Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-06-04
Suspicious-looking Politics.

Last week it was announced in the
columns of the Vermont papers that
a largely signed petition from Essex,
Orleans and Caledonia counties had
been presented to Gov. A. M. Fletcher
asking for an investigation of the
rates and service of the Passumpsic
TONERS alleged the rates were very
high and the service very poor. Since
that announcement the governor has
announced the appointment of E. A.
Cook of Lyndonvilie and w. A. Ora
ham of Bellows Falls a special com.
mission to investigate the matter.
Mr.. Cook is Progressive and repre-
sentative of the town of Lyndon in the
legislature and lawyer by profession.
Mr.. Graham is, we believe, a lawyer
and the governors secretary of civil
and military affairs. These state
ments are nothing against the gentle
men named but remarks made by the
chairman of the public service COM
mission during the hearings held in
the various counties for the purpose Of
hearing any CONF laints persons might
wish to make against public service
corporations indicated that a petition
of this nature was being circulated by
Messrs. Cook and Graham. 1t is
known that Mr.. Cooks law partner did
circulate the petition in Essex and Or
leans counties.
So it seems that the governor of the
state has referred the matter to the
compliments for adjudication. In
| other words he granted job to the
men who petitioned that such job be
created 1t has been supposed that
Vermont had public service commits
sion empowered to make an investiga-
ton of matters of this kind and that
it was their duty to do it. Chairman
| Watson's remarks at the hearings be-
fore referred to indicated the commits
sion did expect to investigate. The
public may we'll ask why they are not
to do it. Is it because they are incom-
petent? Because they already have
| jobs and the gentlemen named needed
more money from the state treasury
Each one of them has been quite gen.
erously favored at the public crib but
perhaps with costs of high living il
was not enough.
Aside from the apparently unneces
sary creation of special stall at the
public crib for this pair of ''publit
servants" there is the reference of {
case to the plaintiffs themselves wher
a properly constituted body of a semi
judicial nature was ready to hear it
sThe public would never sanction the
removal of the trial of a murderer
from an unprecedented jury to a hear
ing by the plaintiff and we fail to Sc,
\ why it is more just to deal this wa.
with public service corporation thar
with a murderer. Nor will it tent
toward economy in state business t,
create special commission at specia
salaries to do wat regularly consti
tuted commission should do.
In regard to the charges of higl
rates and poor service made in petltio1
we have nothing to say at this time
If the Passumpsic Telephone Compan.
: is charging unreasonable rates for it
service or fails to give reasonably goo
service it should be hailed before a lie
gally constituted body for hearing and
| if found guilty, compelled to correct it
. methods. The public could be treate
justly in no other way. But develop
ments to date look as though the peti
TONERS puissant prayer for politica
pap had promptly prevailed st
Johnsbury Caledonian.