Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-11-02
her name and an honor wherever
philantrophy and Christianity hold
sway.
REPRESENTATIVES BY
PLURALITY.

The bill introduced in the House by
Mr.. Clark of Glover, which provides
that Town Representative shall be
elected by plurality vote, instead of
a majority vote, is creating consider
able comment. How it will fare in
the legislature remains to be seen.
The question is not of the Jug handle
sort, and it is easy to point out rea-
sons for continuing after the old GUS
tom, while good reasons for the
change are not wanting. Ordinarily
when the State has approved a meas
ure, and affairs have gone on under
system for long term Of years, that
law is best The notions, vagaries or
the wisdom of the average man are
usually folly as against the opinions
and the wisdom of the fathers. Not
that progress cannot be made, and
that the new may not be better than
the old oftentimes. AS a rule, how
ever, in the ordinary things of life,
those things which the good judgment
and the experience of the past have
found useful, valuable or best, are
really best for the present.
We confess, after having given the
proposed change some study, to see
no serious objection to it, while there
is much to commend it. 1t will GER
tainly expedite the business of cleo
ton day; it will prevent the unfair
combinations that are worked up by
the less popular politicians and
schemers, who hope to split an cleo
ton that themselves or other un-
worthy men may win. when the
meeting is wrecked and men have
gone crazy or mad in the excitement
of repeated ballots. 1t is an unfair
thing to defeat worthy man, pre-
sumably the nominee of a fair caucus,
who shows by the first vote that he is
the best choice of the town, as COM
pared with any other man. There
are many very excellent men in this
State, intelligent and honorable, who
deserve to be honored by their
townsmen, and VINO are worth doz-
en- simple, go-easy, shilly- shally fell
lows who never have firm opinion
of their own, and dare not express
the small end of the beliefs they seem
to have. The legislature needs yes
and no men. But such men are not
the most popular men at home The
legislature needs the best business
men, but it often happens that man
who does large business and is COM
PEELED to collect his debts, antago-
nizes somebody and has his enemies,
who never find themselves SO happy
or so Industrious as when they are
trying to defeat him in an election.
In short, many men who have an
opinion and dare express it, many
good officers and business men who
do duties faithfully and business on
business principles are not quite pop
ular enough to represent their own
towns. Better if they could.
The plurality method would let such
men in. Other things being fairly
equal the man who gets the most
votes on the first ballot is the first
cnOlco OF MS Town. LII IS LH0 IdlToSC
expression of the will of the people,
and hence it is the most democratic.
The dark and midnight schemes of
the vicious politician can better be
defeated by the town as it assemblies
for it's first ballot, than in the COM
plications and trades that are worked
out in the interims between ballots
Ordinarily the majority party ought
to elect it's representative in the bat
tie of ballots the right and the best
of that party are often defeated. The
hardship and the experience of an
all-day's and an all-night's battle are
considerable, but more than these
are the lasting grudges and enmities
which are engendered by the hard
fight and the unfairness always seen
in such contests All things consider
ed, the plurality method seems to US
to be the best.