The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-03-27
Strong on Patching.
(Bennin gton Banner. J


Around a house, barn, corn-crib,
creamery or other piece of real estate
ii is necessary to take time occasion
ally to patch holes due to service. The
roof may leak, section may have
rotted through the floor in damp cor
ner, the rats may have gnaWed their
way into the store room, and there
may be other patching rendered neces
sary by wear and tear. For one rea-
son or another the time comes when
repairs and hole-stopping are III order.
The present Legislature seems to be
a sort OF repair gang, which makes IT
its duty 10 90 over the state outfit
plugging up rat holes, plastering over
4 few damaged spots in the ceiling,
relaying the pantry floor, putting in a
couple panes of glass in the south win
dow and SO forth, ct cetera. For the
past twenty years nearly every Yer
mont legislature has done few really
constructive things which have marked
notable advance and intelligent plan
ming for the future. Particularly not
able in this respect of constructive
building were the legislatures of 1902,
1906, 1919, 1912, and 1918, all of which
did so much good that their mistakes
should be forgiven.
The Legislature of 1917 started out
under favorable auspices. 1t is made
up of a fine body of men Of high
character, but it looks as though it is
going down in history as repair gang
rather than building gang. In
response to Governor Graham 5 urg-
| ing this legislature is doing a lot of
/ good work in fixing the Tat-holes in
the state corn-crib. The departments
are being ov2rhauled and real plans
made to better the business system
of the state.
! The courts are apparently going tt
be tinkered again and some of theiI
loose joints soldered up. There is an
earnest disposition to fix up the
things on hand safely so that they viii
not be damaged b. either a thaw or 6
freeze but 50 far the present legisla
ture does not appear to dare to get
out of the beaten track and do an!
real constructive work.
The nearest approach to daring il
on the suffrage question, but here only
a little frightened haif step is cssayed
The real basic things on which the fu
ture of the commonwealth must de
pend seem to be let pretty much alon,
by the Legislature of 1917 and the ses
sion is fast nearing its close. Possibly
II is wise and proper to devote a ses
sion occasionally to repair work chief
| ly. Perhaps il is not best to be al
ways advancing the trenches 1t ma,
no al 10.
the gains made.
We should not be too ready to crit
else Still with two weeks or so o
session left the Banner would Just low
to see ono daring march made outsid
the straight little road marked out b,
our grandmothcrs. There IS wild
chance of opportunity; q radical ad
vance in road building; something
done to bring back to productivenes
our million and more acres of dorman
tillablc land; development Of on
water resources; to attempt to rails
: men and women rather than thieve
5 and prostitutes from the homes wher
the children are neglected and fror
parents who are homeless; provisio
for the education of those now robbie
D ought to get an income of millio
{ dollars a year from the production o
> trout and other valuable food fish an
can if VIC can have constructive d.
velopment of the resources of the stat
; i'll this line
The funds are already provided an
9 the Legislature has actually been aske
+ to turn these funds to other USE
:. which would be breach of faith wit
. the people who pay the bill Thes
are not all the openings that are o
: fered. There are score more that al
7 known and probably a hundred NJ
G even suspected. The legislature do,
It we'll to think of the present but "
h earnestly wish it would also lift
! little harder for the future.
Tho lanUb &c 10 . a. Hal, 49,,