The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-17
Legislation by Indirection.
{ burlington Free Press.)


The Free Press some time ago
sought to emphasize the fact that the
commissioner on revision of the laws
was not supposed to make q wholesale ,
/ change in the intent of the laws. but /
! simply get past laws into shape to har |
monte with each other and with the
/ laws of the present legislature In !
other words, the idea back of general /
/ revision is to bring the public statutes !,
j of Vermont thoroughly up 20 date, |
/ eliminating obsolete sections and so on,
/ and not TO amend all the existing stat
utcs.
This matter was brought to the front
! by the change in the form of fish and
| game legislation, which was the basis
| of bitter controversy. We said We
were not so much concerned as to the
form of this particular legislation as
over the tamerity of Commi SSioner
Hale X. Darling in taking upon him
self to change the intent of the law in
stead Of recommending special amend,
ments as authorized. If he could do
this in one law consistently he could do
50 in a thousand sections of the public
statutes
Still another instance has now been
brought to light by the announcement
that Commissioner Darlng's revision
Of the public statutes of Vermont de-
/ prjves part Of the Vermont women of
the right TO vote in school meetings
In this connection the Bennington Ban
cr says:
''Thc women who are seeking the
i right to vote and the men who are aid
I ing them in tn move to get it are
4 making a strong effort to induce the
legislature to grant equal suffrage on
the presidential issue but they seem
; to lose sight OF the fact that the pro-
e posed revision of the statutes now be
5 fore the Judiciary committee takes
away from Vermont women the right
to vote in school meetings unless they
are taxpayers.
InaSmuch as the legislature OF
K 1915 gave women the right to vote in
= school meetings without any property
= qualification it would seem rather I'M
, fair to now take away that right sc
- long as 1t has not been seriously
e abused by the women 50 far as W,
Il have heard. In this matter Of vote,
Il for womel some of the partisans eS
i, peciallv against permitting women I,
vote lay stress on the claim that voting
5 should also carry the burden OF paving
poll taxes
In the opinion Of the Banner thu
- two have no relation to- each other
Levying taxes is for the purposa o
raising money to pay municipal an,
= state expenses We assess taxes unde
o. certain circumstances on children AM
~ non residents and If our state an,
towns were in serious need OF NOR
revenue il would he entirely proper t
o. assess a head tax on women regard
e less of whether they voted or not
at Likewise the reverse Of this propose
ticn is true.
''The state has the right to Civ
women the right to vote without ash
=. ing them to pay a fax. The constitr
cr tlon OF Vermont CAV universal man
NJ hood suffrage without insisting on an
tax paving qualifications whatever an
Vermont was the first state of tn
NJ Union to give this broad privilege /
al the principal elections this right sti
Il exists though in order to better cl
Il, force collection of small tax account
No the state has permitted towns to sto
certain mea from voting ut certai
Il, to pay their taxes
ID AS matter Of principle and has
law the right to vote is not depender
on the duty to pay taxes whenev,
the needs OF organized society reduir
us There ism t anything in the constit1
rs tiOn that even hints that a person mu
sed b. taxpayer to be voter. On II
,dS contrary such a provision is contral
y Iasgt. IN G ~
rights which is part of the constit
ia tion of the state of Vermont. II
It two questions should be considered =
Irn arately'
DOL We called the attention of a la,
ard maker the other day to the necassit
:, Of being on guard against the defe
of the will of the people by the cor
fS. missioner of revision in working
hat Just such things as this repeal of Il
ed right Of women to vote in school NEE
the ing about which we did not know
has the time. He replied that il would
physical impossibility for the iut
ciarv committee to 90 over the tho
Iral sands of sections of the public sts
J utes of Vermont and by COMPARES
nix. not where the revisioner had chang
the intent of the law.
Loo That is the very reason we urg
months ago against allowing the co
'ISt mission on revision to change the
the tent of the law without due mott
lum directly TO the lawmakers. Nobo
ger. outside of himself knows how ma
la other laws adopted by the represent
a., tive of the people have been chang
IN the revision as to intent, some
inc which will escape attention because
ing inability of the legislators to oct