Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-03-02
Declared Repeating Primary
Election Law was a Step
Backward

In the Burlington Free Press OF
Monday was the following report of
the talk of Senator Martin S. Villas
before church Brotherhood Sunday
afternoon:
"Our governorship is a political
football, kicked every two years from
one side of the mountain to the other,'
declared Senator Martin S. Villas of
Chittenden county, speaking yester-
day noon before the Brotherhood of
( the First Church on some aspects of
the present Legislature. Senator
Villas went on to say that we do not
take our State government seriously
enough. He declared that we elect as
our governors men who are looking
for an honorary title to attach to
themselves, "millionaires who have SO
much other business to take care of
that they cannot be expected to give
a great deal of their time to the af-
fairs of the state"
This leads to inefficient government,
Senator Villas declared. We require
that our senators and representatives
in Congress, the heads of our depart
ments and other State officers give
close attention and efficient service
in their respective Offices, but we do
not expect this of our governors. We
do not pay them enough so that they
can afford to give close attention to
the affairs of the State. We pass
around the honor of the office, chang
ing every two years, so that one gov
ernor hardly gets started in the Of
flee before the press begins to talk
of his successor. In this way, there
is little incentive for a governor to
put his best into the work of direct
ing the States affairs, and there
comes into the governorship every two
years a man inexperienced in the
work of the chief executive, who goes
out again about the time he begins
to be of real value to the State.
Senator Villas said that it is a great
of State goes out of office not know
or a deficit of several hundred thou
sands dollars.
The senator also attacked the pre-
sent system of representation in the
House Of Representatives, declaring
that the people are not really re-
presented on just basis it being a
systm of land representation rather
than people. He said that the system
in electing representatives is all
two years men who are, for the most
part. inexperienced in legislative
matters, ga Legislature of govern
mental neophytes," which proves an
expensive and inefficient proposition
for the State. He showed that the
Vermont House of Representatives
is much above the. average size of
Legislatures throughout the country.
In speaking of the highway ques-
ton, Senator Villas declared that the
present system is wrong, in that it
places the authority for the expendi-
hands Of one man.
cit is a one-man department, great
er in extent than any other depart
ment in the State" declared the sena-
tor. He said that it opened up the
opportunity for all kinds of graft,
though he did not think that this op-
portunity was used.
81 believe the highway commission
ers have been honest-that we have
an honest highway commissioner at
present-but the opportunity is there
for graft"
Calling attention to the possibilities
for a political machine through the
highway system, Senator Villas de-
clared that the representatives from
the various towns are largely made
up of men who have been, are or eX-
pect to be road commissioners. This
being so, it is impossible, he said, to
get an amendment to the present
highway law through the Legislature
if the State highway commissioner
does not favor it.
off you do not belive this" said the
senator, "try it and see."
Senator Villas urged his hearers to
do what they could to try and pre-
cent S. 81, the bill repeating the direct
primary, from going through the
House, it having already passed the
Senate. He declared that this meas
ure was step backward, that the in
terests of real democracy demanded
that the primary be maintained so
that the people, including the women,
may have an opportunity to vote di
rectly for their candidates. Con-
demning the old political convention,
he asked:
"Did you ever see fair nominating
convention? If you did, you have
seen something which has not come
to my attention"
Senator Villas spoke briefly upon
the subject of taxation, mentioning
the report made last week by the com
mittee on ways and means relative to
a 20 cent direct State tax. He said
that the State would probably have
to have a direct State tax every
year from now on to take care of in
creasing State expenses. He also
spoke of the tax bills now before the
present session, one of which is an in
come tax on intangibles, which is ex-
pected to greatly increase the revenue
In speaking of educational matters
now before the Legislature, Senator
Villas said that it was his prediction
that the State Teachers. College bill
will pass the Senate, while the
Stearns bill will pass the House. In 9
brief talk on this phase OF legislation.
the senator declared that the day of
the normal schools at johnson and
Castleton is past, and that whether
the State Teachers College is estab-
lished, or the normal schools are
they should be located in
large communities having better faci-
lities for teacher training.
In closing, Senator Villas just
touched upon the bovine tuberculosis !
eradication measure now before the
h i