The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-10-07
mot SURPRISING.
Why the State of Vermont Has Always
Been Republican.

Been Republican.
Much ado about the Vermont elec-
ton has been made by the goIdites-it
seems to have elevated them into
fools paradise. A few facts may ex-
plain why Vermont is always Repub'
lican.
/. Vermont refused to become one
OF the original thirteen colonies, and,
although some individuals did join
the patriotic forces, not one man was
furnished by Vermont as such. (See
Spofford's American Almanac, 1886,
D. 23) 1t established an ''independ'
ent" State in 1777. It's leading men
were in constant negotiation with the
enemy (the British, and it thereby
escaped much of the troubles OF the
revolutionary period, not being &C.
counted by the British as one of the
revolutionary colonies. (See almost
any full history of Vermont, and j.
II. Colton's topography and Histo.
ry," 1879 These facts are not denied
by historians favoring Vermont, but
apologized for as being 'adroit," !"
''shrewd" and "by her artful policy
averted invasion for three years"
(See Coolidge and Manifold and Halls
history of Vermont.) Vermont was in
love with the British then as now.
Q. Vermont, like the other New
England colonies, maintained slavery,
but it was the last OF the New England
States to abolish it, and did not do so
until 1898, over thirteen years after
Massachusetts. 1t is true, in 1777, it
did provide that all persons then
slaves should be free, males on arriv-
ing at twenty-one snd females at 18,
but this would have kept some of them
as slaves until 1898. Vermont hugged
slavery to the last. (See history of the
emancipation Acts of the New Eng
land colonies.)
8. As to intelligence, the statistics
of 1880 exhibit the fact that the litter.
acy of the Vermonters exceeded that
of any other Northern State, but one.
The compendium of the tenth census,
page 1649, states that of white males
| of twenty.one years of age and up
ward returned as unable to write the
Vermont per cent. was ~. Only one
Northern State exceeds this as the
class designated. Intelligence reigns
in Vermont forsooth!
4. As to religion and churches, the
remarkable fact is reported Census of
1870, the last giving full statement,
699 organizations and 744 church edi-
fees, showing that there were more
church edifices than church organiza-
tion. It seems the Vermonters used
to want more churches than they
would have any use for. Bob Inger-
soil evidently has been there, and sue
cessfully.
5. AS to the education and schools,
Coolidge and Mans6eld's History OF
Vermont, pages 727 and 728, states
''That there has been far too little in
terest felt in Vermont on the subject
| of popular education is very painfully
manifest" and further states "That
1O4 of the districts were without
schoolhouses; 101 entirely without
schools, 222 without blackboards or
other apparatus, and in respect to the
condition of the houses, 1,029 are re-
ported good, 7S1 middling and 760
bad" The qualification of teachers
were reported poor. The census of
1880, mage 164O, shows that the aver
age amount paid monthly per teacher
was only $21.81, which was SIG less
than the average monthly salary at
that time in the entire Union, and, ex-
ceptiDg one Southern State, the lowest
paid in any State.
6. As to pauperism, the compendium
of 1880 census, page 1875, states that
in 1880 Vermont had an aggregate OF
1, 564 paupers with total (then) pop.
ulation of 332, ,2S6, or one out of every
200 was pauper. Vermont was then
the champion pauper State in proper
ton to population.
Z. As to growth, Vermont fell from
the seventeenth in 1880 to thirty. sec
ond in 1880, and from then, in 1890,
to thirty.six. 1t had the least growth
of any of the States from 1870 to 1880,
and its growth from 1880 to 1890 was
only total of 1876 persons.
8. Vermont paid the least internal
revenue of the Northern States (see
Spofford's American almanac, 1886,
page 7i,) only $29, 800 in 1885. By
reference to other States of about
equal proportions it is insignificant.
9. Its excess of expenditures over
receipts in postoffice business is con-
spicuous among the Northern States,
according to population (see Spotford's
American almanac, 1886, page CO.,
1O. AS to patriotism, as at the be-
ginning its later career it is not con-
spicuous for fighting proclivities, not
withstanding its one hero, Ethan AL
len. Its per cent. of troops furnished
| to population in the war, 1861 G5, was
with one exception. the least of the
states denominated New England,
middle and Western States (see Spoif-
ord. 1886, page 22)
II. There are more persons IN YER
mont in proportion to population (not
| in actual number,) who are in the
ompendium of census, 1890, volume
2, page 1876, designated and classed as
insane, feeble. minded, deaf, independ
ent of deaf and dumb, deaf aud dumb,
with one eye, blind in both eyes, than
| in any other of the forty-five states of
our country. Each of these classes is
separate and distinct in the census re-
port, and each class in Vermont ex-
ceeds the same class in any other
state in proportion to population. Par
ticularly do the feeble-minded OF Yer
mont predominant in the census re-
port. This last would account why
Narmnnt is strongly Republican. but