St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-03-24

ed to improve the local government OF
Vermont's two largest cities.
The foregoing is by no means COM
plete account of the good work Of the
recent legislature. They are merely the
ones of the greatest public interest.
There are scores of Others of lesser inter
est but actual value as we'll as some
which cannot be defended.
The printed copies of the acts of the
session have now been pretty generally
circulated among the voters of the state
but comparatively few will ever take the
trouble to read them. The same is also
true of the newspaper editors. We
doubt if many of those editors who have
so violently assailed the recent legislature
have actually read the acts through
which that legislature can best be
judged.
Reckless and famboyant criticism
has mised the people into wrong
| Judgment of the recent session. The
Banner is accused of being an apologist
for the legislature. 1t is not. 1t recog-
nizes the fact that it is open to censure
in some respects. Through two or three
of the most asinine errors ofcommssion
and omission it obscured record OF
actual good accomplished second to none
in the history of the state. For these
shortcomings, foolish or wicked, accord
ing to the standpoint of the critic, it is
proper to apply the lash for the sake of
the lesson it will be to future legislatures,
but the wholesale condemnation that
has been heaped upon the legislature,
partially in honest ignorance of the real
truth and partially through a reckless
sensationalism and desire to discredit
the Republican party leaders of the state
is, in our opinion, lamentable feature
of the present situation in Vermont.
The detractors OF the last legislature
are fond of holding up the Legislature of
1906 as paragon of virtue in perform
ance. What are the facts? Here is a list
of the more important acts of the legis-
lature of 1906:
Freeing deposits in savings banks from
taxation except that paid to the state.
This was expected to provide money
that could be borrowed on real estate
mortgage at five per cent but failed to
work out that way.
Providing a system for the expert
supervision of schools. A splendid adj
vance in school legislation.
A child labor and truancy law that is
highly creditable to the state and to the
legislature that enacted it.
Providing for a permanent school
fund, largely through taking away the
United States deposit money from
towns, many of which could not afford
to pay.
New supreme and superior court sys-
tenn. A system more satisfactory than
the old one, but which is costing the
state $4,000 year more than the one
that preceded it.
Increasing the powers of the state
highway commissioner and extending
the usefulness of the department. 4
The weekly payment law, the best act
of the legislature of 1906.
Enlarging the powers of the railroad
commission.
Providing for gradual reduction of
the number of grade crossings.
Improving, amending and extending
the pure food and drug law.
The diseased meat law.
To prevent bucket shop gambling.
~ CoLhPel pilsohels III county JAMS W
work
Also an act to compel corporations to
show their books.
Likewise new charter for the CITY of
Burlington that did not prove salts
factory and had to be replaced by
another at the last session.
This record of the session of 1906 is a
most creditable one, but it had its
faults and failures as did that of 1908
and as will have all that follow it.
Censure the legislature of 1908 if you
must but do not be so unfair and
untruthful as to deny that it did many
creditabe things Bennington Banner.