The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-26
The Anew Vermont


logical and economic conditions here
that would put even the crackers"
Of Georgia or the poor whites" OF
Tennessee to blush. The latest effort
in this direction has emanated from
no less an authority than w. s. Rossi-
ter, formerly OF the census depart
ment and was published In the Journal
Of the American Statistical associa-
ton. A long and detailed article,
based upon the statistics and sugges-
lions OF Mr. Rossiter appeared in the
Boston Transcript Thursday and is
reprinted In its entirety In The Mes
senger today. 1t should be carefully
read, not only because there are some
phases OF II that certainly do give
warning to Vermonters but more par
ticularly to show how figures may mis-
lead even men that make study OF
statistics.
1t would obviously be impossible to
answer this article within the limits
of readable editorial, and to the
Vermonter of ordinary intelligence
and observation 1t would not be nee
essary so to do. The pity of II is that
this story Of the awful decay OF Yer
mont will circulate from one end OF
the country to the. other, just as all
evil stories do, and contribute just
so much more toward confirming an
outside ignorant impression that Yer
mont is hopeless case.
No newspaper in this state has tried
harder to avoid any self deception
about conditions in Vermont than The
Messenger has. II has endeavored to
study the situation here In all its
phases for years and IT has not hest
tated to discuss what it believed to
be the faults of our social and politi-
cal order or the mistakes OF our econ
omic policy and to advocate, year in
and year out, the concentration OF the
best brains and best purposes of the
old commonwealth in the evolution
of progressive policy which was to
establish what, for want Of a better
name, The Messenger has designated
as the New" Vermont Vermont
does have her faults, does labor under
some handicaps, has not made the
progress that she ought to have made
in some directions, and her own chill
dren know it. But she Is entitled to
have the truth told about her also,
and it would be only fair thing If
some OF these analysis and critics
that never fail to lose an opportunity
to make widespread their fearsome
deductions about conditions in this
state were to give equal energy and
momentum to the circulation of few
OF the many good things about us they
invariably appear to overlook when
they are dragging with the muckrake.
OF course. Mr.. Rossiter is too emf
nent an authority on census statistics
for the Messenger to attempt to dis
credit his figures per sc, but 1t may
suggest with all the assurance in the
world that even Mr.. Rossiter, expert
as he is, may become so daubled up
with statistics that he cannot under
stand their purport correctly, may be
utterly unable to see the facts for the
figures
Now, as a matter of simple truth,
we'll known to every thoughtful and
observing Vermonter now active in
this generation, the general average
of conditions in this state never was
so sood as today Whatever the
dry figures of the census may show
in this and that phase of the statistics
OF population, the actual condition of
the people as it may be seen and par
taken of any day in the week, the ac-
tual condition of their governmental
institutions as they are experienced
year in and year out. one might say
every minute in the twenty-four hours,
never was of such high standard as
today.
The proof of the condition Of peo-
pie, after all, Is not how many OF
them are, nor what the percentage of
white, colored, and Indians not taxed
compared with some other state, but
how the people that are mot the PEG
pie that ought to be- are enjoying
themselves, what they are doing II
with, and what the tendencies toward
progress and uplift may be among |
them And in this respect, Vermont
is not only not decadent but she is
even more progressive than some OF
her sister states
This little state, with miles and
miles OF interurban highway, some
of it leading off into regions not yet
reduced to habitation, is not only
spending upward of a million dollars
on its highways this year, but its leg
islature has devised and there is now
in operation what has been pronounc-
ed to be a model automobile law that
Is being copied by state after state in
the Union. Things like this do not
show in statistics, but they indicate
the trend of thought and ambition of
people better than figures do.
No state in the Union is more gen
erous, prOportionately in its care and
education of the deaf and dumb and
the feeble minded Where does the
money come from? The penal system
OF Vermont is on a most excellent ba-
sis, and in sympathy with the move
ment toward reform in recent years,
the prison discipline has been shorn
of many of its ancient injustices and
wisely regulated movement is at
work toward making these corrective
institutions veritable reform schools.
Vermont has reform school for
youth that is literally model. And
there are no scandals in the admins
tration of these institutions, either.
Vermont has no bonded debt except
small loan held by state institu-
ton for it's benefit, debt created for
this express purpose.
The last report of the state com
missioner Of banking shows that for
the six months from July to Decem-
Der 81, the deposits in the savings
banks of the state increased $1,615,-
S21. SO, or at the rate of over 100000
work amongvlao-tag, fles6gs
year. For the previous fiscal year
the increase was over 100000 and