Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-02-11

creased clerical aaslstancS-must nave y
or the states work will not be done. A
few years ago the state auditor, the secre-
tary Of state and other officials bad half
their time to devote TO their private
affairs. Now they must give Il all to
their state. II is right and proper that
they should be fairly paid for reasonable
service. Only petty mind or q man un-
familiar with the facts will object 10
nearly all OF the increases granted after
careful investigation.
We do not include in this list Of iusti-
fIed increase the matter OF the increase In I
nay voted BY the members to themselves /
II il right and proper for members Of the I
legislature to receive e. per day, or even
more, but It was an immodest thing to
vote it for themselves. However, there Is
q fair argument on the other side Of this
question. The members went to Mont
pelier expecting to be there about two
months. Had the session ended at
thanksgiving time 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 two-twice what they bargained for,
and most Of them were faithful enough to
stay and IeF their alIairs at home suffer.
Times have changed during the past few
years. Farmers and small business men
who were trying 10 be economical at
Montpelier found that II cost them about
81 day to live there. the best they could
do.
A man to take their place at home cost
them from s1.25 to e day more and a.
the session heightened they grew nervous
and desperate. Finally 3 mass meeting
Of members was called in the cloak room
one evening and under the advice and
with the support Of such men as Allen NJ.
Fletcher Of Cevendish, Fl. q. Barber Of
Brattleboro, Tyler ID. Goodell OF Reads
boro and others Ii was voted with perfect
frankness to support an increase in pay.
Any insinuafion or intimation OF q trade
in the matter over the iudgeship Is I'M
fair, unjust and untrue, started probably
as joke and picked up BY a newspaper
correspondent, brilliant IS . writer but
deficient characterization and VIGOROUSLY
unable to distinguish between fact and
vain imagining.
This brings to mind the attitude OF the
newspapers toward the legislature. There
were only two editorial writers at the
press table ct the state house and but one
OF these was doing actual editorial writ
ing at the time. This one is the talented
editor OF the Rutland a7erald, who during
the session just ended wrote the editorials
for the Rutland Herald and for the Mont
peiier Journal. and also was the author OF
the legislative letters of the BrnttIeboro
Reformer. Mr.. Hindley is absolutely
honest and sincere, but during the cam
paign OF 1868 became 30 imbued with
Clementism and so incensed against Gov.
Proctor and his friends and the Republic
can party organization that he il uncon-
y Ind ~
, them 70 this. day. Witness the feeling
: sho~n in the article reprinted eisew here
I from the Herald.
The feeling began to manifest itself at
; the very beginning OF TIE session and
grew as the session progressed. Like
| many other earnest men of strong mind
and mercurial temperament, he saw but
9 one side Of the question and that side wa,
not always the correct one. Meanwhile
( bis brilliance rs a writer rendered his ar
9 ticles the most readable and interesting 81
! any sent out from Montpelier and were
: accordingly reprinted in ali the state pa
2 pers and have had great influence or
the public mind.
{ Strange as It may seem, the great bull
: OF the newspaper editors of the stat
5 never or almost never visit the levislatur,
q in person, but are content to take theii
: opinions second hand. Even Of thl
r newspaper representatives at the stat
house, but one habitually followed up til.
: work OF the committees and was samilial
I with the efforts that were being pul
? forth. This one was James Fl. HeaIey
! the representative Of the Montpelier Ar
4 gus. As result the reports given BY thu
q Argus were the most accurate and fail
{ given oy any paper throughout the session
. and its comment hiss been based on
{ knowledge rather than on feeling, theor.
e and prejudice.
u We do not mean to be interpreted a
: saying or believing that the legislator,
. was devoid Of fault. It did some foolish
t and iDdefensible things. II contained
IS some weak and some selfish men. /
e would be more than strange if, in q bod,
e OF PA men, there was not one dishones
= member. That there was Is apparentl,
+ proved BY the election OF Judge, but tha
Is small hook Oh which to hang up al
e entire Legislature for condemnation.
d The truth in the case We esteem to b
Y this The legislature was one OF at leas
e average ability. Il worked long. hare
e and faithfully. II had more work to d
, than any preceding Legislature an,
d worked harder. We believe II has waste,
y a. little money as any legislature Of ID.
fe state in many years and that the work /
= has done Is we'll done in the main. I
le did not do ali that was hoped OF it an
le no Legislative body ever did. Il has don
le some things wrong. But its faults wer
e not In falling to try. II Is easy to criti
! else and condemn, but wrong to do it Of
Z one-sided statement. The legislature o
re 1905 was not altogether good nor alto
gether bad. Its weakness was the anti
Re quated system handed down by III
= fathers under which 1t tried to do moferl
e work. Its strength was IN the earnest
d ness, faifhfulness and zeal with whicl
n the individual members tried to get at th
y facts in each individual case and the
4 vote a. they honestly believed to be right
Ie -