St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-05-16
COUNTY POLITICS.
Why St. Johnsbury Should Stand by
Ross.

senting one Of the smallest states il
the Union, have occupied so promi
nent positions in the counsels of thu
nation. There are several reason.
why Vermont has been thus honored
The most important is that ne
state has had better material from
which to draw. Vermont wa.
settled largely from Massachusetts!
and Connecticut by the hardest anc
sturdiest Puritan stock. That they
were intellectual, moral and physica
giants no one reading the early
history of their struggle with New
York, New Hampshire and Massa
chusetts for independence and state.
hood can doubt. That race has
produced like progeny. The very
hostility of her soil united with the
beauty and grandeur of her scenery
has given the sons of Vermont cour.
age, hardness, stability, activity oil
mind, and ambition. Vermont has
sent out more men who have attain
ed prominence, who have filled posi-.
lions of trust and honor, who have
become the heads of great families,
than any other state in the Union.
But she has kept many of her talent
ed sons at home, and from these, she
has picked the best to represent her
in the United States Senate.
Anotherimportant reason why the
position of Vermont in the Senate has
been so honorable is because she has
not believed in the principleofrotation
in office, but, having once chosen a
man to that body, she has in the
great majority of instances kept
him there for life or until he resigned.
The result has been that Vermont
senator's have attained influence not
only because of their ability but
because of their experience. The
principal amount of legislative work
is done in committees.
A new member must take a low
place on important committees and
advance according to length of serv-
ice. Therefore the only safe and sure
way for a state to attain influence
and power in the Senate is to send a
strong man in the first place and to
re-elect him as long as possible.
This Vermont has done. The result
has been that her Senators have often
held the Craftsmanship of important
committees and have nightly in
fuenced legislation.
The average length of service of her
Senators has been seven and eleven
fourteenths years. None of the
original states, nor of those which
were admitted prior to 1S47, can
show a better record and, of those
which have been admitted since,
Iowa and Nevada alone have allowed
their Senators to serve for longer
period.
The fact that the state has so often
reelected its Senators for life or un-
til they resigned has necessitated
many appointments by the governor.
In four states only, Mississippi, New
Hampshire, New Jersey and Tennes-
see, have more executive appoint
ments been made. These appoint
ments invariably have been most for
tunate. In no instance since the
state was admitted into the Union in
1871 has the legislature, when acting
upon the matter, ever refused to elect
the executive appointee for the re-
mainder of the unexpired term. The
six cases in which the governor has
are as follows:
April %, 1912, Samuel c. Crafts
to fill the vacancy caused by the re-
of Samuel Prentiss. Mr..
Crafts was elected by the legislature,
October 26, 1912, to I'LL out the re-
mainder of Mr.. Prentiss' term.
January II, 1853, Samuel S. Phelps
to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of William Upham. When the
met in the fall of 1853, it
failed to elect anyone to fill out the
remainder of Mr.. Upham's term and
the seat was declared vacant by the
United States Senate.
November 21, 1865, Luke P. Po-
land to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of Jacob Collamer. Mr.. Pc.
land was elected by the legislature
October "a, 1866, to fill out the re-
mainder of Mr. Collamer's term.
April S, 1866, George F. Edmunds
to supply the vacancy caused by the
death OF Solomon Foot. Mr.. Ed
munds was elected by the legislature
October "a 1864 tn fiji out the re-