Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-01-18


our laws. etc., and yet the little State
of Vermont has the same voting pow
er in the United States senate which
New York has. Some representative
districts in certain states do choose
a representative in congress with less
than four thousand votes, while 9TH
er states have cast vote of more
than 10000 in the same election,
their representatives having exactly
the same voting power in congress.
Of course some other means can be
devised for Vermont, but what ex-
better thing, that lbeing done. We
claim that ability is a working and
voting power in the Vermont legisla-
ture. We will imagine that the little
town of Glastonbury with a popula-
ton of say 200 sends up man to the
legislature and st. Adams with pop
ulation of perhaps 5000 sends anoth-
er. Sometimes the latter sends as
good man as the editor of the Mes
senqer The other town sends good
his best convictions. No one who
knows anything about the matter,
not even the Messenger editor himself,
will claim that Glastonbury had as
much to do with shaping legislation
as ST. Adams in the session just clos
ed. No one can fix the ratio Of diff
ference, exactly, but it is our opinion
that st. Adams had an influence
which exceeded her ratio in popula-
ton. But this is the extreme case,
the average population of Vermont
towns and cities not being far from
400. Hence the Messengers compar-
ison is not just. Comparatively few
cities or towns in the state have
population so much in excess of the
average as to make the difference in
tolerable. We claim that the histo-
ry of all legislation in this state will
show that in bills introduced, meas
ures projected, legislative offices fill
led, laws enacted and work done, the
larger towns have exerted an influ-
ence greater than their relative diff
ference in population. We ask the
candid judgement Of men of expert
ence and ability on this matter.
The Messenger further states:
ssThe MONITOR statement that the
larger towns are placed on an equali-
tY with the former, because the for
mer sends larger men is without the
slightest force.''
Bro. Messenger, if you wish to take
the position thatsmall, inexperienced
ed men without personal influence or
talking and working ability have the
same influence in the legislature that
men from Montpelier, Burlington,
ST. Albans, and other large towns
have, we shall not spend time to con-
trovert your statement. Everyone
who knows anything about the mat
ter and will honestly state his convic-
tions will say that you are wrong.
ssThe test of legislation is the decis-
ion of the hallots.n
The power which determines the
ballot is, first, the right, and second
the influence which moves the mind
in direction of the right. This is
presuming, what is usually true, that
the house legislator is honest. If the
member votes right no more could be
done by angels; not even representa-
tives chosen from absolute equality
of representation could do no more.
The power, more often than other
wise, which helps to formulate an
opinion in the uniformed or undecid-
ed legislator, is the power OF speech
or argument, which is always largely
monopolized by representatives from
the larger towns. The talking inf
ence is with them. Whether we are
right or wrong, we are of the opinion
that the representative from the
smaller towns monopolize, to use the
term a second time, the integrity of
every legislature. They never come to
the legislature with schemes for fur
thering measures which do harm to /
the state; they are not chosen by cor
porations to carry measures which |
may or may not be beneficial to the
state. In short the representatives
from the smaller towns, every one OF /
whom stands approved by an honest
constituency make the under stratum
of integrity, good sense and incorrup- |
table character for which the legisla-
ture of Vermont has always been no.
ted.
The MONITOR is scored because it |
declares that Vermont has prospered
tolerably well under the present sys- /
tern and can stand the same regime L