News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-12-09
Gov. Fletcher Criticised

The following letter to the Burlington
Free Press, from Mrs Margaret Chest
nut Buell., will be read with interest by
many in Lamoille County Mrs. Buell.
was for many years official court re-
porter for this county and her Opinion
of the action of Gov Fletcher i'll dis
posing of and making supreme and
superior court judges is plainly and for
chilly set forth in this communication.
To the Editor of the Free Press:
1t is no small matter that is now be-
| fore the people of the State through the
recent act of their Governor relating to
the courts.
| Here is man elevated to what by
some is considered the highest position
within the gift of the people and at his
exit from Office vents personal spite
and robs the people who honored him
two years ago of three excellent judges.
Here is man with money enough to
buy Governorship lit is no unusual
trick, two years officeholder striking
at the office of judgship,-a position
politically clean,-and position we'll
known to be practically for life; man
ESQ evidently lacking in 6ness and hon.
esty of purpose that he could strike and
give no adequate reason, in fact no rea-
son adequate or otherwise, has as yet
appeared The "age of 70" excuse has
been SO sanely riddled by Levi 2. Smith
in Thursdays issue of the Free Press
that further comment is unnecessary
upon the only lewGovernor Fletcher has
given the public for his ioonaclastic
work
1t has come to very dangerous pass
when a two years officeholder, within
month of his political decease, has the
power to put out of office without rea-
son such men as Justices Loveland Num-
son, Seneca Haselton and Frank L. Fish.
And the people who have been thus rob
bed? Are they going TO allow this act
and it's consequences to endure? Gan
they say nothing, do nothing! 1t is
crime to be silent, "a crime to remain
inert when an insult like this is directed
at our court and, through the court at
the people who elect the judges.
Cannot and will not the coming Leg
islature, made up of 'good men and
true" undo this spectacular act OF Gov.
ernor Fletcher's? Is his act one that
must endure beyond his life as Govern !
or? If | am correctly informed the
brilliant lawyer who wrote the opinion
on this matter for Governor Fletcher
thinks otherwise; he thinks there is no
doubt as to the right of the Governor to
appoint for a longer time than the gap
of a month. If there is doubt, and Gov
ernor Fletcher knew it, he must have
had a colossal death. urging TO hurt
something or somebody before impo- f,
tence set in! Well, he accomplished
hot hax RI Ia
self most of all; and he has reused the
Indignation of those who know most in
timately the courts and judges-the .
work done by them, and the high stand |
ards, personal and Judicial, of the men !
he has seen fit to eject Was the good
opinion of the majority such trivial .
asset that Governor Fletcher scorned it? /
Was doing the merely decent thing
i. g leaving the courts untouched for
the Legislature to adjust-such diff
cult feat for him to perform that he
couldn't help doing the indecent? Was .
his desire to exercise power, to "show /
of, ;" stronger than his sense of right |
and fairness?
For nearly fifteen years my work was
associated with the bench of the State
of Vermont and l know something
about its fneness and its integrity. I
Nothing can hurt the past,--the clean,
fine, sane, scholarly judgments of the
past that have come from our Judges
but this indignity of Governor Fletcher's
calls for action on the part of the men
who have in their hands the future of
the State of Vermont Let them see to
it that the Governors inexplicable act
is wiped out and in so doing place them
selves upon plane and worthy to be
spoken of in the same breath with the
Justices who have been cast out by him.
Signed
. MARGARET CHESTNUT BUELL..
Vt, Dec 4, 1914.