The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-05-18
STEVENS DEFENDS
BOARD OF CONTROL
Fletcher With Erroneous Ideas of
Powers and Usefulness of Board.
Editor of The Reformer

Editor of The Reformer -
In an editorial in the May 10Th issue
of the Burlington Free Press, it is
stated that Ex-Governor Fletcher was to
have spoken before the New England sec
ton Of the American Association of Col
lege Women this week.
One paragraph in this editorial has
strongly attracted my attention and has
moved me to address this communica-
ton to You and the editors of other Yer
mont papers, in the hope that it may be
published Immediately and in season to
prevent, if possible, a broadcasting of
transformation concerning the official
acts of the board of control. / quote
the paragraph:
Governor Fletcher found that the
Vermont board of control has just set
aside a round 100000 for road pur-
poses, and he was to ask the women to
help ascertain just how much money IS
spent uSelesSly or wastefully as he be
heved, as practical problem in politics
and government. He. by the way, ut
terly condemned the idea of board OF
control as calculated to enable gov
ernor to dodge responsibility on the one
hand and to usurp the functions of the
legislature on the other. In either case
divided responsibility resulted, and that
is always fatal to the best government.
If the address prepared by ex-Gov-
ernor Fletcher is to be read at the meet
ing Of the New England section OF the
American Association of University
Women, and if that address contains
paragraph of similar import to the one
/ have quoted. it surely ought to be
omitted entirely or very greatly modi-
fed.
The board of control has not, to my
knowledge, just set aside S2OOO,0OO Tor
road purposes 1t has not set aside one
dollar, even, for road purposes. 1t has
no power or authority to appropriate
money for any purpose.
The auditor of accounts, with the APP
proval of the board of control, is author
lied to transfer to any institution or de-
partment such amounts from the cOntln-
gents appropriation established by the
legislature as may be necessary to carry
on the work of that institution or de-
naFtment after its specific appropriation
has been exhausted. But the aggregate
of these transfers cannot exceed the sum
of 100000 in q fiscal year.
If Governor Fletcher believed that the
board of control usurped the functions
of the legislature, and appropriated mil
lions of dollars for state purposes he was
quite right in condemning the idea of a
board of control But such a belief must
have been founded on very erroneous In
formation.
If the board of control was calculated
(as | do not believe it was) Ito enable
governor to dodge responsibility on the
one hand and to usurp the functions of
the legislature on the other" it has
missed such calculation. \ governor
would need to be a very agile and art
full dodger to remain in hiding long be-
hind the board of control as at present
constituted.
l am not ready to say that the board
of control is as useful to the economic
life of the state as it could be made
to be by the legislature, but / am GER
tainly ready to say, and feel compelled
to say. that if the editorial referred to
accurately reflects Ex-Governor Fletch-
er's idea of the functions of the board of
control. that idea must have been
founded on grave misinformation. / be-
lieve that the New England section of
University Women will agree that the
board of control ought not to be con-
demned on suppositious statements
merely. They might be interested to
know how this board is constituted, and
what it is really intended to do. Per
haps if they had first hand knowledge
of it they would feel that it ought to be
improved rather than condemned and
abolished 4 few weeks before Gov
Crnor Fletcher's sudden and lamented
death | discussed certain state matters
with him and, according to our agree
ment, was to have continued the discus
sion at such times as we could find con-
venient. He was very earnest in his de-
sire to be of service to Vermont. His