Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-09-09

The Board Of Civil Authority have the
right, the same as any judicial body to /
determine the order Of the proceeding .
aud the pertineney Of the evidence aud .
" hieh you may offer. The
Board Of Civil Authority Is a qiasi
Judicial body. drawn to make out a
check list. for the town, Of the legal
voters therein. This check list deter
mines the persons who have the right to
vote. The right to vote is a question Of
law and fact. The statute defines what
facts shall give a person the right or
privilege of voting. Hence the Board
of Civil Authority is a quasi judieid'
body, acting as servants of the people to
determine and guard the rights of the
individual voter and of the people. This
is government ''of the people, by the
people for the people," Under our form
of dual, state and national government,
sovereignty vests in all citizens. Hence
citizens owe allegiance to or the duty to
sustain and uphold government and the
government owes the duty to protect all
citizens in their rights of liberty, Of
person and of property. All citizens are
not given the elective franchise or right
to vote. About one-ffth of the citizens
are given that right, not for themselves
alone but for all the citizens of the
state and nation. They are given this
right in trust for themselves and all
others. Every citizen, whether voter
or not, is interested in and beneficiary
under this trust, has the right because
interested, TO be heard on the question,
whether a given person shall have his
name placed on the check list, and so be
given the right to help determine how
the sovereignty of the state and nation
shall be decided, that his liberty, his
person, his property shall be protected.
No one, at this day, would question
the right of person interested in an
immense property to be heard before
any judicial tribunal on the question o.
who should be appointed, or whether {
particular person had been legally ap
pointed, a trustee to manage the great
property in which he was interested
The Board of Civil Authority are mere
servants of the people, and of all citi
zens, in determining who of their mum
Der came within the provisions of the
statute so that their names should be
put on the check list as qualified trus-
tees to act for them i'll managing the
immense interests of the state auC
nation. No immense property in which
person may be interested and have tn
right to be heard in determining VIII,
had the right, or shonld be given tn
right to manage the property in whicl
he is interested, compares with the null
titudinous and immense interests mar
aged and other dearer interests wielde,
, by the sovereignty of the state and
nation through the citizen voters whel
their names are placed on the check list
! Wha,, HI, -, ,Nloaa1 tha nhaoI
list each voter acts with others in
{ trust capacity in welding the sovereignt,
, of the state and nation, not only so as t,
protect the safety and interest of hin
self, but, the safety and inter est of a
| other voters, all other citiz ems, includin
= wives, mothers and children. For IL
! Board of Civil Authority to hold thu
t any citizen has not the right to appea
a before it and be heard in the determin;
h ton of who are properly qualified to &C
as their trustees of the sovereign powe
of the state and nation would be I
t assume that the Board alone ha
. imperial porer. When | was acting g
k Judge did not dare to say that an
person interested in a matter pendin
before me did not have the right I
appear in power, or by attorney, and |
heard in an orderly manner on tt
n question pending in which he VIZ
:, interested. | have held some importal
a positions as servant of the people, {
e Judge and otherwise, but never in IN
e estimation so important one as when
j. exercise the right given to me as vott
: in trust for all the citizens of the sta
d and nation. Yours truly,
S JONATHAN Ross