Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-11-19
THE VERMONT LEGISLATURE
LETTER IRON MONTPELIER.

THE OFFICERS REUNIoN-rHE ADDRESS AND
BANoUET-rnE LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS
LIVELY PASSAGES IN THE HoUsE-JuDoE BAR.
RErT's DEFEAT IMPORTANT MEASURES IN
DER CONFEDERATION ADJOURNMENT
QUESTION
MONTPELIER, Nov 1G, 1880.
E'di,ors Of The PhGniB:
The officers reunion, which was held on
Thursday of last week in this place. was the
most brilliant social event of the season. The
election of officers for the ensuing year was
held in the state-house on the afternoon Of
that day, and resulted in the election of Col.
j. b. Mead az President OF the society In
the evening General Martin T. McMahon Of
New York delivered the annual address to q
large audience in Representatives hall. The
remarks were of a memorial nature, the sub
ject being major General John Sedgwick,
Commander of the Sixth Army Corps" The
address was highly eulogistic and showed in
many places something Of the strong person
al attachment that existed between the speak
or and he of whom he spoke. The audience
listened with rapt attention to the pictures
of camp life, and to the more soul stirring
ones of battle and showed it's appreciation
by frequent applause. At no point did the
largely Republican audience applaud more
heartily than in response to graceful com
pliment to General Hancock Many tributes
were paid by the speaker to the bravery Of
the Vermont boys in the late war, one Of
which was, 1.-THE Vermont brigade was the
best one in every respect in the sixth army
corps and the best in the whole army At
ter the address the society had a banquet in
the Pavilion which was attended by about
two hundred ladies and gentlemen. The bill
of fare was excellent in every respect, with
tables tastefully decorated and dishes tempt
ingly garnished, but the mental feast which
followed was richer by far than the material
one. The after-supper exercises were con
| Quoted by Secretary Nichols. The following
gentlemen, among others, responded to
toasts Governor Farnham, ex.GoY. Proctor,
| Generals Mcmahon, Ripley and Thomas,
Colonies Mead, Fuller, Hooker, SeRyer and
Pingeree Speaker Martin, Judge Neazey and
Chaplain Mack. Mr.. Hooker, with his usual
generosity, presented the Windham county
members of the legislature with tickets to the
! banquet, most OF whom attended. The Colo
mel responded felicitously to a toast to The
Ladies', keeping the audience in one contin-
uous roar OF laughter during his remarks.
| Senator Fuller responded very gracefully IN
behalf of the Senate 10 ''The Legislature
The entire affair will be long remembered by
participants.
creases every day, but the most important
matters have not as yet been touched. The
revision committee will be ready to report in
q few days. The grand list committee think
| they can get some ideas on taxation in shape
| for action in two or three days The com
mitteo on ways and means say they shall re-
| port bill within a week with some new aud
! important plans for conducting the state gov
| eminent and finances, but as yet none of
| these vital questions have taken form. Only
one of the dozen or more proposals Of amend
ment to the constitution has as yet been acted
upon by the Senate. That one passed that
body to-day by the requisite two-thirds vote
| 1t provides for the election of state officers
in November instead of September, and that
the Legislature shall convene the following
| January. 1t will have a warm reception IN
the House and will probably die there. The
Senate are more fortunate than the House in
| that they do no not have SO many members
who want TO occupy time in debate A bill
| which takes two or three hours to reach its
third reading in the latter house, will usually
reach the same point in the former in fifteen
minutes, so that the Senators getting tired OF
sitting in their chamber are frequently inter
ested auditors in the House, in which the
bombshells Of repartee fly freely during ma
| ny debates. One little scene which occurred
the other day, when Walter Scranton Of YER
gennes quoted Shakespeare to Governor Page
of Rutland, will probably be remembered rs
long as any event of the present session. The
gentlemen from Springfield and Grand Isle
have way of indulging in political sparring
which is sometimes highly entertaining, but
in our opinion Mr.. Hinckey Of Chelsea car
ries of the palm for quick flashes Of wit.
Some of his sallies are very laughable, but
| the more exciting and humorous incidents
only come frequently enough to vary the us
ual dull monotony.
The unfavorable comments which have
been made, not only by many papers in the
state, but by those outside our borders, upon
the action Of our Legislature in refusing to re-
elect Judge Barrett, has caused some of the
valiant opponents to him to be little
ashamed of their victory. The disreputable
means which were used TO defeat the Judge
are having their reaction too late 1t is a
little strange that the first time in the history
of the state that a supreme judge should fail
| of a reelection when a candidate, should be
because Of the spite of half dozen of his en-
emies, and not from any other cause. Wind
ham county has reason to congratulate her
self that her representatives worked and
voted solid for Judge Barrett, with the excep-
ton of Senator Bridgman, who went with the
opposition.
The House has passed bill restricting the
number of judges to those already elected,
but it is not expected that the Senate will
concur, in which case the election of the sew.
enth will be made by joint assembly next
Thursday. The Senate have passed, and the
House ordered for third reading, q bill pro
viding that half salary shall be paid TO Judge
Pierpoint after he may see fit to resign, dur
ing the rest of his days. The medical gen
tlepen of the state are much Interested IN
two bills on which the respective committees
have been holding special hearings. One OF
them is blouse bill No. pa. An act tC
regulate the practice of medicine, surgery
and midwifery in the state" The passage OF
this bill would oblige anyone practicing a.
above, without a diploma from medica
college, to be examined by committee Of
five doctors appointed by the faculty Of the
University Of Vermont On last Friday even
ing the general committee had this bill under
consideration and are holding an adjourned
meeting this evening. The hom@opothists
eclectic, specialists and others are making an
interesting fight before the committee against
the bill, as they claim the whole thing would
be put into the hands Of the allopathists, wht
would not do justice TO them. The ''regu
lar" practitioners are of course defending thu
bill, and personalities fly freely between the
members of the different schools"
Dr. II. d. Holton of Brattleboro and DR.
Butler of Essex addressed the special com
mittee on bills which provide for q stat
board of health and vital statistics in Repre-
sentatives hall on Monday evening DIR. Hol
ton gave a very interesting account of thu
progress of hygienic science, and urged thu
importance of the collection of vital stats
tics, which would give knowledge of thu
cause of diseases and their prevention. Thu
special committee on the petition OF inhab
itants of the town of Ely that the name o
the town be changed back to Vershire, arr
having evening hearings on the bill enactinl
such a change. Judge Poland represents tn
''Ely men," while the "Vershire petitioners
have able counsel. Gov. Proctor heads S2'
ants on the Rutland city charter bill. Tn
members from Rutland county have been ap
pointed a committee to consider the question
| II no,v IooLs az thouph the II oht On the mat