Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-02-01
FIRING AT THE MONITOR

Several of the papers which are
published from the, now cities, of this
great state, which have been expa-
tiating over the ubiquitous and rot
ten? system of representation in the
house branch of the legislature, have
been aiming broadsides of all sorts at
the MONITOR for venturing to assert
that they were possibly wrong, or at
least, that they were wasting their
ammunition on matter which they
were pbweriess to change. The chief
gunner on our little craft has been off
duty considerably of late and been
unable to repel on the moment the
attacks made. We presume they will
better enjoy the battle if we get out
our turret guns and reply to their
fusillades.
Among the terrific assaults was one
made some days ago by the Burling-
ton Neacs. The burden Of the argu-
ment was the fact that Vermont had
made small growth in population in
the last thirty years; that some CEN
sus showed that the real estate of the
state had deprecated in value; that
population in Orleans county has
made but small gain in a decade;
that young men were leaving the
state and everything was going to
destruction quick meter-all because
we have an unequal representation
in the house branch of the legislature.
1t is said that figures will not lie
and the NeaUs proposes to prove that
because there has been a certain de-
probation in some lines of values,
this and other calamaties have re-
suited from its presumed cause.
While figures will not lie murderer
of truth will do some pretty tall ly-
ing with figures. We assert that the
cause assigned has nothing whatever
to do with the prices of farms in Yer
mont. The Nears is challenged to
show any adverse legislation which
has affected the soil, the climate, the
market value of any product, or has
driven a single family from this state.
The Neaus goes a long way for an
argument and finds none. The effect
of poor box of cigars and the in
fluence of its nicotine has turned the
EDITORS brain. The effect of the
north wind and the occasional COM
ing of long tailed comets have had
more to do with driving men from
Vermont than any harmful legisla-
ton. AS matter of fact, figures and
census comparisons to the contrary,
Vermont is not poorer today than she
was ten years ago in the productive
capacity of her farms. 1t may be
that the depression in the world and
in the country at large makes her
products, temporarily, of less value
than they havo been at other periods,
but we believe that there never was a
time when farms which have been
run by good farmers for twenty years
produced more or better crops than
they do today. So far as we know
all good farmers are raising more
grass, keeping more stock, selling
more products than they were ten
years ago. 1t is not the fault of the
constitution of the State of Vermont
that crops are selling very low; nor
could a small number of house mem
bers legislate higher rate of prices.
We never heard of the instance of
young man leaving the state because
his town had only one representative,
while a small neighboring town had
the same. Such an argument as that is
too silly to combat. But thejfact that |
some town or locality has shrunk in
population in thirty years proves |
nothing. If it did, the same argument |
can be reversed and it can be claimed |
that because Burlington has grown
from "A thriving village of a few thou
sand to city of fifteen thousand in
few years, the growth had been oc
casioned by the fact that she has had |
only one representative, while the
neighboring town of ST., George has
had one also. Poor rule that will |
not work both ways. We suppose
Burlington cannot claim that she has
suffered in the least from any unjust
legislation. The measures she has
sought at the hands of the legislature
have been granted. She has had her
full share of county, state and federal |
offices. She is not clamorlng today
for the breaking up of the old system.
The clamor comes from very few of /
her citizens at most.
But the MONITOR is attacked from
new source: The Waterman of Mont
pelier jumps on us like pirate and ex-
plodes a dynamite bomb in the air
ie.S- to,.ri FL, Ii, natc 4