Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-11-15
from our Special Correspondent
Letter from Montpelier.
MosrpRLIsR. No,

The legislature commenced It's lahors
this week with ninety.three bills In the
House and forty.three In the Srnate yet
remaining to be disposed of. Not very
encouraging state of things, certainly,
for those who hope for tinal adjourn
ment next Saturday; unless, indeed,
business can be dispatched as rapidly as
1t was last Saturday, when the House
passed twenty-three bills in the fore
noon, and the Senate rejected nearly half
of them before night. Nor will that
avail, ifnineteen new bills come in daily,
as they did then, To take the place OF
those that 20 of the docket, Some
efforts are making, however, to hasten
the business of the session. Both houses
have adopted resolutions that no bills
shall be introduced after to-day, except
by unanimous consent, and Ia the pres
ent temper of some members, unanimous
consent cannot be obtained. The House
begins to day TO hold evening session.
Some bills that threatened To occasion
considerable debate have been laid on
the table on motion of their own au-
thors, and will probably sleep the sleep
of death there. Others equally debata-
BILE have hardly been considered at all.
Among them are nearly all the import
ant bills on educational matters, and an
insolvent law, in one hundred and TWEEN
ty-one long sections, which, If discussed
as thoroughly as such law ought to be,
will use up day or two. A long mill
tia bill is reported to be in process OF in
cubation, and the old fight on the or
ganization of the militia may have to be
fought over again.
Decidedly the ablest debate Of the SEES
sion in the Senate took place on the pas
sage of the bill making intempersnce a
ground of divorce. This bill has laid
on the table fortnight, while its friends
were preparing to do their best in its be-
half Hon. r. S. Taft of Chittendon
county made long and elaborate speech
in favor of the bill, saying all that could
be said for it, and answering as well as
they could be answered the objections
that had been raised. To obviate some
of those objections, he moved an amend
ment, which was. adopted, allowing
divorce only where the intemperance had
existed two continuous years. Senator
Dorr opposed the bill, as he had preyi-
ously done, basing his opposition on
high moral grounds Senator Cochran
of Bennington county made his debut as
a DICTATOR in rejoinder to Mr.. Dorr and
spoke with force and feeling for about
ten minutes. The bill was then passed
by yea and nay vote Of Is to II. 1t
will be noticed that the majority in this
case is minority of the Senate, and as
some of the absent senators were known
to be opposed to the bill, a recOnsidera-
ton was made and vote will be taken
in foil Senate, when it is to be hoped an
other result will be reached
Quite an amusing episode occurred in
the Senate on Saturday. Accidents will
happen in the best regulated families,
but it is rarely indeed that any accident
happens to upset 80 completely the gray
ity of the Senate as very trifiing affair
then did. A number of bills had come
in from the House, altering the names
Of John O'Brien, Alva W. Hogeboom,
inertia May Major, and divers other
good and worthy citizens of this State
Senator Reed argued, very sensiby, that
as there was general law by which
all this could be effected the legis-
lature should not grant any such
application, and he opposed the sec
ond reading of the bills. The Senate
unanimously agreed with him, and went
to work to reject the bills. After two
or three bills had been disposed Of, a
Senator, In his eagerness, responded emo
when the ayes were called for. A smile
rppled around the chamber, gathering
strength as it went. Before the mirth-
full feeling had time to subside, a bill to
change an unusually ridiculous name
was read by the Secretary, and the mer-
riment increased The President and
Secretary had preserved their gravity
thus far, but as the bills continued to
come, the Secretary's nerves gave way,
and he yielded to the general impulse.
To relieve him, it was moved and voted
tibet the remainder of the bills be read
bp their titles only; but it came too late
to do any good. The Secretary could
read no more, the President, too, lost
control of his facial muscles, and the
Senate was actually compelled to a
hasty adjournment, in the midst Of what
ARENAS Ward would call "skremes of
lafture." If some modern Hogarth had
been there, he would have had scene
worthy of his pencil Senators, officers
and spectators alike, were shaking their
sides with convulsive laughter; one of
the oldest senators was turning purple
| A. L