The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-11-23
FRANK {. HOWE, Editor and Publisher
The County Buildings.

that Bennington county is in dire need
of new county buildings. Judges,
grand juries, lawyers, court officers,
witnesses and the public at large have
for years condemned the present build
ings both here and at Manchester as
unsafe, unsanitary, unfit and insight
ly until practically every body. except
ing Mr. Hapgood of Peru-knows and
is agreed that it is time a new court
house and jail were built. Even Mr.
Hapgood thinks the county ought to
have a new jail.
Owing to the double shire nuisance
that has existed here SO long, the ques-
ton Immediately arises: Shall the
county build two new sets of county
buildings or unite the shires? 1t is of
course evident to all that one good
courthouse would be preferable if it
could be agreed where it should be
placed.
A bill was introduced into the legis.
lature providing for the appointment
by the governor of a DISTINGUISHED
commission to select the site. This
was eminently fair as Governor Bell
comes from the small town of Walden
and is a jealous guardian of the rights
of the small towns. Surely the rights
of the smaller towns of Bennington
county would have been safe in the
hands of any commission he might APP
point against any rapacity on the part
of Bennington or any other large
town.
When the question came before the
members of the legislature from this
county, however, some of them thought
it might be just as we'll for us to de-
eide for ourselves by vote of the coun.
ty. This was fair and no reasonable
word of objection could be offered
against it.
Somebody, however, thought of
scheme whereby minority of the vot.
ers living in the small towns could
control the whole matter and il is now
proposed to pass bill providing that
each town in the county shall elect
man and that the seventeen men thus
chosen from the seventeen towns of the
county shall form a committee TO sell
eet the location.
1t is the trick Of a demagogue to
thwart the wishes Of majority of the
people in the hope of profiting unfairly
thereby. 1t gives the nine voters of
the town of Glastonbury the same say
in an important county matter, as the
300 voters of the town of Bennington.
1t would give two little mountain
towns such as Searsburg and Land
grove twice the strength in the commit
tee of an important, prosperous, grow
ing town like Manchester or Pownal.
For instance the population of Ben
nin%ton county according to the cen
sus OF 1900 is y, 70j or this total the
towns of Bennington, Pownal Man
chester, Dorset and SALISBURY, five in
number, contain 15,llS people to j5S7
in all of the other twelve towns. Yet
on committee like tina proposed,
the representatives of three fourths of
the population would be outvoted
more than two to one by the represent
tatives of one-fourthofthe population.
Taken by grand list the showing is
similar. The grand list of the five
towns above referred to is SIS, 49,
against S27,79 for all the rest of the
county.
1t is in county business though that
the showing is most striking. On the
present court docket of over 100 cases
more than five out of six come from
the five towns mentioned. In fact the
town of Bennington alone furnishes
twenty-five more cases on this docket
than the whole nine towns Cf the north
shire combined.
All citizens of the county who have
intelligence and understanding agree
that something must soon be done.
The county representatives at Mont
pelier have it in their power to refer it
to the people, the fairest tribunal and
the one most interested, or they may
yield themselves to crafty scheme to
defeat fair, honest, and business
like decision. 1t is up to these men
and upon the controlling majority of
them will attach the honor or the dis
honor of the result.
Presidential Election VIII Make No