The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-15
FIR AK 3. HOWE, RditOr and Publishs
NOT A QUESTION OF SIZE

field News the Banner reprints today
but he tells a few facts that cannot
be denied by anybody even fairly
familiar WITH the subject. There are
reasonable arguments in favor of a
smaller legislature, but the argument
put forward by the Free Press that il
will be more economical will not
hold water in actual results as has
been proved by every state in the
union that has ever changed from a
large legislature to a small one
Such a change would mean instant
ly tremendously increased appropri-
atoms, not necessarily through any
dishonesty or corruption but through
tne natural tendency of the larger
centers of population to do things on
a larger scale and spend money more
freely than their smaller neighbors.
The comparatively small amount
saved in mileage and debentures
would only be drop in the bucket of
bigger appropriations all along the
line This has been the experience
of other states and there is no reason
to think that it would be any differ
ent in Vermont.
There are a score or so of towns in
Vermont that are so small and
sparsely settled that they ought to
be joined to larger neighbors for their
own good in supporting schools and
highways and other public advan-
tages. Some of these towns are
themselves DESTROYS of such a change.
This would reduce the size of the leg
islature by some twenty members
and still leave il closely representa-
tive of the towns, a system from
which we have never been able TO
trace any real harm to the interests
of the state.
There are also just ten large towns
in the state whose importance justi-
fies giving them more strength in the
legislature than they now possess, but
it is also true that a study of the
work of Vermont legislatures, as we'll
as the legislatures of other states,
will Snow that a larger proportion of
the jobs and schemes that never
ought to have been passed have been
worked through by the men from the
large towns.
In our opinion one remedy lies in
equalizing highway and school taxes
in all the towns and then spending
tne money raised so as to equalize
the advantages. The district school
of Glastonbury or Fayston may be
training a boy fitted by native ability
to be a Judge of the supreme court or
United States senator. There is no
reason why he should be robbed of
his birthright or dwarfed in intellect
because these small towns might be
so burdened with other charges that
the voters refuse to maintain a good
school 1t is a state duty and de-
wolves Just as much on Bennington
and Burlington as it does on Glasten-
bury and Fayston.
Main roads are highways for all the
people, not for select few in the
town where they chance to scratch
the dirt. They SHOULD be a state
charge and not dependant on the
righteousness or prodigality of
handful of voters that may be induced
to turn out through snow or mud at
the annual March meeting.
What we need is more public spirit
and less petty jealousy and selfish
ness-more earnest and honest exem-
plifcation of the golden rule and less
effort to transfer public money to pri-
vate pockets without giving full
value in return. We are willing to
nav more taxes if it will in
sure future better than the
past and that will make our chill
than tae past and will make our chill
dren and our children's children,
keener. healthier, happier and more
advanced than we are, but we object
to continual increasing expense with
out adequate return.