The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-06-08

Hon. Joseph Poland died on Monday after
noon at his home on School street, aged eighty
years. Mr.. Poland had been critically i'll for
several weeks, and.the end was not unexpected
For the past three years he has been in feeble
health, heart disease combined with gas
his strength. Until within compara.
lively few weeks, however, his physician and
friends had hoped that he would again be able
to mingle with his fellow men, but it was
not to be.
No better story of his life or tribute to his
sterling worth can be written than the sketch
published in the WATERMAN Souvenir in 1898.
This was carefully edited by Mr.. Poland be-
fore it was published, and was pronounced by
him to be authentic. We reproduce it here
in full:
Joseph Poland, third child and second son
of the late Luther and Nancy Potter Poland.
was born in Underhill, VT, March IA, 1918,
and three years later removed with his parents
to the present town of Waterville, Lamoille
county. After fourteen years of farm life,
and enjoying such advantages for education as
were afforded by the common schools and
academies of that day, he entered the office of
the VERMONT WATERMAN as an apprentice,
where he remained until 1889. January LIST of
that year he commenced the publication at
Montpelier, of the Voice Of Freedom, the first
State. Broken health compelled his retire
ment after single years service, but in 1910
he was able to resume his chosen profession
and established the Lamoale Wing at johnson
While residing there he served as assistant
clerk in the State Legislature. After four
years connection with that paper, Mr.. Poland
returned to Montpelier and established the
Green Mountain Freeman as the organ of the
newly-formed liberty party. This publication
he continued, with very marked success, until
the close of the presidential campaign of 1913,
during which period the vote of the party in
the State increased to more than $1,000, and in
the Nation to 800 900. Having served as chair
man of the State committee, and largely as a
general organizer of the party during large
portion of these years-a period made ever
memorable as witnessing the birth-throes of
that wonderful moral and political revolution
which, few years later, elevated the i'm
mortal Lincoln to the presidency and struck
late Hon. E. T. Walton justly wrote Mr..
Poland may properly indulge in the double
boast of him that girdeth on the harness and
he that putteth it off, having lived to see
American slavery, not only forever extinguish-
ed by the organic law of the land, but re-
membered only with such detestation that
history bushes at the record
In1S49 Mr.. Poland was chosen a director and
secretary of the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance
Company, positions which he held during the
entire life OF the company, more than thirty
years. In 1928 he served as Judge of pro-
bate for Washington county in 1S5S-60 was a
member of the State Senate, and in 1901
Legislature. In 1861 he was commissioned by
Governor Fairbanks, land afterwards by
President Lincoln, in connection with Hon
John 3. Page and Hon. John Howe, Jr., under
an act of Congress providing for allotment
commissioners, to visit the Vermont regi-
ments in the field and procure from each
soldier an allotment of such portion of his