The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-12-30

that it is right, or has in it anything to
commend it to people believing in
republican form of government. Much
that has recently been published in de-
Tense of the system is too trivial for
serious consideration. The peerless
virtue of the Vermont law-maker is
dilated upon and-by inference, if not
in explicit terms-claimed as the pro-
duct of the existing system. Assuming
that the Arcadian simplicity and Roman
virtue described by these writers exist
in the Legislature, although the history
of Vermont legislation during the last
quarter of century might raise some
doubts on that point, what would be
the obvious inference? The fountain,
by natural forces, cannot rise higher
than its source, and virtue in legisla-
tive assemblsge is not likely to rise
higher than the dead level of virtue in
the State at large. Public virtue is not
the child of a legislative system, espe-
cially of a bad system. 1t is more ra-
tional to account for its existence or
absence in the legislature by its pres
ence or absence in the great body of the
people.
An esteemed correspondent of the
WATCHMAN recently took the ground
that as the town is the political unit in
Vermont, it is therefore reasonable
that the towns, regardless of popula-
ton, should be placed on the same
level in the House of Representatives.
This view is also taken by some news
papers, and an effort is made to sus-
tain it by reference to the equality of
the representation of the States in the
United States Senate, and the fact
that in the State Senate population is
the basis of representation. Thus, it is
maintained, the State Legislature is
constituted on the same basis as the
National Congress, and is, therefore,
right. In this line of reasoning, there
is singular confusion of ideas as to
the proper relation of the horse and
the cart, in hitching up the legislative
team. The trainers of the National
legislative system placed the horse at
the right end of the cart, though some
of the animals wisest friends, who be-
lieved that population should be the
basis of representation in the Senate
as well as in the House, objected to
the style of harness. Vermont has
properly harnessed the horse, but
placed him behind the cart, and the
defenders of the arrangement, in citing
in their support the example of the
Federal system, do not seem to be con-
scious of the irony of the situation.
Whatever may have been the reasons
originally for making the town, rather
than population, the basis of repre-
sentation in the popular branch of the
legislature, those reasons long ago lost
their force and effect. Whatever may
have been deemed reasonable or expe-
dent in a sparsely-settled mountain
community, a hundred or more years
ago, may be as poorly adapted to the
changed conditions at the present time
as would be the blazed trees and bride
paths of those primitive days to the de-
mands of means of ntercomnlunication
in these closing years of the nineteenth
century.
The unit in all organizations differs
according to circumstances. In mill
tary affairs the company is the unit in
the regimental organization, the regi-
ment in the brigade, and so on. The
town is the unit for the administration
of local affairs. The representative is
State official, not town administra-
tive officer. He is sent to the Legisla-
ture TO participate in making laws for
the benefit of all the people of the
State. He takes an oath that he twill
not propose or assent to any bill, vote
or resolution which shall appear to him
injurious to the people; n but
will in all things conduct himself as a
faithful, honest representative and
guardian of the people, not of his
town but of the State. If the town
unit, as basis of representation, works
injustice, or violates the fundamental
principle of the government-and it
does both-it is clear that new unit
for representative purposes ought to be
established, and that election districts,
with population as nearly equal as is
practicable, should be created, from
which one representative should be
sent to the Legislature.