The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-02-06
FRANK u. HOWE, Editor and Pub,
Saturday, February 6, 1915.
THE LEG. AND THE PRESS

The Herald regrets more deeply
than it can express in polite language
the action of Rutland county in repu-
dating its former stand of leadership
on the salary question and leading
the way to an unlimited session and
repetition of the disgraceful failures
and unwarranted expense of the past.
Rutland Herald.
Naturally the Herald feels little
grieved to see the members from its
own county deliberately spurn the
columns of advice which the Herald
has been pouring out on this subject
during the past few weeks. After all
though, it was the advice which was
wrong and not the members from
Rutland county.
The Herald misled its readers as
to what ought to constitute fair
length of session and again misled
them as to what ought to be fair
fiat sum of compensation. Even af
ter the session was well under way
the editorial correspondence of the
Herald stated more than once that
sentiment among the members was
crystalizlng strongly, or words to
that effect, in favor of 60-day SEES
sion and in support of fiat rate COM
pensation of $500 or some similar in
adequate sum.
The truth was and is, and has been
demonstrated by the overwhelming
vote of the House, that the Heralds
sizing up of the situation has been
as far wrong as was its Judgment
when the question was under debate
| before the session opened. We do
not mean to say that the Herald has
been wilfully wrong On the other
hand ii has been absolutely honest
in intent but has wofully erred in
! judgment. 1t has persisted in being
cocksure in its own opinion and has
refused to listen to men who knew
more about it than did the Herald
1t should be fairly easy to provide
for lump sum salary for the legisla-
lul G. buL Nlit 2uhJNNl NAii hC " "
approached differently than it has
been this year. To bring it about
the newspapers can do a good deal if
they choose, but not by following the
sophistry which the Rutland Herald
and several other equally well inten-
toned papers have poured forth of
late relative to the length of session
and rate of pay.
The last three sessions Of the legis-
lature have ranged in length from 80
TO 121 days and the members have
been paid from $500 to $4S4 each. No
doubt there were few dishonest
men in each of these legislatures, but
the great bulk were honest men, citi-
zens of high character and patriotic
Vermonters, who did their best to
serve the state. Yet newspapers
Astounding more in theory than in
actual understanding of the matter
have told the people that these men
were robbers, loafers, salary grabbers,
and slothful servants
Does it stand to reason that all of |
them could have been so bad? Is it |
a tenable theory that three times in |
all the towns in Vermont |
have picked out dishonest and incom- |
petent men to go to Montpelier? |
Isn't it clear on the other hand that |
the correspondents. the newspapers, |
and persons of limited knowledge or |
men whose experience was back |
when legislation in Vermont was less
have been in error and have
led the people astray?
1t would be a grievous error for
the legislature of 1915 to try to slash
It's way to adjournment in 60 days.
Vermont has too much at stake with
n and without the walls of the CAPT
al to want such hasty and i'll advised
service. Were our legislature made
Up of few men or largely of men
If extended legislative experience
who could start work on the day of
it might be done but not
With the system and precedent that
lave been handed down to us by our
orefathers.
This session of 1915 cannot do we'll
he work now before it under from
8 to so days from the opening of
he session and if business continues
O accumulate it will and should take
onger, No wonder, when the men
Who do the hard work of session,
hnk of that 60-day bunk and limited
Jay music which was dnned into
heir ears before they went to Mont
elier, they lost confidence in the
DICE of the press.
The Banner would like to see the
ewspapers of Vermont treat the leg
slatures a little more understanding
T. This does not mean to stop critl-
ism or suggestion A legislature
eeds criticism and sometimes good
thorough lambasting but continual pet.
Y fault finding, denunciation and
because legislature does
OF achieve the impossible. solve the