Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-01-19
MAKING MEN HONEST
BY LAW.
A Situation That Could he Avoided by
Proper Training OF the Youth Of the

Sfnte.
(Trom the Hartford CT Times.)
The Burlington Free Press ia the load
ing newspaper Of Vermont II is a sane
and fair-spirited republican paper. It
has good ideas and plenty of them about
the best way to develop the resources
and increase the property of It's State.
But, like most of the republican news
papers, and not few democratic and in
dependent newspapers. also, the Free
Press Is obsessed by the theory that the
American people can make themselves
honest and virtuous by the enactment Of
laws. See how this notion comes out in
the following short essay on apple grow
ing
We reproduce In another column an ar
ticlc from an Idaho exchange showing
how thoroughly fruit growers In the
West cultivate their orchards as com
pared with the slip-shod methods or tho
Let alone policy pursued as rule by an
PIE growers in Vermont. A very few own
ors Of apple orchards have demonstrated
that just as good results can be secured
in this State as in any other from the
production Of apples for market at fancy
prices. We have a combination of climate
markets that cannot be surpassed any
where in the United states.
what Vermont needs in this connection
was we'll brought out at the meeting held
% Bothcster, ~ Y, under the auspices
of jhe New York Fruit Growers assocl-
lation. IT which representatives were
present from varo n Eastern States
! O.p OF the problems discussed was how
| 20 compete with the Western fruit grow
crt 'j Wae admitted that our Western
~.r,da are ahead Of us in thoroughnegs
+ ~ cultivation as well as in methods of
pGri'ns.
Trc remedy proposed is twofold In ma
turc: Educational, in teaching Eastern
growers how to produce apples that Will
compare with the Western fruit in ap-
pcarance as well as in quality; and leg
lslutlvc in obtaining laws to regulate
standard uniform packing, and to prevent
! fraud in packing
The Vermont legislature should not
adjourn without adopting measures e
help Ia the direction Indicated. The mar
who makes Two apples grow where none
tew before is a greater benefactor tina.
ne who doubles the hladcs Of grass
Fr m this # appears that, 20 fan ~
their C-0hard. are concerned. the far
mers of Vermont are a lot of lazy, heed
less folks. Thor methods. we are told
are slirshod. Worse than that, there Il
among them such n large proportion o
tricky. dishonest mon that their boxe'
and barrels of Vermont apples have M
| landing in the markets Of the world
They are guilty Of frauds in packin!
their arrles, which common sense anc
ordinary intelligence ought to warn then
against, even II they have no conscience
What is the remedy proposed? Not t.
teach the boys to he honest and to he
come honest citizens. but to pass laws
making crime of what is now merely
trick OF trade
But who makes the laws in Vermont
Why, the farmers, ~ course. for the,
control the Legislature al Montpelier
Thus we find the leading Vermont news
paper urging the Vermont farmers. h.
means Of new State laws. to compe
! themselves to introduce a streak OF hon
ssty into their business by discontinuin
leceit In packing Of their apples ThI
s the same az proposing to them to If
hens elves by their bootstraps-if any o
hem still wear boots
Eut how about the other things the,
ise ought not some way TO be foun'
. maze the Vermont farmers honest 81
their methods of preoarng their pota
toes, ZOO enerrer, cheese, butter. honey
m pie GFar ard .ther things they pro
duce2 Must there be one statute whic'
will upr' them 10 p K apples withou
.a'f, ARD for. othcr statutes to r.
-. the!r otner dealings with their I
trcuH