The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-02-22
SOME SUGGESTIONS
FOR WOMEN VOTERS
Pres dent OF Vermont Women League
Asks Several Pertinent
Queetlons.

QuC-tONo.
I Approach Of town meeting, heraldad
by the po ting OF warnings. discussion
OF the high taxes, meetings OF the
board of civil author ty and prepara.
ton and post ng of the checklist.
brings home TO the men Of Vermont
towns the prospect Of probable
change OF aspect in the crowd at the
hall and to Vermont women the unal.
terable fact Of new e e'ement in their
lives.
Am | capable OF helping conduct
the bus'ners of our town." the new
voter asks herself II the answer Is
NO" what is she going to do about
II? Something surely. II would seem
not only loyalty TO her town and to
her own selfish interests as we'll but
the promptings Of patriot SIN wou d
guarantee the answer: Everything
possible to prepare myself" For there
is for her no escape from the truth
that Z was the government OF her
country that issued her call TO en-
larg d service In now not only nome,
but also town, county. State and ma
tional housekeeping
To cast an intelligent ballot for a
town Office demands knowledge of the
duties of the Office before decisien as
TO the qualification OF the caud date.
The present town officers or men up
for ofIlce VIII be found ready to explain
to groupI OF women the general duties
Of an Office as well as any special de-
mands of the present year For in.
stance. this may be the year for the
quadrenn al appraisal OF real estate,
when It is additionally important to
have thoroughly capable board OF
listers. or. all too likely, the very un-
satisfactory condition OF roads and
streets may make election OF well
qualified road commissioner we'll nigh
imperative.
No conscientious voter vii fail TO
study the town report Compar son
with reports of past years is interest
ing but not as helpful as II there had
not been tremendous changes in prices
and salaries Comparison with reports
of surrounding towns gains founda-
tion for opinion on the wisdom OF our
own towns methods and expenditures.
One of the first records of expend,-
lures to strike you on examination of
YOUR town report may perhaps be the
astounding amount paid for transpor
tat'on of school children several
thousands Of dollars by a small town
OF thousand or two les3 inhabitants
and this sum paid entirely by those
outside the village limits. The chill
dren must surely be carried by re
fsnonsible part es, properly protected.
etc, but can't you somehow reduce
the cost to the taxpayers? That is
up to the town-not vii age-school
district trustees, See to II you have
honeit, courageous mrn and women,
who will not allow payment to a par
ent for carrying his own and perhaps
q neighbor's children, when a man llv-
ing beyond him is receiving full com
pensation for school conveyance.
In one Vermont town, complying
" tn the request of League Of Wom-
en- Voters, several town officers re-
Gently demonstrated a town meeting,
the women acting as the voters. The
warnings issued for March were used
by the moderator to determine the or
der of business An excellent little
book, entitled "Citizen1hip Drama
tized," published by Henry Holt & Co.,
enables group entirely unfam AZ
with procedure Of town meeting,
county court, etc, to enact instruct We
civic dramas. New voters may not
know that meetings of the board OF ci,
I'll authority, of listers, etc, are open
to the public, and that such books as
those at the office of the town clerk
are legally always open to inspection
The check list has been or will very
soon be made out at n meeting Of the
! board Of civil authority and then post
I'd in the Office Of the town clerk OF
some other public place, when It be
comes the duty of every voter to see
that his or her name Is on this list, for
| IL by any mistake II is omitted, voting
at town meeting will be out of the
question.
Where the tendency toward extrav
qgance can be curbed Is in the home
town by giving direct and personal at
tenton to the home town expenditures
What was the total amount OF your
towns revenue this past year? The to
al expenditure? Has your town bud
get system? II so what are the items
and how ~ the budget apportloned
Continued on page 81