The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-27

ma Ority of the members OF the Senate
and the House of Representatives of
the Mt xt succeeding General Asse mbly
shall concur in the amendment pro-
posed, and that the same shall be fur
Their concurred in by majority of the
Freemen of the State. If an amend
ment shall run the gauntlet OF these
checks and counter-checks, it will be-
come part of the organic law OF the
State. Nevertheless, 30 great has been
the terror of the Senators least the dust
on the sacred instrument shall be dis
turbed by the profane hands OF the sue
cessors of the wise men who made the
constitution, and with whom all wisdom
and knowledge of the principles and
the practice of republican government
are commonly supposed to have per-
ished, that at the two decennial periods
of meudment, 1880 and 1890, no pro-
posal of amendment Of any Importance
whatever was allowed to emerge from
the clustered precincts Of the Senate
chamber. The instrument was hastily
hustled back into the ark provided for its
keeping, the door slammed upon it, the
bolts made fast and the time-lock set
for another ten years. run.
Newspaper managers must be their
own judges as to the relative impor-
lance of subjects to be discussed in
their columns. If a dog fight tran
sends, in their estimation, all other
subjects for discussion, they will de-
vote their energies to it's appropriate
treatment, and very likely the eternal
fitness of things will be maintained.
II, however, a newspaper editor deems
that the time is seasonable, immedi-
ately following a session of the Legisla-
ture, when the public mind is pecu-
liarly awake to the subject, for calling
attention to the non-representativ
character of the House of Representa-
tives, and resulting evils, he will hardly
need to seek further for something
more important to discuss" To a
! newspaper man, having rational idea
of the relative importance of subjects,
and seasonable times for discussing
them, and his duty and responsibility
both to his readers and the State at
large, no matter could exceed in impor-
lance this subject of representation, in
all its bearings-upon the fundamental
principle underlying the composition
of legislative body, upon the quality
of the laws enacted and their adapta-
ton to the greatest good of the great
est number, upon the cost of lawmak-
ing and upon all the ramifcations of
the body polite in which it may be in
juriously affected by impurity at the
fountain-head of delegated power. If
any subject appeals more powerfully to
the state press for its best attention, we
are unable to point it out. The year
1900, the next constitutional period for
proposing amendments, is not far
away. 1t is of the highest Importance
that this whole subject of representa-.
ton, and with it the time and manner
of proposing amendments to the con-
stitution, should be thoroughly and con-
tinuously discussed; and if the boys
are amused by the discussion 30 much
the better. 1t shows an interest in the
subject, on the part of the future vo-
tiers, that may deepen into serious con-
sideration and that may ripen into
intelligent and discriminating action,
both at the polls and in one branch or
the other of the General Assembly.
The papers are for the most part pub
lished in the larger towns, and if they
discuss this subject at all they must do
80 from the place where they are
printed. 1t is a Enthusiastically mar.
row and selfish view that because the
papers are printed in the larger towns,
they are consequently the attorneys of
those communities. The courts are
held in the large towns; they are there
fore the instruments of the large towns.
The reasoning is as good in the one
case as in the other, and is utterly false
and unfounded in both.