Thomas Jefferson as "the wisest in-vention ever devised the wit of man for the perfect exercise of self- government."
Only in Vermont has the town meeting retained much vitality; at-tendance stays high despite the fact that the towns have been steadily losing power to the state government. On the average, about one-quarter of a town's registered voters attend an annual town meeting lasting some 3 hours and 25 minutes. About 37 percent of those present speak. Attendance and participation...