The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-08-10
FRANK B. HOWE, EaitOr and PubIishs
WHO DISCOVERED THE DIscoV
ERER?

airy celebration the Banner innocently
and with no idea of stirring up rum
pus remarked that Vermont owed the
suggestion to Frank L. Greene, the
/ talented and popular editor of the st.
Adams Messenger. All that the Ban
ner intended or hoped in the matter
was to help it's readers appreciate one
of the lesser services of Editor
Greene, the young man who is doing
more and has done more the past ten
years than any other Vermonter for
the advancement, upbuilding and pro
gress of the state. We didn't know
at the time that there was any ques-
ton about the facts in the case but ii
appears that the Vergennes Enter
prise and Vermonter had forgotten
the circumstances for in its next is
sue the Vergennes paper claimed the
honor of first proposing the celebra.
ton and the matter has been some
what under discussion since that
time. The following newspaper com
ment and clippings tells the story:
"Who first proposed that Vermont
honor the discoverer of Lake Cham
plain by celebrating the three hun
dredth anniversary of the event?
This is becoming a burning question
and somebody should be convicted
and ais name immortalized at the
stake. Mortified News.
The Enterprise and Vermonter in
| its issue for the week of February 9.
1905, first proposed the holding of a
celebration in honor of the discover
er of Lake Champlain by celebrating
the three hundredth anniversary of its
discovery in a fitting manner in this
city.
The st. Adams Messenger a few
days later, endorsed the idea in the
following nalf hearted manner:
Vermont ought TO celebrate the
anniversary of the discovery of Lake
Champlain with something worth
while. Will she do it?-Vergennes
Enterprise.
Perhaps she will if we take hold
and keep the subject before the PEG
pie until something is done about it
by the legislature. But, if the same
general apathy exists that maintained
silence on the matter OF inducing an
official state celebration of the cen
tennial of the founding Of the capital
at Montpelier, we have little to hope
for This Lake Champlain celebra-
ton in 1909 should be secured early
for Vermont before New York or Can
ada usurps It, We would have been
none too early of the general assem-
bly, of 1894 had formally set apart
dates for a state commission to have
it in Charge. The sooner we give no
tice to the world of our intention the
surer we are that this fruitful field
will be left to us by neighbors that
have quite as much interest in it as
we have"
The Vermonter replied on February
16 1905, urging the Importance of the
subject and what it would mean to the
state and this whole region if 1t were
carried out substantially as it was
tnis year, except that the city that
proposed the celebration
was left out entirely by the state com
and carried out its very sue
cessful celebration entirely without
state aid.
In September 1906 Mr. McCuen was
elected representative from this city
and one of the things he was expect
ed to do by the voters was to secure
legislative endorsement of the pro
posed celebration that had, in the
meantime been discussed and endors-
ed by a majority of the state press.
On the 25th day of October he intro
duced the resolution (as printed in
the souvenir number) providing for
the first commission and to invite
New York and Canada to join with us
in the celebration. This was passed
and signed by Governor Proctor and
the commission appointed, of which
he was a member.
This is in brief the history Of the
inception of the great celebration
Vergennes Enterprise.
Somebody then went to looking
over the files of the Messenger and
found that on October 81, 1902 the fol
owing editorial appeared in the Mes
"Foreclose on the Date
'In July. 1909 will fall the three
lundredth anniversary of the discov-
cry of Lake Champlain by Samuel
lie Champlain, and on the Both day OF |
hat month, 1909, as a writer pnras- |
IS it:
samuel de Champlain, in company |
With his red allies, the Algonquins, de-
Gated the Mohawks on the banks OF
he lake which is called by his name,
md thus started the vendetta be
ween the Six Nations and the French
which made these most formidable of
americas aborigines the allies first
# the Dutch and then of their English
saved the weak settle
nents of New Netherland and New
FORK from conquest by the French and
tarted the train of influences by
vhicn the French were eventually |
lriven out nf North america and the
Dest potion of the c'ntinent WAS Civ
N to the progressive AMI expansive
ace which has established in it the
worlds greatest nation
Why cannot Vermont lay ner plans
o celebrate this three hdndredth an
liversary of he disco'ory of Lake
Jhamplain oil in her own way, just
Is she celebrated the battle of Zen
lington many years ago? Such a
might easily be made of
rational Importance and the whole
country could not fail to recognize the
,ropriety of it's being held on our soil
md under our auspices. Here is an
for VermClL to do some |
hing that will bring visitors to her