St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-01-28
CITY CHARTER TURNED DOWN.
The Voters of the Village of 1T. Johns
bury EmphaticalIy Decline to Change
their Form of Governments.

tneIF 0fh Ol
Nearly 500 voters attended the special
village meeting Friday nightin the Town
Hall, and the city charter was turned
down by vote of 296 to 1876.
P. F. Hazen, the village president,
called the meeting to order, and c. B.
Weeks, the village clerk, read the call.
George H. Cross opened the discussion
by saying he hoped there would be full
discussion of the merits of the question
on both sides.
Judge Ross said he was not favorably
impressed with the small cities in Ver-
mont and cited Montpelier and st. Al
bans in particular. He said to divide the
town after over 100 years would disturb
the land records, the town and village
debts, the school system, etc. In fact,
the city charter disturbs about every
thing we have, and city would be more
expensive as there would be more Office
holders.
Elmore 7. Ide was the spokesman of
the committee who framed the charter,
and said the committee had done hard
and conscientious work. They follow wed
rather closely the charter of Montpelier.
He believed that the city was the ideal
form o government and that all the OBJ
jections raised by Judge Ross were an
swered by the charter.
Marshall Montgomery waxed eloquent
and sarcastic in opposing the charter
and quoted freely from an anonymous
circular that had been distributed around
town Friday morning. He asked if
boy was any older when you called him
Mister than when you called him ''Bub,"
question which was vigorously ap-
plauded by the house.
Lawyer Farnham wanted the matter
discussed by people who had lived in
cities and who knew what they were
talking about. He called on c. E. Siman-
ton.
The latter made his maiden speech and
spoke earnestly in favor OF adopting the
charter. He cited the case of his old
hom-- Washington, N. (which became
a city while he lived there. Under the
city government the mayors salary was
only nomnal-$1O vear-and the taxes
had decreased from $22.50 to $14 rs on
the thousand.
Lawyer Dunnett made the shortest
speech OF the evening and asked the
voters if they wanted to surrender the
right Of managing their own affairs.
Senator Stiles said he was not anxious
for change but in discussing the ques-
ton with prominent men OF Montpelier
and st. Albans he found an almost unani-
nous opinion in favor of a city.
Rev. DR.. Edward T. Fairbanks, Law
yer Porter. ]. W. Sault and H. N. Turner
spoke briefly on the question. An hour
had been spent in debate and there were
cries OF ballot" from various parts of
the hall. On motion of Judge Ross it
was voted to use the Australian ballot
system. The result of the ballot was as
follows:
Whole number cast, 422
Necessary for choice, 212
For a city, 1876
Against the city, 296
The following resolution was then pre-
senled by Judge Stafford and unani-
mously adopted;
Resolved, That it is the sense of this
meeting that compilation of the exist
ing laws and bylaws relating to this
village ought to be made, printed and
distributed, so that the voters may know
what the powers of the village now are,
and that the trustees be requested to do
this.
The meeting then adjourned.