The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-11-09
FRANK E. HOWE. Editor and Publisher
The jamestown Commission.

is Lieut.. GOV. PfOuty correct III his
surmise that much of the criticism of
the Vermont jamestown commission
has a political animus back of it?
This might apply to some of the wick
ed newspapers who of course are al
ways ready to put a spike in the pol.
itical coffin of candidate they do not
favor, but it would not readily apply
to non-political visitors who return
from the exposition and report their
dissatisfaction with our states show
ing. Probably few of this class know
that anybody's political future is in
volved to any degree, and simply state
their honest conclusions. Lieut.. Gov
Prouty as the actual head of the COM
mission, issued defense of it's course
last week that should be read by all
disposed to blame somebody for the
jamestown fiasco. 1t covers the case
clearly and proves the utter folly of
trying to make creditable showing
with only $4,000 and no cooperation
from home. The commission has SER
we'd without pay, and has done it's
best, in the face of most discouraging
conditions. The solemn truth is that
Vermont ought not to have been lured
into this trap to begin with, and the
knocking should go to the legislature
which was gulled rather than to the
unpaid servants who have tried to do
the impossible. -Randolp Herald and
News.
We cannot quite agree with all of
the Herald and News statements. We
ba1;avo thot en- mn ,,,oe ono,Io oo,
sidering the size and scope of the ex-
position to have reasonably well ad.
vertised the resources, business and
attractions of the state had not the
commissioners foolishly spent half the
appropriation in erecting a building
which has proved jonah on their
hands.
The Banner has perhaps criticised
the commission as severely as any
body, but we have never doubted the
honesty and good intentions of Mr.
Prouty and his colleagues. They did
what seemed 10 them best and have
never undertaken to dodge the respon-
sibility for their acts. The Banner
believed from the start that the COM
mission was too large to handle such
a matter to the best advantage and
that the commission made its great
mistake at the very beginning by de-
Gliding to build a Vermont building.
1t would have been much wiser, it
seems to us, TO have used all the mon
ey available in showing up state prod
ucts to the best advantage and adver-
Using the resources and attractions of
the state. AS it has turned out the
commission has fallen between two
stools, the building erected was not
satisfactory and after the money for il
was spent there was not enough left
to do the other part of the work in a
manner creditable to the state. In
other words the theory adopted by the
Vermont commission failed to work
out.
AS to Mr.. Prouty's wall that the
criticism of the commission was an
underhand method of getting in slap
at his political aspirations, it is m.
worthy of him. AS far as the Banner
is concerned 1t simply isn't true. Nor
do we believe that any considerable
number of the thousands of other Yer.
monters who have criticised the work
of the commission have had any
thought in mind other than the credit
and good name of Vermont. We are
| surprised and shocked that man of
Mr.. Prouty's age and experience
should cry-baby in any such childish
way.
If this is the way Mr. Prouty is
measuring himself up before the state
| of Vermont--first to take leading
part in diverting half the Vermont ap.
preparation from the legitimate chan.
mel for which it was intended and then
to squeal when the responsibility is
brought home to him--we are more
than ever convinced that it is the
duty of Governor Proctor to consent
to a denomination and give our clever
and well meaning lieutenant governor
4 two years more to broaden out be.
fore he is given charge of the ruddeI
of the ship of state.