The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-17
Achievement

There is no doubt about it, Yer
mont Is represented by acres rather
than by men. A towns a town wheth
er it has twenty-five or a thousand
and what is more a town is Just as
good as a city when it comes to p
seat in the Vermont House. In the
old days when the population was
| more widely scattered, and therefore
more evenly divided, the unit OF
town representation may have been
| fair enough, but it is not fair and
there is no common sense in permit
ting the smallest town to nave Just
| as much say as the largest city when
| 1t comes to governing Vermont. If
the basis of representation say were
the twenty-seven Of Somerset, all
Montpelier would not be able to hold
the representative who viii assemb.
lie for the session, 1t is too much to
be hoped that all this will be chang.
ed in the twinkling of an eye, but
there is no reason why a beginning
shouldn't be made along some line
which will eventually bring repre-
sentation based ON population instead
of acreage-Bradford Opinion.
On this question we take rather
conservative stand For instance,
we would ask TO be shown" wherein
Vermont is suffering especially from
her present system OF town represent
tation. What is being done that is
that is good, which can properly be
harmful and what is not being done
attributed to so.called acre govern
ment?" What improvements would.
follow a change? Is our legislature,
generally speaking. not fairly respon
sive TO popular sentiment, once its
trend is fully assured? Do our laws
dominance in the House? Would the
lag as the result OF small town pre-.
state as a whole be any better off If
members were. sent by districts?
The best way to judge is by com.
parison. Take. the history and rec
ord OF our Vermont legislature for
one hundred aud twenty-five years
and put it alongside that of the law.
making bodies OF other states where
districts rule. With all its imperfect
ions, it viii not suffer by contrast,
even on basis OF solid accomplish
ment The quality Of our enactments
is fully up to the average. Vermont
in many respects approaches the
lead. Real progress-the kind that
does not rush, after every wild-eyed
experiment, but the working OUT
along practical lines, of measures OF
public advancement--appe all
along the course. Few steps once
taken are retraced after disastrous
experience
Vermont is state of small towns
and scattered communities, whose ii,
terests in many ways are better rep
resented under the present system
than they would be on straight has
is of population. 1t is essential that
these intrests be protected ii Yer
mont is to prosper. The larger towns
may in some cases find their own de-
sires ungratifed for time when
they conflict with the needs of tn,
little communities, but 'bov can en-
dure it better than the little commun
tiles can. A kind of progress that
meant the building up of few cent
ers at the expense of the rural sec
tons would not be progress at all in
Vermont.
1t is easy enough to criticise the
workings OF the Vermont legislature
but not easier than it is those of
other legislatures made up according
to population. One thing to the ever
lasting credit Of our Vermont body
is that no faint of corruption has at
ed to it, while nearly every other
lplns sqL IouoVslp ullM sg9sL slbls
Ter and more select the body of law
makers, the easier for sach influence
to get in their work. Honesty in pub
lie service is not SO common a trait
that we should disregard it in prop
erly placing ourselves alongside Sis
ter states. If any Reasonable part Of
it proceeds from the selection by
each town of its men most noted for
wisdom and virtue for seat in the
House, let us not be too hasty in con
demnihg the system-ati least until
we can find somewhere one that
serves its state better than ours does
rs and which il we adopted it,
would be likck' to serve Nermonts
particular and especial needs better.