Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1874-12-26
The Fork Of the Legislature. la
EDitOnle Of tie Laws Passed.

have neither the time nor patience
to read in detail the laws published
in our recent supplement-, aud which
were passed by our Legislature at
it's recent session, We give the fol-
lowing brief epitome taken from the
Burlington Free Press:
There is Il long statue establish.
ing a Board of Insurance Commits
sioners, requiring insurance c0mpa.
MES of other States to procure Ii.
censes before they can do business
in this State, requiring such taxes,
fees and penalties Of companies
chartered by the other States, as
such States require of Vermont
companies, and making divers rules
and regulations designed to protect
public and private interests in mat
tiers relating to insurance.
There is the act taxing the rail
roads. 1t places all the real estate
owned and occupied by the railroads
in the list for taxes, with q stipula-
ton that the road.bed and track
shall be considered real estate for
such purposes, and with only the
limitations that the rOad.bed and
track shall not be assessed at over
$4,000 u mile, and that new roads
shall be exempt for ten years.
There are several acts relating to
the duties of listers, and the collec.
ton of town, school and nOn-resi-
dent taxes.
There are two important additions
to the game laws of the State.
They extend the protection of the
laws, heretofore confined to deer,
trout and lunge, to woOdcock, par.
tridges, wild geese and ducks, sal
mon, salmon trout, black bass, white
fish or lake shad, pike, mink, beav.
er, and otter. They also forbid
hunting on Sunday.
There are several acts relating to
private corporations.
The general railroad law of 1872
is amended: SO that the line of a road
organized under the law may pass
into a town not named in the origin
al articles of association, while pre-
serving the general route, direction
and terminal points indicated in the
article. This addition was found
necessary in the case of the Bur
lingtOn and LamOille road, whose
line, as surveyed, strikes corners Of
one or two towns not named in the
original articles
An important act is also added to
the Statute book, requiring towns
that have bonded themselves, for
any purpose, to lay the necessary
taxes to pay the interest; and re-
quiring the town or city treasurer to
pay the interest, without any vote
of the town or city.
There is the act prohibiting the
agents of liquor houses ont of the
State from plying their trade in
this State.
The civil damages clause in the
prohibitory law is amended in an
important particular. The law be-
fore read : "Whenever any person
in a state of intoxication shall ,ciL-
fully commit any injury upon the
person or property of any other in.
dividual," etc. The difficulty of
proving that any damage done by a
drunken person was wilful, has
heretofore prevented recovery under
the act. AS amended it now reads:
"Whenever any person BY reason Of
intoxication, shall commit or cause
any injury upon the person or prop
erty," etc. 1t is further provided
that no person shall be disqualified
as witness, by reason of the mar.
riage relation, in any proceeding
under the act.
The liquor law is further amend
ed so as to require officers making
arrests of persons intoxicated to i'm.
mediately give notice to Grand
Juror, City Attorney or States At.
torney, who must prosecute the case
if one is made out upon disclosu re;
and the officer, magistrate or pro ST.
cutting officer who neglects or refus-.
es to do his duty in such case, is
made liable to a fine of from $50 to
800.
The little word "not," carelessly
or willfully omitted in the engross-
ing of the act of 1872, relating to
witnesses in liquor cases is now sup
piled. The law allows no person to
be excused from testifying in such
cases, for the reason that his testi
mony may tend to criminate him
self, and provides that such testimo-
ny shall not be used against the
witness in any prosecution for the
offence in regard to which the testi-
mony was given.
The often amended law for regis
tration of births, marriages, and
deaths, is tinkered a little as usual.
1t now requires a Vermonter mar
rying out of the State to deposit a
marriage certificate containing the
necessary statistics, with the town
clerk, in like manner as if married
in the State.
The important changes in regard
to the supervision of the public
schools, made by the abolition of
the Board of Education, will be
noted.
The time of holding the courts in
the counties of Chittenden, Frank
lin, Grand Isle and Rutland are
changed.
The Legislature attended to the