The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-27
REDUCING THE SIZE

CT of cutting down the size of the
Vermont legislature by reducing the
representation from the small towns
or by electing representatives on a
basis of population the Burlington
Free Press has turned square around
and says the present town system is
best. The chief reasons given by the
Free Press are the following:
Moreover as we look about the
country we see the cities becoming
the hot bed of different tendencies
and movements imported to this coun-
try from the Old World. Anarchist
and class strife are already rearing
their heads in some of the country's
larger centers of population, and 1t is
possibly only a question of time
when these tendencies will become
serious factor in some of the larger
places in our own state. In the
towns as a whole every man is as
good as every other man, provided
he behaves himself and we can see
how our small towns may In time
help to safeguard popular Institutions
and public morals as well as demo
cratic rule and good government in
our state as whole.
The Banner thinks that the reasons
given by the Free Press for reversing
| itself are hardly sufficient. The lar
ger towns in Vermont are too few in
number to do much damage In con-
Eliminating the rest of the towns even
If they should become the hotbeds of
evil tendencies as limited by the Free
Press. Moreover we are inclined to
think that the standards of morality
are fully as high in the larger towns
as in the smaller. Some years ago
the writer had occasion to look up
the grand jury indictments in Wash
ington county for a term of years.
The largest town in Washington
county is the city of Barre, and, by
some people who don't know Barre
is often held up as a horribl, exam
pie. because OF its large foreign popu
lation. The figures showed at thai
time, and We have no doubt would
today. that, in proportion to popula-
ton. there was less crime in Barre
than in any of the other l9 towns in
Washington county, save four Waits
field. Cabot, EastMontpelier and
Waterbury. We see no reason for
thinking that conditions are different
in the other counties of the state.
We hear more of the crimes in the
larger towns because newspapers and
newspaper correspondents are more
plenty there.
There are strong arguments in
favor Of the present system Of rep
resentation. One is that 1t makes
a practically incorruptible body. The
very size and the large variety of oc-
equations and interests represented
makes II safe. Another reason is
that II is much more economical
This will be disputed but 1t is alb
solutely true. II may cost a little
more for mileage and per diem for
members but the invariable result in
this country shows that the smaller
state legislative bodies are much
more free in voting away the peo-
pies money. Still further than this
no great harm has ever come from
the present system.
There are also good reasons on the
other side. A legislature as large as
ours is unwieldly and backward in
adopting progressive ideas, slow to
respond to public sentiment and Of
ten swayed by petty prejudice and
limited experience, II is unfair to
the large towns which do the big end
OF the state business and on which
the prosperity OF the state depends
not to give them larger say in Ques-
lions which vitality effect them.
AS usual withcontested issues there
are reasons on both sides. hut II
is probably idle to argue the Ques
ton. There is no more probability
of change than there is OF Mt. An
thony turning n somersault.