The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-10-04

meeting of the pSoprietors at Arlington
and who first established himself with
his wife in the southwest corner Of the
town. lie did not become a permanent
settler, but he did his part. He served
ON the picket line and 1 believe that
he was brave, as she was who shared
his rude shelter and his hard account
If, then, we date the foundation from
the time of projection, it is Bigelow and
1850; if from the time of nominal oc-
cupation, it is Frizzle and 1855; if from
the first act OF settlement, it is Davis
home, it is that same Jacob Davis,
colonel, farmer, millwright, pioneer and
founder, and f7SS. Then first the log
hut on the Worcester Branch became a
home, when Rebeeca Davis, his wife,
Jacob, the first schoolteacher, Thomas,
the wagon bEinger from Vergennes, and
all his girls, Rebecca, Hannah, Polly
and Lucy, came to town and, finally,
III years ago, the first baby born in
the city, Clarissa. 'Dux femina factiv;
the leader OF the city was a woman.
Yes, dear memories, the years have been
long and many since first you and your
friends came TO make homes in the
woods of Central Vermont, but, at least,
if we did not share your hardships, we
may appreciate your lives and, as bene-
ficiaries of your labors, self-sacritiee and
acts Of thrift, taday recall Your names
with reverence and with love.
II viii be expected, as it Is entirely
appropriate, that some reference should
be made to the selection and subsequent
designate of Montpelier as capital Of
Vermont. From its situation in di-
vision OF the Green Mountain range, it
was early called a sort of geographical
puzzle, suitable for maintaining the pos
litieal division which the people wished
and to which the mountain line diyi-
sion had been assigned. Prior TO 1871
the legislature convened in eight differ
ent towns, equally divided east and
west, and once in Charleston, N. H.,
then in Vermont After 1891 and up
to 1916, the sessions alternated between
Rutland and Windsor, and thereafter,
up to 1908, the conventions met in Rut
land, Windsor, Vergennes, Middlebury,
Newbury, Burlington, Westminster, Dan
vile and Woodstock James Fiske Of
Barre first moved in October Of 1908
for the appointment Of committee to
establish a permanent legislative seat,
and, after numerous reports, county con.
yentions, recommendations by governor
and council, references and cross-rcfer-
ences to succeeding legislatures, recon
siderations, order TO lie and proposals Of
amendment, a bill was passed Novem-
Der 8, 1905, nearly two years later SCI
Letting Montpelier as the place. Cyrus
Ware was our representative The gov
ernor and council Tetns1ed the bill with
proposals OF amendrent, which Walton
says were verbal, bat which the original
bill files show to be a redraft of the
whole measure after the enacting clause.
Thus modified, the bill passed in the
form found as per page 427, Vol. 5, Of
Governor and Council by Walton, and
in October Of 1908 the legislature met for
the first time at Montpelier, in theif
erected by this act and which cost be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000. Thompson
says It was whitfield out of existence IN
the next twenty years. when the
second State House, occupied in 1886,
took its place and so served until 1857,
when it was destroyed by fire. Then
came the great legislative debate in
voIying serious effort to move the
capital to Burlington, and the voice of
Senator Edmunds rose for the latter
and that of Governor Paul Dillingham;
and Representative T. f. Merrill for
Montpelier. ! do not consider it at all
necessary to refer to the details Of the
three state houses, to money considera-
tons paid by this city, to the volunteer
acts of bonding and assumed RESPONSE
bility Of its citizens or TO the fact that
Montpelier firmly met the business end
Of the controversy, dollar for dollar,
which, while practical, were all insig-
niiicant when compared to the larger
questions involved. The old conser-
yatism manifested itself in this debate.
After referring to the original designa-
tlon OF Montpelier as a means of MAX
ing the Vermont people homogeneous and
united and of maintaining thereby a
half century of peace, the Hon. William
G. Bradley said: "Our fathers wor-
shipped in this mountain, not howing
themselves to the Adirondaclxs across
the lake, nor to the White Hills from
St Johnsbury, but to this mountain,
the Green Mountain range; and | am
for going down to no Jerusalem on the
east or west. Thus the capitrl was
to them the symbol Of neutrality aud
this idea deserves to be expressed today
in political unity Of action upon the
necessary needs Of the state, in order
that, united in all good ways of think
ing, we may also unite in such acts and
resolves as will multiply and distribute
through all our towns greater and
more comfortable prosperity. Mr.. Brad
ley's argument did not consider, and,
! think, properly So, the personal claims
of Montpelier, because state questions
take precedence Of local ones. lie dealt
with the merit of the question, as he
viewed it. And yet there is sort Of
iustifiahle pride in the recollection that
a century ago 200 people, with list
of but $4,000, one-sixth the size of
today, initiated the work of building
d state house in this city. It is not
Greece or Rome, Persia or Egypt, France.
Germany OF Great Britain, but, viewed
by itself, it was fairly great piece of
creditable work for a few honest men
TO do and it is right enough to consider
it today as such, losing sight for the