ability by any means,
ex-senator Edmunds is the biggest,
brainiest and all-around greatest living
Vermonter, at home or abroad, and
everybody knows it. The next two men
are Senator Proctor and ex-Gov. Stewart
of Middlebury. Both are in the prime
of their mature and vigorous manhood,
with years of service before them; both
are college graduates, the former of Dart
mouth, and the latter of Middlebury;
both had legislative experience in their
native State, and both have had similar
experience in Washington; both served
their State ably and acceptably as COVER
Highest of all in Leavening Power