The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-03-12

1
has brought the party to the edge OF
the grave.
The earnest hindsight of the Free
Press and those of similar record
and experience in trying to get the
two factions together will have a
hard time to offset the foresight
OF two years ago.
The Banner is not trying to dis
credit or belittle the Free Press, for
| in many respects it has done more
than any dozen ordinary papers for
the good of Vermont. II is merely
in this one respect of being behind
hand in its political righteousness
that we feel that it is not doing full
| justice. Most any ordinary mortal
can tell what ought to have been
done after 1t is all over and the dust
| has settled.
What we want Is to enlist the aid
Of the Free Press in behalf of some
of the needs of the future. During
the past ten years over 100000 acres
of tillable land in Vermont has gone
out Of the active tillage class though
there are hundreds OF thousands OF
young farmers in the country looking
for opportunity. We have over 200
million dollars invested outside the
state but have failed to finance the
principal industrial resource of Yer
mont The banks, very properly,
are allowed TO invest only 60 per
cent and the biggest issue before
Vermonters today is to finance that
other 30 per cent. We have iioated
fidelity company and are going in
to breeding blue foxes while the real
basis of our growth and prosperity is
allowed to crumble into decay be-
cause of the lack OF proper sys-
TEN OF credit. This is one cause in
which we hope the Free Press will
enlist now rather than in 1921.
There are score Of other issues
of great Importance. The very
bowels of our state treasury are
leaking out through our court sys-
tenn If we can't plug up the hole
we at least ought TO stop II ircm
getting any bigger. The little state
CT Vermont is spending million
dollars a year for the upkeep OF
prisons. jails and police and half OF
1t or more is because our ancestors
never learned that the time and way
to stop criminal is to take the
orphan and neglected child and see
that he gets fair chance in life.
We know the truth--shall we follow
our fathers mistakes?
We need to do something for our
rural schools and for those pupils
who are most likely TO become clti-
zens OF Vermont--even If 1t is neces-
sary to cut down the college aDpro-
priations for time. We need Z de-
tention farm for the care and treat
ment Of victims OF drink and drugs.
We need TO meet wisely the prob
lens of labor and capital. OF indus
trialism and business prosperity.
There are the problems OF debt
and taxation. The state has been
doing pretty we'll compared With
other states but some of our towns
and cities are going too deeply into
debt. We have no right to mortgage
our future too heavily
There are issues ON every hand
tina. should enter into the political
campaign. We cannot solve them all
In one year so let us tackle the two
biggest ones, the development OF the
great neglected agricultural resource
OF our STATE and some intelligent plan
OF lessening the drain on the state
| treasury and the pockets OF the peo-
pie
The Free Press can aid in all
/ these things il 1t desires. Ponderous
phrases and glittering generalities
amount 70 nothing and progress may
be a route marked by the tombstones
| OF mistakes corrected. 1t Is be ter
tc die trying than TO choke to death
| saying pleasant things about candi-
dates fer Office.
If the Free Press and all the rest
of US would turn our thoughts more
to these great issues and less to
| political and partisan strife the
profit to the state would be at least
several per cent
We congratulate the Free Press on
the great advance /. has made during
the past year in shaking off some o.
the old cobwebs. 1t was little late
| in taking hold OF the demand OF the
| people for n direct primary, bu. it
! did coed work at the end. May it
never again fall into the old rat
from which II has recently escaped.
| At the same time. because 1t has
found the new freedom, 1t should not
be too hard on seine Of the brethren
who are still bound by the old letters
CT partisan regularity. consistency
and precedent. Give them time and
they also will find their way TO the
light and air. and to a broader Wis
ion.
From this lesson of the past few
years not only the Free Press but
The Banner and every other news
paper and every citizen OF Vermont
should learn thai VIC live in a time
OF change. Some OF the old founda
tions have crumbled and II we open