Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-05-25
THE OTHER SIDE
AS Stated
By CIRCUITS Opponents.
An Answer and Declaration in the In.
terest Of ex.GOY. Dillingham;.
Az Rig as morrill, or Edmunds.


Az Rig as morrill, or Edmunds.
From the Burlington Free Press, May Is
Congressman Grout should forthwith
pray to be delivered from the stupidties of
some of his newspaper leutenants, or EN-.
ploy a more efficient political censor. The
attacks of Commissioner Prouty were well
calculated to take the GrOut political writ
ers off their feet, but there was really no
excuse for the blunders committed by them
in their desperate efforts TO neutralize the
effects of the Prouty arraignment of
CIRCUITS record.
One of the most egregiOus blunders per-
petrated in Gen. CIRCUITS behalf was the
scheme to secure aflidavits from members
of Congress as TO his ability and efficiency,
project which drew forth the interesting
and highly significant disclosure that one OF
the most important witnesses called in be-
half of the defence was not acquainted
with Gen. Grout in spite of the latter's
sixteen years in Congress-
The most pitiable exhibition of political
foolishness on the part of the Grout papers,
however, is their attempt to compare his
work with that of the lamented Morrill,
and ex-senator Edmunds. After writhing
for weeks under the Prouty arraignment
some Jealous but misguided admirer OF
Gen. Grout conceived the brilliant idea
that a search of the Congressional Record
might show him not to be alone in having
a small number of passed measures TO his
credit. Mr.. Edmunds is alive and is well
qualified TO speak for himself, but we do
not imagine that the people of Vermont
will look with favor upon this attempt to
drag the proud national record Of Justin S.
Morrill, down to level with that of VIM.
W. GrOut by process of numerical grad
ing.
The resident of Washington employed
for this work could not accomplish the
purpose expected of him by giving the re-
suits straight, but by juggling with the sit
uation he was able TO show that Congress
man Grout has about the same number of
measures of all kinds, including private
bills, TO his credit as either Morrill, or Ed
munds, CIRCUITS total being 20, while that
of Morrill, was so and Edmunds's so far as
included, 73
In order to bring about this highly edify-
ing result and apparently disprove the
statements made in the Prouty arraign-
ment, however, it was necessary for this
authority to apply certain degree of leger-
domain 10 the facts in the case, including
measures referred TO committees and worked
over into substitutes and thus reported by
Congressman Grout as his measures. The
bold assertion is made that "the record
concerning these appropriation bills is In
troduced by the committee, but it is fair
to credit them to Mr.. Grout." Further
along in this disinterested comparison
printed in the Grout papers it is asserted
that "ln the 5Oth and 5lst Congresses,
Gen. Grout reported from committee as
substitutes for bills introduced by others,
four bills which became laws"
This political mathematician then pro-
ceeds to make capital for Gen. Grout by
adding the four substitute bills reported by
the latter in behalf of committees and the
five appropriation bills which his fellow
members unjustly insisted upon recording
as introduced by the committee" and the
three measures that became laws by being
on the appropriation bills, which originated
in the Senate, and the bills which were
really CIRCUITS bills, and secures a grand
total of "lS public bills originated by him
that have become laws"
1t is admitted that Senator Morrilrs bills
were largely of a public nature and devoted
TO the public welfare. During his career
in both Houses he introduced 81 bills of a
public nature that became laws, and he re-
ported 81 from committee, which according
to the Grout method of reckoning would
make his total number of public measures
that were placed on the statute books IS,
as compared with CIRCUITS Is original, sub
stituted and grated measures combined.
OF Edmunds's 73 bills that became laws
26 are classed as public, but the computer
did not have time singularly enough to as
| hOW oil
committee which could be claimed as his a
la Grout. How Congressman CIRCUITS next
friend happened to fail TO compare Grout
with Senator Proctor is a mystery, but sui.
flee TO say this omission is the one streak
of wisdom about the entire illumination
Possibly some of the Grout papers will say
how ii happened.
But granting for arguments sake the
business of the Grout method of legislative
computation it proves nothing as regard,
the comparative efficiency and statesman
ship of Gen. Grout on the one hand, anC
Senators Edmunds and Morrill, on the 9th
er; and unless these figures were published
for the purpose of comparison to the ad
vantage of Gen. Grout, the space thus EN-
ployed was worse than thrown away ant
the attempted comparison inexcusable.
There was more constructive statesman
ship in Morrill's college land grant law
which provided educational facilities 70
thousands of young men and women an
nually throughout the country for decades
than in all of the public measures elaine,
for Grout; to say nothing of Morrllrs nu
merous other public acts; and if the ven
, Grated senator had originated no othe
measure, he would have been entitled Il
the gratitude of all future generation
throughout our land. In short, no one be
fore ever had the hardihOod to compar
GrOut with either Morrill, or Edmunds
Whenever considered in connection wit
those statesmen he has always been regard
ed by way of contrast.
Even If Congressman CIRCUITS age did nc
preclude the hope that he could stay in tn
Senate long enough to gain positions Q
Importance on various leading committees
p he could never dream of filling the lament
ed Morrilps place, and no step better calcr
lated to prevent him from winning his igt
+ for that succession could have been take
t than to institute an unfortunate and highl
e damaging comparison between Morrill, an
d himself. The drop is one that is paint
. to contemplate; aud it is one that the stat
}. is not likely to allow.
u When the DaOnla Of VarmOnt coma