The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-03-10

The VERMONT CONSTITUTION
Some interesting Facts Concerning
the Famous Document.

1t was the first written constitution
10 formally prohibit human slavery.
Through the influence of DR.. Thorn
as Young, a distinguished citizen of
Philadelphia, and greatly interested
the struggles of the Green Mountain
boys, our constitution followed in
many respects that of Pennsylvania,
which in turn followed so far as was
practical the principles in the great
charter granted by King Charles to
William Penn in 1881.
The Bill OF Rights, now a part of
the constitution, should be committed
to memory by every Vermonter. Its
literary style is unsurpassed by that
Of any like document in the English
language. II far more clearly ex-
presses the natural and inherent
rights of men than does the Declare
ton of independence. For instance,
the latter holds that all men are
created equal mot free and equal
which is not strictly true, but Yer
mont's great Bill of Rights declares
In its opening sentence that all men
are born equally free and indepen-
dent" This strikes the nail exactly
on the head.
The convention, which declared the
independence of Vermont, met at
Windsor in what is now called the
on the first Wednesday of June. 1777,
when committee was appointed to
make draft of a constitution and
then the convention adjourned to
meet again at Windsor on July End
following, when the draft of a con-
stitution was presented and read, and
while IL was being considered news
came that Ticonderoga, supposed to
be impregnable, had been evacuated
by the American garrison, thus leav-
ing the frontiers of the state exposed
| TO the ravages of the British troops
and a horde of savages. In this aw-
full crisis the convention was for leav-
| ing Windsor with work unfinished,
! but fortunately for the state a severe
! thunder storm came on which rem
| dered their leaving impossible, and
| so the convention finished its consid-
Grafton of the constitution which it
|
a council of safety to act until the
| government could be organized under
/ the constitution, the convention adj
! journed.
The constitution OF Vermont franz
ed at Windsor in l777 has peculiar
distinction in this; that it was never
submitted TO the people for ratifica-
ton. Histo ans have advanced var
ious reasons for this omission, prin-
| cipal among which is that the con-
vention distrusted the people and
feared that its work, If submitted to
them. would be rejected. The writer
does not believe this however, for
when it is considered that at the
time in question, the common law of
England was the law of Vermont and
that the viii of the people of England
as expressed through the acts OF the
House of Commons according TO pre-
cedent and tradition, finally became
a part of the English constitution so
this convention of ours representing
the people, evidently held that under
the common law it was clothed, in
this respect, with powers like unto
those then and now conceded to the
commons, and so any act of this
character, duly passed, would become
of itself a part of, and in fact the
constitution Therefore we hold that
this convention acted wisely and
legally and not through ignorance or
distrust as is so often said