Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-02-24


We should think of politics as SER
vice rendered to our country and to |
our country's God Thinking of our
Obligations as Christian citizens with
a loltier view of the power that makes
for peace, and for the guardianship
of public righteousness, and depends
for its efficiency upon the men who
carry into its service a broader and
a more fully rounded conception of
their duties, it ought to be duty of
citizenship to make it possible to cast
our votes with the least expense
and trouble possible. While by
change Of the statute in a measure
the school district has ceased to be
the unit of our political system,
another means for the accommodation
and education of the people should be
adopted. l take it for granted that
| it is proposition that needs no argu-
ment that it should be made as easy
as possible for every citizen to reach
a polling place. In a town contain
Jug DO UIliS uOOS lIlICS CChIS1S vi pup
ulation there should be three voting
places. There should in every in
stance be much more done to create
an interest in the primaries, or caucus
as commonly called.
The posting of little obscure no
tiCe should no longer answer the pur-
pose of notification. any other adver-
Using Of business or entertainments
done in this manner would be
cause for many facetiOus remark,
and prove a disaster to the enter
prise. By every means possible
people should be stimulated to attend
this most important meeting in our
political scheme, namely, the one for
the nomination of those who are to be
representatives of the important
interests of the citizens of the town.
At very small cost conspicuous
posters should warn the people of the
approaching meeting and they should
be placed in our most public resorts,
and under the locals of our county
papers. 1t is not alone to meet sim
ply the requirements of the law in
respect to elections but it should be
to educate our children to citizenship,
to this end our boys should be at the
polling places, and be able after, in
our public schools to write a clear
account of the proceedings of the
meeting. The old men that for years
have testified in our meetings that
they were "pilgrims and strangers
here" making this a pretext for
shirkingIthei duties as citizens, should
remember that as we journey we are
to influence men as far as duty goes,
by contagion and not by exhortation.
If we are pilgrims we should remem-
Der that there are other pilgrims to
come after. If we have no contin-
uing city where we dwell and there
is one that our and our brethren's
children must dwell in after US, it is in
our power by a faithful performance
of our duty to help them to the rue
assertion that they. are citizens of no
mean city. We can make it the abode
of good government, not a terrestrial
plague spot. Nor will our indifference
be neutral factor for no man can be
neutral and be a Christian, because
Christianity is positive life, because
the one protesting it has entered
upon life that means progress more
and more out of self; and this is the
test of true Christian experience
the world over. We must plan as
we'll for the public good, as for the
private, for coming generations, as
we'll as for the present. There are
many who secure their years. stock
Of crystal ice from the fair bosom of
, yonder lake. Think of the utter
baseness of him who would secure
his own supply and then pOllute the
3 waters SO that his neighbors coming
, after would have an article which
would bring disease and death, who
= would by their Indifference leave
= places where others might be sub
! merged and their property and per-
3 haps their lives lost. When we are
t negligent of public duties we are
;. doing this very thing, enjoying bless
= ings of civil and religious liberty
y that others labored for, fought an6
= died for; careless whether succeeding
Z generations get their supply fo1
y strength and IMMIGRATION from the
8 same beautiful lake of privilege
n Even if we do not poIlute the waters
9 we stand by and see it done for thos,
- who are to take their supply after us
: When we make many excuses to b.
d relieved from jury duty when corrup
n men are ready to go on the panel
o even to sell their verdict to the high
o. est bidder he that rafusoS tO vote