The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-02-15
"IMPosED ON A BOARD"
Explanation Desired as TO Meaning OF
Act 100 in Newspaper Supplements.

Editor Of the Relormer-
The newspapers OF this state, IN oollus
ion with the late legislature, sooalled, in
ilicted upon their subscribers aud others
whose meekness and forbearanee are
greatly TO he commended, certain col
lection of commandments called the Acts
OF 1906, and which purports TO have been
published by authority but by whose,
what or how much authority does not
yet appear, We have waited more or
less patiently for you or some OF your
accomplices to come around and interpret
any or all of said soealled acts, but up
TO this date have failed to see you, for
which we are truly thankful. Now as
the annual town meetings will soon be
celebrated, some with fireworks and ora
tions favored with birthstone and some
without, and as a large proportion OF the
inhabitants OF all towns in the state eN'
cept Bratteboro will, as usual, be elect
cd and inaugurated into public office
without their knowledge and consent, 1t
seems to be due to those good citizens
who are to hold the public offices that
you or some member of your cabinet II
any there be who, are still at large, should
explain and proclaim, either in the cor
riior of Crosby block, or in your paper,
or in some other semi.pubic way, the
real meaning of No. 100 of said Acts,
which reads as follows:
mo. 100. An Act to Punish Public
Officers for Neglect of Duty. II is here.
by enacted by the General Assembly OF
the State of Vermont; Section !, state,
county, town, village, fire district or
school district officer who wilfully neg
lects to perform the duties imposed upon
him by law, either express or implied, Is
imposed by law upon board one year
or fined not more than one thousand dol
lars, or both; -
We have hired horse and gone to
the nearest dictionary to find out what
il means to be imposed upon board.
The dictionary says impose means TO put,
place or set upon. SO If a town officer
neglccts to perform some little duty he IS
to be put, placed or set upon a board
one year, or else he will be fined one
thousand dollars, or both,
| have talked with one of the justices
of the peace and with all of the fence
viewers, and they tell me that this law
can not be enforced, as the constitution
provides that cruel and unusual punish
ments and excessive fines can not be IN
flicted, and they all say that it will be
cruel and unusual to set man upon a
board for one year. They say a man
could stand it as long as a hen, which
is three weeks, but it would get monot.
onous after four or five months. Even if
he should be let. off with fine Of one
thousand dollars this would be more
than his salary in some of the back towns
away from the river and the town could
not back him up, as there would not be
that balance in the treasury. VIII you
tell us what we are going to do? II we
get convicted and fined $1,000 can We go
into bankruptcy and dodge 1t! And II
so would we then have to be set on the
board? And does the state furnish
boards or could we bring our own? And
il so could we bring soft wood boards;
Now as you have got us into this you
must help us out, SO please attend to it
at once and oblige.
Town Officer
Guilford Vt, Feb. 10, 1907.