Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-12-01
THE LEGISLATURE OF 1850.

The General Assembly of Vermont adjourned
Tuesday morning last, after session of forty
nine days-the longest within our recollection
of any, always excepting that honorable AS
sembly of 1858, the year when "bank-reform'
and democracy went to seed by being run in
to the ground.
During this long session much has been done
and much more has been left undonc. Its dis
tnguishing feature is not sufficiently distinct for
recognition. The session has been marked by
no striking feat at legislation that will stand out
sufficiently prominent for a sobriquet at the
same time it has by careful consideration and
exhaustive debate ventilated many crude schnes
for radical change or FOR depicting the treasury
OF the three hundred and sixteen bills intro
duced in the House and eighty odd in the Sem
ate, less than half and probably not many more
than onc-third have reached the Governor for
his approval and signature; and moicty of
these are what are called "privotc bills, bills
of incorporation, for paying claims, and the like
Whatever reaches the pocket of individuals
is at all times a IN after Of deep and serious in
tercst to those thus affected. The state of the
Treasury this year is by no means a state of
hlissfu complacency. The discovery of a de-
falcation in the Treasurer, consequent upon the
induction of his successor was the subject of
much earnest thought in the Legislature, and
occasion of no small amount of hard labor to
several committees. The belief of an uncxpect-
al 1oCo;4 - q n 30 l.. III. al 1.
blue" while that belief existed but subsequent
Investigations and assurances, while it did not
produce any SORT of desire for increasing the
sail that had received an extra reef during the
pelling the black clouds that had temporarily
arisen At the adjournment it was confidently
expected that wise and prudent management
Of the assets secured and recoverable would
leave the Treasury minus not to exceed from
$4,000 to $4,000 The Legislature passed
two bills in relation to this subject the first
appointing Levi Underwood, Homer w. Heaton,
and John d. Page, n Committee "to settle with
"any or all of sgners, as sureties OF the several
"bonds given to the State by the late State
Treasurer, Henry NJ. Bates, if it shall appear
"to said Committee that it is for the interest of
'the State to effect such settlements" the sec
ond, exempting the body of Mr.. Bates from ar
rest from any criminal or civil prosecution on
the part of the State while in attendance on an
examination before this Committee into the
matters connected with this defacation and
while coming thereto and returning therefrom,
it being understood that he is willing to "make
a clean breast of the affair. The men who
constitute the commission above named are all
men of large ability and ripe experience; and
they will be able, it is reasonable to expect, to
effect result much moro satisfactory so far as
regards the finances of the State, and more ben
efcial to the unfortunate bondsmcn than can be
derived from protracted litigation. la this
connection it may be proper TO remark that a
bill for the better protection of the Treasury
by providing for the countersigning ami regis
try of notes issued by the Treasurer, duplicate
receipts for moneys paid, and for more rigid
scrutiny and investigation of all accounts and
disbursements, has become enacted into n law /;
so that it seems really impracticabe for any
succeeding Treasurer to "foow in the footsteps
of his illustrious for rather infamous predeces-
sor"
The "dog bills" all went to that great char
ne-house of unfinished business y
numerous bills for the exemption of horses cat
tie, musical instruments and dogs from attach
ment and levy of execution, were either silent
iy dropped or summarily disposed of at one of
the several readings; and attempts to add TO-,
amend, alter, modify or repeal more or less of
the provisions of "liquor law" shared a similar
fate. There was bnt little desire manifested to
make the operation of the present. law less string
ent, and still less disposition 10 tighten the reins
There were a number of bills contemplating
important changes in existing laws which pass
ed the popular branck but were wrecked on the
rock of conservatism they encountered under
the dignifed seamonshp of the Senate. They
ranged all the way from good to Indifferent and
bad-so far at least we may be INDUCED in
the expression of our opinion. Among these
were, an act providing for supporting our pub
lie schools entirely by taxes raised upon the
grand list; an act repeating the act granting
bountieS to county agricultural societies the
act increasing and multiplying the causes for
which divorces may be granted the act in rela-
ton to wills-providing that no person who has
certain near kin who survive him shall beoucath
or devise more than one third of his estate to
any corporation, association or institution in
trust or otherwise; an act repeating all existing
statutes prohibiting the exhibition circuses an
act aboshing County grand juries except in
certain specified cases and an act annexing a
part of Emore to Morristown.
The bill providing for an agricultural Blu.
reau" passed the Senate after having enlisted in
its discussion the best talent of that body; but
the House would hardly touch it with pair Of
tongs. 1t was ably advocated by few mem.
bers, but the great mass of the House led OF
by the gentleman of Newfane'- pecu
liar eloquence never shonc with more brillianc,
and whose deXtrous sarcasm was never more
deity disbursed than on this topic-wert
scarcely disposed to treat the matter even Sc
riously. 1t was fairly kicked out of the House