The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-04-23
Getting in Too Deep.

Are we wrong in thinking that The St.
Adams Messenger is wrong in saying that
the governor of Vermont is part of the
lawmaking power under the constitution
and as such has as much right to pass
upon what shall be considered a public
purpose" as any town representative or
senator" In school our civil government
taught us that our state and national gov
ernments were divided into three branches
legislative, judicial, and executive, with
the governor at the head of the last named
Article 3 of the articles of amendment to
the state constitution says The supreme
legislative power of the state shall here
matter exercised by a senate and a
house of representatives, which shall be
styled the General Assembly of the State
OF Vermont Article of these amend
ments reads as follows: The supreme ex-
ecutlve power of the state shall be exer-
cised by the governor, or in case of his
absence or disability, by the lieutenant
ernor Prouty's veto of the bill to aid the
town of Jamaica, on the ground that the
money was not for public purpose within
the meaning of the bill of rights. was
wrong in view of the decision of the SUI
preme court that the question of what is
a public purpose is one for the legislature
to decide. Although little good will prob
ably. come from discussing the subject
further we feel like saying that we still
hold to that belief. Governor Prouty did
not wish to sign the bill in question he.
cause of the large appropriation it car
rled, but instead of vetoing it on his own
responsibility he took refuge in the at
torney generals opinion regarding the ap-
of money. for a public mr.
pose. '-Brattleboro Reformer.
1t is true that the separation of the now
ers OF government into three coordinate
known as legislative, executive.
and judicial is Characteristic feature of
our American experiment with popular
rule. We did not originate the idea but
we have carried it to a more positive and |
use than the English from whom |
we borrowed it. But, for all that. the |
theory of the separation of powers is not |
realized in practice with the exactitude |
hat it is laid down as theory, and the |
Constitution of the United States and
he constitution of Vermont both plainly |
provide for the tapping over of the pow
srs of government here and there because
he ingenuity of man has not yet found a
way by which they can be kept absolutely
So the governor is part of the law
making power and is required not only to
ave the legislature from time to time his
IDEAS of what the laws should be but his
ssent and signature are necessary to the
making of a law unless the same is passed
yer his veto. The fact is that the gov
rnor is in part a legislator. He is the
My agency in the making of the law who
elected by the whole people. And it is
lgnifcant of this that when the public
enerally is moved to turn to watch the
recess of law-making closely and criti-
ally because it wants or does not want ,
1me particular thing done, it invariably
lakes its first inquiry the attitude of the
1vernor. The people instinctively sense /,
he idea that the governor is law-maker, ,
lille the constitution in express terms
akes him one.