The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-06-14
Size of the Legislature.

Considerable discussion, which is
at least healthful. is going on in the
state press regarding smaller legls-
lature. The Burlington Free Press,
which may fairly be termed the lead
er in the movement finds that THE
growth of sentiment i'm favor of a
smaller legislature is making crafty
ing progress, and as soon as the small
er towns come to a full realization OF
tne fact that this can be secured with
out putting the larger towns in con-
troll of the legislature, no good reason
will remain for opposing this step Ia
the direction of economy as well as
increased legislative efficiency. 1t is
generally recognized that small com
mittee does better work than large
one, because greater responsibility is
felt, and when efficiency as well as
financial considerations all point in
the same election, there is no ques-
ton which way 10 go. THE Free
Press further says on the subject:
Let the representatives be divided
among the different counties on an
equitable basis, say of population, but
provide that in no case shall town
or city have more than one represen-
tative. If it is necessary to put sew
eral towns in district, provide, as
the Mortified News suggests that
each town shall have a representative
in rotation. thus making certain that
the representative of each will look
out for the interests of the partner
towns, as the town in question will
want to be looked after when the re
presentation passes to a neighboring
town. This plan would keep the bal
ance of power in the hands of the
small towns and thus check radical
tendencies that might appear in the
larger centers of population; it would
assure according 10 experience more
careful and efficient body of legislat-
ors. and it would save to the state
treasury many thousand of dollars at
every session, or enough to put our
school system or our Vermont nigh
ways on a splendid basis. Let us
summarize again the proposition to
reduce the size of the House to about
$50 members the size of the popular
branch of the New York Legislature.
The Ludlow Tribune while not COM
hitting itself unconditionally, discus
SEES the question ably, reaching the
| following pertinent conclusion:
1t is well enough to keep this dis
| cussion going, to bring out all sides
| of the question, to bring out into tne
open the selfish side as well as the
| public side, with the hope that, some
time, the people of the smaller towns
may realize the advantages of a re
| duced membership and lay aside their
objections to change. 1t goes with
| out saying that there is not a news
paper in the state which would lend it
self to any movement likely to result
detrimentally to any of the small
| towns
| The Bellows Falls Times on the
other hand would either have the dis
trict system straight, or continue the
present town representation and il
| thinks there are good arguments in
favor of the latter. The Times seems
rather to favor a division of legisla
tors on the population basis, but if il
cannot have this. and it seems to rec
ognize that 1t is impossible, it prefers
not to go part way on such a system
in order to reduce the number of leg
islators to more compact and better
working body, at great saving to the
state
| The Rutland Herald notes the prop
osition of assembling small towns in
one district of representation and sees
in 1t some elements of novelty. 1t is
however, non-committal on the sub
ject, its greatest hope at this time
seeming to be to see Scrap on the
question between the News and the
Waterbury Record-Northfield News
| Colds that hang on weaken the con
stitution and develop into consump
| ton. Foley's Honey and Tar cures
persistent coughs that refuse to yield
to othe treatment. Do not expert
ment with untried remedies as delay
may result in your cold settling on
your lungs.-Qunlan's Pharmacy.