The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-12-22
Same in This County

oanc W ms county
IF it were possible to obtain a vote
Of the people Of Chittenden county on
the action of Senator Smith in regard
TO his vote on the bill to submit to
the people the amendment TO the con
stitution providing TO take the time
lock of that instrument, it would I'M
doubtedly be a vote of censure. In
voting against the measure he has in
our opinion. failed TO truly represent
the desires of his constituents. The
people themselves should have the
right TO decide whether this thing
should or should not be done, Sena-
tor Smith and his fellow senators,
practically say 10 them that they
shall not have the right. The ques-
ton naturally arises, in whose inter
ests are these opposing senators act
ing?'-Burlington Clipper.
This is doubtless true of every coun
ty of the state represented among the
ten senators that repudiated the Re
publican party's election promise
And from pretty much everyone Of
these counties already have come the
protests of the press and people
against this misrepresentation of the
public will. The Messenger has been
reprinting daily and another grist will
be found elsewhere in this paper to-
day
Read that platform promise again.
See how it says that 1--WE cannot too
earnestly urge upon the people of
this state and their representatives
in the Legislature plain
enough to show the importance of the
matter and direct enough to bring
responsibility for it right home to
every member of the general assem-
bly, who asked the party making that
declaration to elect him to his office
our unqualified belief that the
amendment of the constitution in
these particulars is the most grave
and responsible duty that is likely to
confront the lawmakers at the COM
ing session emphatic sure
ly-"and one that is on no account to
be put aside" Read that again.
"And one that Is on no account to be
put aside" What does that mean?
said about the emptiness and worth
lessness of platform pledges in Yer
mont political campaigns. After the
Republican legislature of 1908 had re-
pudiated generous part of the Re-
publican platform of that year, the
cry went up all over the state that
platforms must be made to mean
something and their pledged word
made good in law, or else done away
with completely. Accordingly a new
plan OF platform preparation was
tried out by the Republican party last
summer. A draft of a proposed plat
form was made several weeks before
the date set for the state convention.
That draft was deliberated and amen
ded by the committee on resolutions
already nominated for the purpose
from among the delegates-elect and
the tentative platform thus prepared
was published broadcast over the
state days before the state convention
assembled in order that every Repub.
llcan in Vermont might have an oppor-
tunity to consider its planks and pro-
misses and express his opinion about
them. Every delegate to the state
convention therefore, knew long be-
fore he went to Montpelier what kind
of platform would be submitted to
his vote, and every candidate that
sought nomination and election by
the party had the same warning.
Then was the time for any man
that sought election to public Office
on a Republican ticket to stand out
man-fashion and say that the voters
must understand that he objected to
this or that plank in the platform and
IL the voters elected him, they must
do 1t with that previous notice and
understanding.
Did Senator Sheldon of Franklin
county do IL?
Did Senator Smith of Chittenden
county do IL?
Did any one OF the remaining eight
recalcitrants do it?
No, and because they did not do IL,
the press and the public (manifestly
overwhelmingly in favor of this pro-
posed amendment to the constitution
when the commission published its
report last january rested in fancied
security and never even debated the
probability that this plain promise
would be repudiated. So apparent
was public sentiment in this regard
that the Democratic state platform
approved the proposed amendments
in only one simple sentence.
The Messenger has been saying a