The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-27
FRANK E. HOWE, Editor and Publ
BILIOUS

Talking about dead ones, where is
there a Vermont institution that is
deader than the Vermont Press asso-
citation? No effort is being made
even to collect dues and that is pro-
phetic of hopeless resurrection. Pa
pers that devote columns to champion
ing new and more progressive Yer
mont, and crying down the base de-
famer who talks about decadent
state will not devote a few hours or
spend few cents to support a pro-
gressive yirile press association. Dur
ing the past Is years this intermittent
association has not adapted single
plan calling for sustained action that
has been carried out. For some years
1t was agreed that there should be
two meetings a year. Some years
there were two meetings, some years
one, some years no meeting. Later 1t
was arranged that there should be
four meetings each year in different
parts Of the state and one central
meeting That lasted about six
months. The next plan was to visit
Vermont industry each year This
worked for one or two times and then
darkness and silence. Some two or
three years the versatile l.. p. Thay-
er thought that a separate organiza-
ton of Vermont weeklies for business
only would be good thing and on his
suggestion several paid expenses to
Burlington and an organization was
formed but not a whisper has been
heard from it since. We suggest that
post norton examination be held,
the sinking fund divided and the rec
ords placed in the archives of the
Vermont Historical society Let this
epitaph be displayed at half mast:
ITO the memory Of the Vermont
Press association. It's members were
too busy telling others what to do to
find time to do anything for them
selves. Bellows Falls Times.
For paper that isn't often repre-
scented at the meetings of the Yer
mont Press association, the Times
claims to know a good deal about it,
If the Times editor would attend the
meetings of the association when they
are held he would know more about
the work of the organization. 1t
doesn't meet frequently, 1t is true, but
there is something to be said in favor
of meeting when there is something
worth seeing or hearing, or work to
be done, and that is when the assoc
iation meets. The newspaper men as
a class are exceedingly busy men and
press associations OF other states that
have tried to hold frequent regular
meetings have promptly petered out.
The Banner firmly believes that the
Vermont Press association is not
dead-that on the contrary it is one
of the greatest forces in the state.
Think back over the progressive
things that have been accomplished
in Vermont during recent years and
in nine cases out of ten you will find
that the idea was first suggested by
a newspaper writer
How often it has happened that
some politician of fleeting fame has
strutted across the stage and been
given the glory of leadership in some
public cause when the real truth is
that he is merely climbing into a
wave of public opinion that has been
raised from the calm OF popular in
difference by the constant agitation,
iteration and re-iteration of some OBJ
scure idealist hidden away in a news
paper Office and who neither expects
nor receives any credit for his ideas
and efforts.
1t is an admitted fact that the coun-
try newspapers of Vermont are SUI
perior to those of any other New Eng
land state in fields of the same size
No, Friend Times, you have not done
justice to the Vermont Press associa-
ton or those who have been active
in its control. The association has
not done, perhaps, all it might but
the meetings and exchange of ideas
have been productive of much real
mad