Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-06-25
Tap POSTING OF WARRANTS.

The Bellows Falls Times voices a timely
town in Vermont where tho nuisance Of
forcing voters to look on barn doors and
fence posts for notices Of town meetings
10 suffered year after year. Tho con-
temporary says:
For several years the Vermont Press
association has been trying 20 get
through the Legislature a law compelling
the publication Of warrants for town
and village meetings in newspapers hut
each attempt u met with insinuat1ons
that tho association has designs on the
public treasury. When the new Bellows
Falls village charter was before the last
Legislature the editor OF the Times called
the attention of the committee that draft
ed the charter TO the fact that the
only provision for calling n meeting
and advertising it was the one requiring
that warrant be posted In three public
places The committee. however. paid
no attention to the matter an probably
considered posting three warrants ample
notice Tho attention of the legislative
committee to which the charter was re-
OF Springfield. q member OF the commit
tee. intimated that the Legislature wouid
pass over his dead body before any
village charter would be granted that did
not provide for newspaper publication OF
warrants. The charter went through in
Its original form. however. and Fiinn Is
still alive. The most reasonable expiana-
ton is that after uttering the horrible
threat Finn INDUCED in one of those ora
torical flights for which he is famous and
did not land until after ths Legislature
had acted.
The special corporation meeting OF Fri
day evening is an illustration of what
posting warrants in three public places
will do. Not one voter in ten OF the 1,0D
or more In the village will admit that he
knew there was to be a meeting at all.
Others say they had forgotten about 1t,
and still others who promised TO be pres
ent did not show UP. AT the hour adver-
tised for opening the meeting not haif
dozen were present. and the largest num-
Der voting at all was "a.
We do net claim that publishing war
! rants In newspapers will always NIL the
nall, but DO claim that such publicity Is
valuable adjunct to posting notices. ana
II there were but one method OF advert's-
ing the paper would be greatly superior
to the posting process.
After all IL said and done, however, IT
must be admitted that many citizens are
not as jealous In performing their duties
as they should be Very few business
men we're present Friday, and yet 1t Is tho
business men who are the most Interested
in having an efficient fire department In
Bellows Falls. The trustees have spent
much time and devoted much Thought 10
the reorganization OF the fire department.
They are human and their plan may nor
be the best, but We submit that 1t Is en-
titled to better treatment than pelns
kicked over after a brief 10 minutes con-
sidera ton by a village meeting, especially
when most Of those present have given
the matter no consideration whatever
preyious to entering the hall. The citizens
of Bellows Falls ought to make thelr
attendance at village meetings ike theif
attendance at church. a matter or dut!
and not of convenience.
| This is a subject which should not he
allowed to drop until the people Of Yer
mont are put In the line Of progress
which Is being made in other states In
matters Of publicity relative to govern
ment matters.