Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-08-31
The Duty of Voters and Town
representatives..

Everybody can't so to the Legislature;
everybody don't want to go there; hut
every body has deep interest in the
work there, and don't want any of IT
overlooked or carelessly done. Aud yet
most important principles either in
some old musty, obsolete act, or in
abuses which pass without attracting
much attention, are overlooked for
years and years. The great trouble,
practically, is this-a town perhaps calls
attention to one or two particular fca-
lures of law, perhaps suggests some
mans fitness to deal with it, makes a
kind of campaign use of it, and elects a
man who turns out to he faithful to
that one item. He goes to Montpelier
with an eye single to the purpose of
standing creditably and raising his
town and community in public esteem.
Now all this is highly commendable, but
don't reach down to do the work quite.
Every voter should he a legislator; he
actively so. Instead of this even our
business men of closest extensive OH
servation and experience often see III the
peculiar application of the law to some
conditions that it is not workable as 1t
ought to be. They are annoyed at the
inconvenience it gives them. With
great patience and labor they at last adj
lust their difficulties but with great in
convenience which little adaptation of
the details of the law would have
avoided. 4 law is being put in force
which works viciously. Everybody sees
how it is injuring somebody. Thosc
concerned do what they can to prevent
or Tighten the injury. But when these
occasions pass, the defects i'll the law
pass ont of mind with them. No one
seems to think of the Importance of hay
ing the laws changed so that like eyi
occasions will not occur, or il occurring
the law will be so shaped as to regulate
them as they ought to be. And SO the
people of town elect a representative
and leave all the legislating for the tow
to him. Every voter in town SHOULD
: keep right along in assisting him Will
the legislation. If fault is found il
working our laws, it is not enough thai
the officers of. town expend none,
to get at the meaning of some ambigu
Gus. i'll constructed and inconsistent law
and how to move through some peculiar
circumstances with it, but they shout,
make minute of the difficulty and pre-
sent it to their representative SO that tn,
law may be made plain. If an act il
discovered and its inconsistent relation
to some other provision of the statute
was not noticed when it was enacted cal
the attention of your representative t,
1t. In short, consider That the pun
poses of the legislature is not for shoN
or entertainment. 1t is for no individual
benefit, but is place where the har
necessities of the people should b
studied. And how can representative
and legislators be better prepared TO
7 their work than by being constant
1 filled by their constituents with the de
tails and wants of legislation, especial.
J in their municipal affairs? In no BET
ter way can the representative of an
} town be better fitted for his work tina
= 10y being thoroughly posted in the work
e ing of the laws, and by being thorough
conversant with the difficulties and ell
barrassments which have been found il
/ working them.