Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-05-17
Notes and Notions.


vote of 3S to IA.
ALEXANDER II. STEPHENS will accept the
position if nominated for governor by the
independent democrats Of Georgia.
ELEcTRICITY on tap is the latest develop
ment of science. One hundred forty-five
Faure accumulators have arrived in New
York to illustrate the possibilities of the
new electrical invention, which can be de-
scribed for the unscientfc as electricity
bottled and ready for USE"
THE Albany Journal: "There is a man
in Oneida county who says he has not slept
wink in thirteen years, and, in conse-
quence, 'taken no comfort at ALL The
poor fellow is almost as bad off as the dem
ocratic party, which has had no comfort at
all these twenty-five years."
THE passage of the tariff commission bill
leaves the general appropriation bills, the
bank charter and internal tax bills as the
most important measures before congress.
There is mass of private legislation on the
CdiCuudi WhiSh huo III HupiS NhiuC anu
should be put aside until the leading meas
ures are considered.
PETITIONS asking Mr.. Blaine to be can
didate for the house are being extensively
signed in all parts of Maine and particu-
larly in his own district. In Portland the
number of signers is already very large and
they represent all shades of party sentiment
1t is thought that Mr.. Blaine will consent
to accept a nomination.
WoLFE's organ, the Lewisburg (Penn.)
Chronicle, said after the recent reconcile alton :
" Now that the leaders of the wings have so
periodically and manfully crossed flags, the
procession should at once close ranks and
march harmoniously onward to victory"
Just what position Mr.. Wolfe is going to
take in the harmonious procession is ex-
tremely uncertain at the present writing.
THE Lewiston (Maine) Journal says that
Governor Plaisted met the greenback state
committee last Thursday night in that city,
having been invited to "define his posi-
ton -; that he assumed a very independent
attitude toward the democrats, and opposed
making any entangling alliances with them ;
they could support him if they chose, but
they must take him as greenback candidate.
AFTER long trial of the town system of
schools, and its voluntary adoption by a
large majority of the towns of the state,
Massachusetts has during the past week
abolished the district system and made the
town system obligatory throughout the COM
monwealth. There is no doubt that the
town system is gaining in popular favor in
Vermont and during the next ten years we
look for its very general voluntary adoption,
if not, indeed, for the abolition by legislative
enactment of the district system. Under
the narrowing tendencies of the latter sys-
tenn, it is as impossible for our public
schools to grow and flourish as for an acorn
planted in Aowerpot to become sturdy
oak.
THE principal of johnson normal school
says; " The average weight of the students
of the johnson normal school is 55.33 kilo-
grams, the average height l.67 meters. The
average weight of the men is greater by
| $3.50 kilos than that of the women, and the
average height of the men is greater by ten
centimeters than that of the women" Just
so Last week we received communica
tion upon the bad taste of interfering for
eign words and phrases into writings in
tended for the perusal of "plain people,
The subject was trite, but we believe we
shall have to exhume the letter for the bene
fit of Principal Conant. Who can tell from
his statistics of the weight and height Of his
incipient school marms and masters whether
they are pygmies or giants or well proper
toned young men and women ? Would
it not be better to use the English Ian
guage, especially when you speak to III
about school ma'ams
COLONEL REED has been heard before tn,
court in bano on the Guiteau exceptions. III,
questioned the jurisdiction of the court anC
discussed the evidence for the prosecution
objected to by the defence. The evidence
of DIR. Fordyce Baker, one of the expert
who testified TO Guiteau's sanity, was at
tackled, and special stress was laid upon tn,
admission of the testimony OF Mrs. Dun
mire, the divorced wife of the assassin. Tn
counsel discussed the question OF sanity ant
held that it was an error on the part o
Judge Cox in refusing TO grant the praye
Of the defendants counsel asking the cour
to charge in effect that TO constitute SAINT,
there must be not only discrimination be
tween right and wrong, but the power h
follow the discrimination. Colonel Rec
closed his argument with an appeal to tn
court to save this land and her judiciar
from the disgrace of sending an insane ma
to the gallows. District Attorney Corkhil
opened the case for the government, review
ing the circumstances Of the tragedy, discuss
ing the question of jurisdiction and the e,
ceptions taken by the defendant. MI
, Davidge followed for the government, col
, fning himself to the question OF iuri'
diction.