The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-04-25
JUDGE FISH LAUDS
STATE OF VERMONT
Tells Sons and Daughters Of Vermont
Living in Springfield, Mass,
Facts Worth KNOWING

Springfield, Mass. April 24.-Judgs
Frank L.. Fish of Vermont Friday
night delivered an address on THE
Vermont of Today" at the maple sugar
party and ball given by the Springfield
Sons and Daughters OF Vermont at the
Auditorium. Among the many good
things said by him about the Green
Mountain State we're the following:
one of my dearest friends in Mas
sachusetts thinks that Vermont is fl.
ty years behind the times and he tells
me he hopes 1t will never catch up
with the procession. We invited a
young woman from your state TO come
and look over our library with a view
10 becoming our librarian and she
asked me going up If we had electric
lights and bath tubs in the city OF
course | was glad to assure her that
we had both and that some Of our
more progressive inhabitants we're ac.
custofned to take a bath on Saturday
night whether they needed II or not
She heard It without cracking a smile
or raising an eyelash.
Why, Vermont Is ahead of the times
and not behind the times, and that has
always been the way since the day
when she framed that immortal CON
stitution in 1777. which forbade hu.
man slavery and made the institution
thereafter legally impossible in the
state. 1t was the first prohibition Of
slavery put forth on this continent,
through all parts of which the institu-
ton was then legal. 1t was eighty
eight years Q777 to 1861 from the
time Vermont declared the prohibition
to the time of the adoption Of the thir.
teenth amendment to the Federal
Constitution.
In 1852 we enacted the prohibitory
law and 1t took the federal govern
ment sixty seven years to catch up
with Vermont in the adoption of the
Eighteenth Amendment.
Vermont leads the world in marble.
slate, granite scales, veneer, maple
sugar, Morgan horses Marno sheen
and dairy cows; and a recent editor OF
who's who shows that Vermont has
produced her capita, more men who
have made good in other states than
any other state in the union.
The towns and cities paid out for
education In 1921, S3,592, ,403.59: for
repairs, $153,3OS.l5; for new buildings.
1895, ,746.06. The state paid for ad.
ministration, normal school and other
school purposes $253,3247S. and the
state further paid to the three state
colleges Sl62,S0O These figures total
A4575S2,4S The total of highway
and education expenditures for the
last fiscal year was $I224.554, and the
total appraised value of our real
estate was but 1S7,OO00OO. This is
tax, my friends, Of four per cent for
highways and education Let some
On, who says Vermont is not progress.
sYe discover some state that is doing
better. Can Massachusetts show that
she is in our lead?
Vermont has a heart which is
shown in the care of its unfortunates
IN its pubic institutions. Here the
expense has more than doubled in the
past ten years and the department OF
3 '"| A'iNAiht 1uNkt Weeks. rs the
eihcient and sympathetic head. is us
ing S5OO,OO0 annually, but Is able 10
reimburse the state by earnings Ia
the amount Of 100000.
u have refused to become alarmed
at the disclosures of those statisti
clans who argue that Vermont is al
bad because she fell off slightly IN
population at the last census. an
inclined to think It Is compliment !,
Vermont rather than otherwise wber
viewed in the right light Our hes,
product has IN all times been In mer
and women and this product like an,
other, has been subject to the law q
supply and demand. Every increase,
facility for transportation and comm
nication makes It easier for a peonl,
to seek new and better fields of en-
deavor. va
Edward J Phelps, the most accom-
plshed man who ever came 10 tho I'M
OF Vermont in his eloquent addres
at Bennington portrayed our state Il
herO'C outline and made biyh cinir