The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-01-19
GOV. FLETcHER's MESSAGE
Continued from Page 3

and the motive of those who seek
to influence a celebrating body eth
er before or after that body COM
pletes its organization and | shall not
in any way try to do so. ] shall con
fine myself as far as possible entirely
TO facts.
Gentlemen of Vermont, there is in
the breasts of every selfrespeeting
man sense Of fairness. To that |
shall speak for few moments. Dur
ing the last legislature probably
when II was one-third over the gentle3
man who then represented the city
of ST. Adams, Mr.. Watson, and the
then Senator from Orange County
they at that time being the reference
commission or commission of the
Joint assembly came to my Office and
said Governor we wish you to sub
nit to the Supreme Court certain
questions Mr., Watson said, speak
ing relative to constitutional amend
ments then pending before the joint
assembly. Governor, it is my I'M
preston and belief as a lawyer that
if these constitutional amendments
are passed by the Legislature and are
passed by the State you VIII be con
fronted and the State will be con
fronted with condition where the
executive will have TO appoint, and
he will have to appoint for the con
stitutional term and that condition
will continue until the Constitution
can be changed" The then Senator
from Orange County did not wholly
agree with the gentleman from St
Adams and therefore they wished
this question presented to the SUI
prese Court in order that they might
both vote and act intelligently There
was no one to present the matter TO
the Supreme Court but the executive
and complied with their requests;
the court had that matter under con-
sideration about three weeks and
then the chief justice came TO me
with proforma opinion under the
statute that | had the authority to
ask for advice. He Informed me the
unanimous opinion OF that court was
exactly and squarely along the lines
that Mr. Watson of St. Adams nad
taken and he submitted TO me GER
tain memorandum dealing upon GER
tain New York decisions in handwrit-
ing of Judge Watson. Now, | deliv-
cred that message to Mr. Watson If
St Adams and when that question
came up here in the House of Repre-
sentatives he told them exactly what
would take place if they passed those
constitutional amendments. There
was no deception on his part or on
the executives part or on the part O,
anybody else so far as | know. What
attitude the Senator from Orange
County took in the Senate know
not. 1t cannot be said, gentlemen
that the State of Vermont he'd been
deceived about this matter VIXEN its
representatives in the General AZ
sembly were thoroughly advised and
were told what would take place
Now this matter was discussed With
in the State last December and The
Governor was faced with the PROPOSE
tion of what he could do. He had
the advise of the Supreme Court. his
statutory officer Whose advise
should he take?
There were other vacancies; the
vacancy subject of the military APP
pointments that the General Assemb-
ly had to make, the sergeant-atarms
the vacancy of the office OF attorney
general The Governor sent his sec
rotary who had to join with me in
any commission prior to the first OF
December, to the present attorney
general and he told him it was Ia.
tended to appoint him to fill the posi- |
ton after Mr.. Brown had passed on |
and asked him what sort of a com
mission he wanted, what his theory
of the law was and the present attoT- |
ney-general told the Governors Sec |
rotary that he wanted a commission |
for two years. ! intend to deal with |
facts so far as it is possible for me |
to do
Now I am told through the press |
that the ex-chief justice who deliv- |
cred this opinion to me which at tile |
time he told me was the unanimous |
opinion of that court and II was the |