Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-01-11
THREE "a TOILETTE ISSUES IN
VERMONT.

The esteemed bennington Banner uuotes
tmns relative to the manner in which
Senator La Toilette had nntasonixed some
OF hi. followers and saws:
WIZ. should the Free Pres. o. any other
Nrrmonter shy at the initiative. the refer
eHdum and the recall? They may seem
radical measures in the Mid and woo!ly
West. hut here IN Vermont We have had
al three fer generations and the Banner
AZ le,st considers them among our best
institutions. Tn. New England town
meeting 49, practiced for three hundred
years is direct application of the initia-
tive and the referendum while in our Yer
mont constitutional provision compelling
the judges to come up for re-elcction or
retirement Once in two Years We have A.
drastic a system Of recall OF judges as
any State has devised. We cannot be-
iieve ;hat the people % Vermont wish to
throw sway these long ti,ne safeguards
Of the public welfare on the other hama.
we believe that there are larse number
Of Nermonter. who would like 20 extend
our Vermont system ~ initiative and ref
crendum. which ha. been 50 successful
In town a~airs. to include STATE matters.
As TO uur Vermont :yytrn OF recall OF
HdSes, il p 40 much hcttsr than IN, cum
b-rsomc system in Vocue In the Western
states. that Vermont certainly should no,
ohsnEc it rn,il come better plan !. pro-
vided. A GOOD many good people a,c
",,reI ny th'ns. that seem to them
strange and -monc these strange things
faf ,Ay,.~ tr~ ,i,. 4
trusted arc tine initiative. referendum ana
recall, but when they core t., know that
under dlcferen, names. To l;u"N them We
r.ali3. lhat under different name. w.
have hal them in Vermont from Tho be
shining ~ he state history. In tact they
are as o'd =, Now England li.el'. soma
tor La Toilette would show himself wise
10 adopt moro ideas ,rom New England.
The esteemed ',tnner evi.cutly mis-
takes our cvri,nston % TIE VA " which
senator Ln Toilette ha. d.iVen away some
~ 'ho riosrcs si,'oa from h'H ran>> = ~
sheraton on our par, ~ 'hc merits ~
The Issue. he A.. Been advocating A. a
matter ~ fat We have tlvn-ed nc en-
tension OF he referendum prinrinlr IN dif-
feient WAYS. and we would like "a see
otNor means adopted to hrnr he people
in'o c."srr tcur. Vita So9ernmert mat
ter.
IT is the mann"r q: "rnlicatlon adj
,catcd rather than the principle it,
sclr that We regard a. Gan.erous 50
far as the recall ~ Judges is con-
ccrned
That the re all" is something more
IL its modern sense and arceptation
than the accountability involved IN It
i"-election To office, - Vermont
Judge, for example. is evident FROM
the very fact taat Il h,. boon adopted
in some states in the case OF elective
as we'll as appcint!v. officers
n the question 81 reelection were
equivalent to recall. manifcstly no
other recall would be necessary. The
recall does not wait for 4 man to serve
out his term ut makes il possible for
Il public servant to he removed upon
9"""'" impure oN phrtlallN INFORM
cd and hnsty constituency.
THIS sub Get mr. or our judicial au-
thorities and the decision OF far
reaching questions to the passing
hims and caprices OF popular pas.
sion would he particularly perilous.
The founders of our government were
wise to make provision for careful
and unhurried deliberation in matters
Of that kind.
In like manner it is true that the
initiative principle and the referen-
DUN policy have been in operation in
Vermont for long period. but not
the particular brand which prevaiIs