The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-12-06
'Mliboleburp Atglstsr
TUESDAY. DEC. @. 1870.
The Work of the Late Session of the
Legislature.

The first of orr biennial sessions OF the
Legislature is past, and the record OF re-
suits is made up. The verdict Of the pco-
pie is that those results are unsatisfactory,
to use the midest term possible. But
little of importance was accomplished
aside from the adaptation Of laws to the
circumstances of changed constitution.
Some $40 bills were introduced and OF
these about 300 became laws, so that, so
far as numbers of enactmcnts are con-
ccrned, the indications point to common
dable degree Of industry and zeal. 1t
should be observed however that these
cnactments are largely composed of ncor-
porations changing names, legalizing the
work of some incompetent town ofhcer,or
other unlmportant or hurtiul legislation.
The earlier part of the session was used
quite extensively for buncombc speeches
or frittered away in adjournments, and
other cunningly devised methods Of kill
ing time. Quite a number of important
bills were introduced, and some Of them
passed for instance, u simplified law for
the forming of private corporations by
voluntary associations; changing the
forum for divorce trials from the Supreme
to the County Court, and relating to ali
mony, custody of children &C., in divorce
cases changes in the school laws, per-
hitting towns to abolish school districts,
and substitute the town system, providing
for the uniform examination Of teachers,
removing the restrictions forbidding the
employment Of teachers after Nov l.,
1871, unless they are provided with a
State certificate, or Normal School d.
ploma, increasing the time for which
schools must be maintained in order to
draw the public money, from 16 to 20
weeks &c. /; inaugurating State Board
Of Agriculture, and others Of less impor-
lance.
The failures are more marked and I'M
portant than the enactments. The listing
bill which passed the House, failed in the
Senate, to the general disappointment and
modification Of the people. The bills for
the modification of the usury laws were
rejected by the House, which was not
strange though matter Of regret. The
bill abolishing capital punishment, which
passed the House was lost in the Senate.
The general railroad law unfortunately
failed. Bills requiring claimants Of
seized liquors to give bonds to prosecute
their claim, and forbidding evasion Of
penalty by a newly discovered use Of de-
murrers, were passed but the more i'm.
portant notifications of the liquor law
designed to render it efficient by provision
for its thorough enforcement &C., were
voted down by a large majority. In a
fit of liberality our Legislature rose above
that contracted, narrow policy heretofore
pursued, and voted themselves large
number of newspapers and perhaps ac.
ceptcd other pcrquisites in the way Of
furnishing for public expenses and Ger.
tainly allowed themselves pay during
longer and more frequent adjournment:
than usual; but the salaries of Judges o.
the Supreme Court are still left strangely
inadequate and Judges of Probate, who
fill the most important and responsible
positions under our State government, re
ceive only the merest pittance for thei
services. The provision in the school Law
to compel better attendance upon TIT
public schools is likely to become NULL
ty 55S9Ng. wan, Of further provision making
iorcement.
1t is difficult to conceive how the Gen
eral Assembly could have done less il
the way Of accomplishing valuable worl
during the seven weeks of its session, Blu
we are not prepared to ADM
the charge Of obscenity and indecenc
preferred by the Springfield RemJlican
in its report of the mock session of til
Vermont House of Representatives on tn
morning of adjournment. 1t is impossible
to believe such charge against the rer
resentativc men Of Vermont.