St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-10-01
OUR MONTPELIER LETTER.
A View of n Veteran Journalist on the
Eve of Battle.

1t is always a pleasure to meet anC
greet my old friends and neighbor
through the columns OF a Caledonia
county newspaper, and l can only hop,
that my visit to you during the present
legislative eruption may be considered O
some value in the manner designed. Coco
old Caledonia has turned loose som,
good men among the wolves at Mont
pelier this year, and if names and reputa
tions are adjudication of the result they
are likely to leaven the whole loaf. The
county's membership in the senate is nc
experiment, and the same NAV be said O.
St. Johnsbury, Lyndon and Sheffield
Barnet and Hardwick are sound in doc.
trine, and the remainder of the county
will give good report ofitself
The plot thickens, and the battle is on.
After months of campaign covering
every school district in the state, the
various forces are arraigning themselves
here at the capital for the final aud de-
cisive struggle. From now on until the
end, Vermont history will be made every
hour. | have been connected with the
past eleven sessions of the Vermont legis-
lature, but any experience which l may
have gained in that time serves me very
little today. In no respect has such a
condition existed in the past quarter of a
century, at least, as confronts the leeis-
lature of '02. Any previous experience as
regards forecasting results in any given
direction is valueless. The situation
changes hourly and no person can accu-
rately diagnose it thirty minutes ahead.
Many and evidently a majority of the
members are already on the ground and
nearly every man has the aspect of hay
ing come for business and not to enjoy
the enervating luxuries of a health resort.
Every face bears the look Of grim deter
mination and mind troubled with the
settlement Of serious questions. There
are no appearances of holiday, rather
those OF an armed camp or competing
gladiators awaiting the word. Nearly
everybody connected with the legislature
secured his boarding place in advance,
and as soon as he makes himself known
at his lodgings and dumps his grip in the
corner of his room he makes bee line to
headquarters and reports for duty.
After somewhat careful examination
and analysis of the membership of the
House am quite of the opinion that it
is the ablest House in recent years.
This in the sense that it contains much
better raw material than for some
time The recent strenuous campaign has
had the apparent effect of bringing to
the front the strongest and ablest men in
their respective towns, as candidates on
each side, and as a result men of a con-
siderable higher average ability have
been returned as elected. use the ex
preston raw material" in connection,
because it expresses the exact condition.
The raw material is there for great work
and most creditable results; but whether
1t Will amalgamate into shape as
strong and unified working body and
produce such results as such material is
capable OF is question, Probably not,
tor the reason that legislature never
knows how to do business expeditiously,
sensibly and properly until it is time to
wind up and 60 home. Some never do
anything to indicate that time might
bring Improvement.
The present House, however, is btimful
OF hard common sense and business abi-
lty. 1t has plenty of brains for any
emergency, if a majority of them will
work unitedly for any good end. We
can only at this stage of the game-hold
our breath, tighten our grip and hope
Tor the best. might suggest that thev
be made subjects of prayer. but there
are five clergymen mixed up in the mob
somewhere, and if they survive the first
round and are not lost in the shuttle thew
can look after this matter themselves
by the way, it is a pretty low down
trick to play on a clergyman, to sentence
him to the Vermont legislature of 'O2 for
sixty days 1t is an awful ordeal to sub.
lect good man to. The moral strain ;s
bound to be something unthinkahIe
But then, If he passes through the cruel
bic unscathed, what joy to his parish,
1t will be such a diploma OF absolute
moral incorruptibility as no man ever
received before. Here is food for deep
and wide thought.
AS to the new senate, it is a queer mix
up. 1t has some hrstcla timber some
tar to mddln' and little which looks
little shaky at the top. Very likely,
however 1t averages well as to ability
and will make a decent and credita.
bic record. 1t contains twenty.one
straight or Mccullough republicans.
supposedly, five Clement republicans and
tour democrats. This is the largest dem
ocratIc representation in the senate in
my memory, and is made up of excellent
business material. 1t is capable Of max,
ing quite q record as red-hot minority.