The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-26
To Move Vermont Backward.
Boston Transcript j

The Vermont legislature is asked to
vote Tor the repeal of progress II it
acted IN accordance with the recon- D..
mendatIons made in a report from the
State Board of Control. it would evince
determination to wipe the tWentiet h
century out of human experience. and.
by some legislative magic, to put the
state back into the nineteenth, or even
the eighteenth. Serious consideration OF
the proposed measures would seem to
De tribute to the good old days OF the
stage coach and the stretches of mud or
dust which were dignihed by the name
OF roads. The Board of Control, among
Its many suggestions. would reduce the
appropriations for highways by fifty per
cent. But that is less revolutionary
lions. Inc following paragraph taken
from the. report is fair illustration of
the way i'll which the board would have
vermont jumping backward:
The repeal of all laws that support
activities that are paternalistic in their
boards of examiners and regulation, as
soclatlons that promote the SPECIAL in
terests of diary, horticultural mapie
sugar. poultry producers, experiment
stations, hremen's relief fund. geologist,
free public library. .investigation- of
water resources, teachers retirement
fund, Topographic surveys and many
functions of the Agricultural depart
ment like bovine tuberculosis, market
agencies, creamery inspection, COW test
ing associations and dairy manufacture
ing specialists. There might well be
included in this class the large appro-
priatlons made to the institutions OF
higher learning that are not a part of
the public school system.
Here is matter to delight the heart of
Mr.. Gilbert X. Chesterton He abol-
ishes the inevitable. Vermont il asked
abolish do.
plores the ignorance of the educated.
Were the State Board of Control to
have its way, there would still be edu
Gated people In Vermont. but il is reas-
enable to assume that in the years to
come there would be fewer of them.
MIR. Chesterton poses as the foe of
boards of health and their officials. The
Vermont Board of Control goes on rec
ord as in favor of a return to such Pub.
lie health system as may have existed
in former days Recalling the utter
ances of the distinguished Englishman
in the light of this outgiving in Yer
mont, new evidence is discovered tia
great minds run in the same channel.
But we are of the opinion that, not
outstanding the Chestertonian wisdom
of its Board of Control. Vermont will
decide to remain in the twentieth CEN
tury with the rest of the world. Yer
mont shows its regard for time ''as is
by opposing daylight saving 1t will not
try to turn backward time in its fight
in order to take the road to Yesterday
and a dead century That would seem
to be about as likely to happen as
would the removal of the Green noun
tains to site which the Board of Con-
troll looked upon as more appropriate
TO mountain range than the present
location. The report may, therefore, be
regarded as an example of the remark
able productions which sometime find
their way into legislative halls rather
than as cause for alarm for the future
progress and prosperity of the neighbor
ing state. And it will not detract from
the interest of the document to say
that, in still another way, it suggests
the vagaries of the Chestertonian. intel
lect. Mr.. Chesterton leaves in tn
minds of his hearers question az to
how much of it he really means Tha
conundrum may find it's counterpart