Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-10-29
THE VERMONT LEGISLATURE.
LETTER IRON MONTPELIER.
Special Correspondence Of THE PuoSr1.

Special Correspondence OF THE PHUNiN'
SENATOR EDMUNDs-THE PROGRESS OF LEG1s-
LAT1vE woRK-THE DOG QUEsTIoN-THE con- |
TESTED ELECTION oAsEs-THE SENTENCE OF |
ROYAL 8. cARR-THE STATE PRISON AND RE-
FORM scHooL-THE NORMAL SCHOOLS -yARI- |
GUS NOTES.
MONTPELIER, Oct &C. 1880.
Edit0rS IF The PhGRig;
All other local events SO pale into insignif-
canoe when compared with the presence of
Senator Edmunds that although your read
ers found in The PHGNIx of last week a full
description of the event, and the full text of
his short address, we can scarcely bring our
selves to write Of other subjects without
touching upon this. No man is more worthy
of respect and esteem than is George F. Ed
munds, and no body of men could better APP
preciate this than the legislature of Vermont
as WAS shown by the fact that not one vote
was cast against him by any Republican
member, and by the respectful attention paid
| to his remarks. II has come to be no small
| honor to be able to cast vote for him, and
those who have enjoyed the present privilege
! will long remember it, Mr. Edmunds has
been described as looking fresh and vigorous,
which is truthful enough, but at the same
time he looks ten years older than most men
of his age. This may be accounted for when
we remember the great amount OF mental Ia
Dor that has fallen to his lot. ''rhe watch
dog of the Senate" has ever been at his post
and has shirked neither duty nor responsible
ity may he long live to be an honor to his
native state.
Legislative work is now well under way,
and is being despatched with considerable ra-
pidty, while the houses are in session, but
there is too much of an inclination on the
part of many members to be at home rather
than in their seats. Only half days work
has yet been done on any Saturday or Mon
day. It ought to be understood that the
elected members are expected to come here
and attend to their work until il is completed
and then go home and stay there. One thing
is very noticeable, and that is that the men
who figure and bicker the most to save the
state five dollars on some proposed expendi-
ture-and get loudly applauded as great re-
formers-are oftenest absent from their seats.
1t is too often forgotten that it costs the state
over one thousand dollars day to run the
Assembly. II men worked at this business
as they do at anything else, the time of the
session might be reduced many days.
The liveliest fight in the House so far was
on the dog question, q bill having been intro
duced to put the dogs back into the list The
interest of some twenty members found vent
in speech. II even at one time got to be a
political question, when the gentleman from
Springfield declared that dogs were always
taxed in q Republican state, but went free in
states that had Democratic majorties. The
final vote buried the bill under big major
ity.
The cases of contested seats in the house
"a. 4 1,Fa tIa hot
are under consideration now are from the
towns Of Clarendon and Wells The Repre-
sentative at present seated from the former is
a Republican and from the latter a Democrat.
The committee on elections hold their meet
ings nearly every evening in No. II, which is
crowded on those occasions with interested
spectators. In the case of the town of Clar-
endon the legislature has taken an entirely
new step, authorizing the committee to send
to said town for witnesses and papers at the
state expense, which expense, according to
the statement Of member of the committee,
may reach a thousand dollars before the end
of the hearing. 1t will be some days before
Il session is reached in either case, and then,
if, in one case the contestant is seated, and
in the other the seat is declared vacant, the
present occupants will have had a hand in
the law making for more than half the SEES
sion. 1t seems very clear that many, and we
believe most, Of these annoying, troublesome
and expensive contested election cases would
be prevented if n law should be passed max
ing plurality eltc after one or two inehect-
ual ballots. The great trouble now is that in
many towns, after vainly trying to elect a
Represo NATIVE, the better class of the voter
go home in disgust which leaves the rowdy
element TO elect their man by questionable
, means Two bills looking toward such an
enactment are now before the committee and
We hope that one of them may pass
The Washington county term of the SUI
preme court has been in session here several
days. The most interesting event of the
term to the public was the sentencing of Roy
al S. Carr, the murderer Of the half breed
Murcommuck, in Calais, a year ago last De-
= cember. The time having been previously
announced, on Friday morning at o'clock
! the court room was filled so hear the death
sentence, which was pronounced most i'm
pressively by Judge Barrett. No one in the
room was less moved than was the prisoner
/ himself who never showed by any look OF
motion that he realized the meaning of the
g dreadful words. bill has already been in
g troduced into the House to commute his sen
tence to imprisonment for life. There is no
the lehhl uOuDl OI his gum, bul II ID Clblint'
Q that his intellect is feeble, and that he wa
the tool of another. He will probably, how
ever, be hanged, as by the sentence, on tn
. last Friday of April next. The general tern
8 of the supreme court is in session here to-da.
with full bench, 30 that those who desir,
to see all seven Of the judges in row can b.
q gratfied
+ On Thursday the Governor, accompanied
s by the Senate and House prison committees
: and several other members Of both Houses
i paid visit to Windsor to inspect the stat
y prison. All speak in highest terms of thu
administration Of Superintendent Rice. Their
# is no doubt but that at present this is the
8 best conducted of the institutions of the state
4 Quite sum of money will be wanted Il
II make necessary repairs The quarters of tn
. fem ale convicts are said to be disgrace I
: the state. Mr.. Rice very much desires tha
:, the whole Legislature pay him visit tha
i they may see what is required to lie done
. Mr.. Merrifeld, chairman Of the reform schoC
y com mittee, will probably, with his commit
. tee visit that institution during the preseI
i week. Much work is required to be done
- As some are inclined to think that there ha
bee n good deal of extravaganza in the mar
age ment of affairs at Vergennes, the matte
is in good hands and will be well attende
II to.
. The State Normal schools are the cause G
!, much discussion in the room of the commit
3 tee on education, bills having been intro
It duced to abolish them ON one side, and
d give them better support on the other
= State Superintendent Conant has been il
own quite frequently and is much intereste
n the result. He is, of course, very enthus
t ic in support of the Normal system. "
., hall be very much surprised if any bill pass
IL ontrary TO the interests of these school
They are doing better work now than ev'
Is before, and Vermont, which is not noted fl
3 the exeelency of its school system, shoul