The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-03

tNtpuulACdu party. IL Qld. 10 also
failed To redeem the party declara-
tions of the Democratic party and the
Prohibition party and the Socialist
party. IL may be an unfortunate
thing for the Republican party organ
ization that it failed 10 induce the leg
islature TO redeem it's pledges. but In
the long run We believe that il is a
good thing that party lines are not
drawn in the Vermont legislature and
that party whip cannot be used 10
overcome the convictions OF a major.
ity of the members
Il is said that the legislature has
disgraced itself by increasing salaries.
We have already spoken of the chang
ing conditions and increasing business
interests in the state of Vermont.
These have added new work to an de.
partments of the state government
These demand increased clerical as.
sistance-must have il or the states
work will not be done. A few Years
ago the state auditor the secretary of
state and other officials had half their
time to devote to their private affairs.
Now they must give ia an TO their
state It is right and prope.tLat they
should be fairly paid for reasonable
service. Only petty mind or man
unfamiliar with the facts will object
10 nearly all Of the Increases gram Cd
after careful invest cation
We do not include m this lis. o. ius.
titled increase Oh mat n OF lie in
crease in Gay 'oCd D.. ihe d, lbers
TO themselves. :, S iisht end proper
for members + toe legislliur. to le-
ceiye four lollars Wr day on eoen
more, but it 1os IA inmCdat SING
to vote it FOR themselves. Howe or.
there is a fair ar-mont on The other
side of this question The members
went TO Montpelier expecting to De
there about two months Had the
! session ended at Thanksgiving or
early in December there would have
been no talk or thought OF increased
pay, but the work kept them there for
four months instead Of twu--twicC
what they bargained for and most OF
them We're faithful enough 10 stay and
let their affairs at home suffer Times
have changed during the past few
years. Farmers and small business
men who We're trying to ~ economical
at Montpelierfound that It cost them
about two dollars a day tc live here
he best the could 90. A man TO
take their place ar hOtle cost lhrm
from $i.2j to 81 a day more and as The
session heightened they grew nervous
and desperate. Finally a mass meat-
| ing of members was called H. the
| cloakroom one evening and under
the advice and with the support cf
such men as Allen NJ, Fletcher OF CAV
endish, II. G. Barber of Brattleborn
Tyler ID. Goodell of ReadsbOro and
others, it was voted with perfeCt frank
ness TO support an increase IA pay.
Any insinuation or intimation of a
trade in the matter over the Judge
ship is unfair, unjust and untrue
started probably as joke and picked
up by Il newspaper correspondent
brilliant as a writer but deficient in
discrimination and VIGOROUSLY unable
to distinguish between fact and vain
imagining.
This brings to mind the attitude Of
the newspapers toward the legisla-
ture. There were only two editorial
writer's at the press table at the state
house and but one of these was doing
actual editorial writing at the time
This one is the talented editor of the
Rutland Herald, who during the ses-
sion just ended wrote the editorials
for the Rutland Herald and for the
Montpelier Journal and also was the
author Of the legislative letters of
the Brattleboro Reformer Mr. Hind.
ley is absolutely honest and sincere
but during the campaign OF 1906 be
came so imbued with Clementism and
so incensed against Governor Proctor
and his friends and the Republican
party organization that he is uncon-
sciously violently premdiced against
against them TO this day Witness the
feeling shown in the article reprinted
elsewhere from the Herald.
This feeling began to manifest it-
self at the very beginning of the SEES
sion and grew as the session progress
ed. Like many other earnest men OF
strong mind and mercurial tempera-
ment he saw but one side of the ques.
ton and that side was not always the
correct one. Meanwhile his brilliance
as a writer rendered his articles the
most readable and interesting of any
sent out from Montpelier and were ac
cordingly reprinted in all the state
papers and have had q great influence
on the public mind.
Strange as il may seem, the great
bulk OF the newspaper editors of the
state never or almost never visit the
legislature In person but are content
to take their opinions second hand
Even of the newspaper representa-
dives at the statehouse, but one habit
ually followed up the work of the com
mittees and was familiar with the eff
forts that were being put forth This
one was James NJ, Healey, the repres
entative Of the Montpelier Argus. As
a result the reports given by the Ar
gus were the most accurate and fair
given by any paper throughout the
session, and its comment has been
based on knowledge rather than on
feeling, theory and prejudice.
We do not mean to be interpreted
as saying or believing that the legis
lature was devoid of fault 1t did
some foolish and indefensible things
It contained some weak and some sci
fish men. 1t would be more than
strange If, in a body Of pa men, there
was not one dishonest member. That
there was is apparently proved by the
vote on the election Of Judge, but that
is a small hook on which to hang up
an entire legislature for oondemna
ton.
The truth in the case we esteem TO
be this. The legislature was one OF
at least average ability 1t worked
long. hard and faithfully. II had more
work to do than any preceding legls'
lature and worked harder We be
lieve Il has wasted rs little money as
any legislature of the state In many
years and that the work II has done
is we'll done In the main Il did not