Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-12-01

The Legislature.
The Legislature of 1882 completed itswork
and adjourned on Wednesday morning, after
a session of As working days. Foremost
among the important measures enacted ranks
the bill for raising the state tax by tax on
corporations, which passed the Senate on
Tuesday, with some minor amendments, by
the strong vote of "a to g. These amend
ments were agreed to by the House and the
bill has received the Governors signature
To support the government till this new tax
becomes available, tax of 10 cents on dol
lar of the grand list of 1882 was provided for
Col Hooker's bill to prevent the covering up
of money in savings banks was passed, and
another measure makes all savings banks de-
posts above $500 taxable.
Next to legislation of this kind perhaps the
most important is that consolidating and
amending the acts relative to the grand list.
The essential points changed in the law are
few, however. The doubling clause is so
amended that for violation of the require
ments of this act the listers shall ascertain as
best they can the amount of taxable property
of person or corporation, appraise the same
and double the amount so obtained. If the
amount thus obtained is in the opinion of the
listers less than the amount of the tax payers
taxable property, they are required to assess
him for an additional sum which will in their
judgment make up such amount. The tax
payers oath is amended by the insertion of
the words according to my best knowledge"
The final disposition of the inventories is
i. - 10 -, fba
custody of the town or city clerk and are to
be accessible only to certain town or state Of
ficials, but each taxpayer has always access
to his own inventory. After three years the
inventories may be destroyed.
One timely and judicious bit of legislation
is that which compels all telegraph or tele-
phone companies, under penalty of fine of
800, to paint their poles within the limits of
any Incorporated village or city to the salts
faction of the trustees of such village or alder
men of such city, and to substitute straight
poles in place of all crooked poles now or
hereafter erected.
Amendments to the highway bill of consid-
cradle length were passed, but the bill re-
mains in its effect substantially as before, ex-
cept that there is now no limit as to the width
of bridges, culverts or sluices for which towns
are liable for insufficiency, and towns are also
liable for "insuficiency of any highway for
the want of suitable guards or barriers upon
the margins thereof in places of especial dan
GER" Persons claiming damages must give
notice of such claim to the selectmen within
90 days from time the injury or damage is
received.
The bill to make more stringent the pro-
visions of the liquor law failed of a passage.
This bill provided, among other things, that
when in liquor prosecutions, the court ordersa
specification of offences, the prosecuting at
torney shall not be required to furnish the
name of tho person to whom intoxicating
liquors were sold, furnished or given away.
The several bills proposing to regulate
abuses in railroad freight tariffs were finally
merged in substitute bill forbidding great
err charge for freight to any station than is
charged for like class of freight from the
same starting point to station of greater
distance on the same road in the same direc-
ton.
One of the most important bills passed, for
the interests of the farmers, was that regulat-
ing the manufacture and-sale of commercial
fertilizers. 1t compels makers and sellers of
fertilizers to label their wares and take out a
license. The full provisions of this measure,
which will be published in due time, will be
noted with interest.
The bill making an appropriation for the
state library building was killed. A further
appropriation was granted for the completion
of tho state historical gazetteer. The state
auditors salary is fixed at $4,000. The Sen
ate concurred in the House bill committing
Almon Meeker's sentence to imprisonment
| for life.
OF the 418 bills introduced in the House
only 167 became laws, and of the 284 intro
duced in the Senate 1O7 passed, and one was
vetoed. OF the important measures which
failed to be favorably acted upon it is most to
be regretted that that relating to revision of
our state school system was killed.
The Montpelier journal is very compliment
tary in its reference to the general conduct of
the assembly and in its sllusion to the Speak
er of the House
SIN the history of legislation in Vermont, it
| is doubtful if a more harmonious or a better
hammered, a more industrious or q more pains
taking general assembly has convened in the
state house. The members of the House
seem to have worked like ell-broken team.
No personal jealousy or violent antagonism,
no itching for leadership or straying from the
main line of legislative work, has disturbed
the good fellowship or msrred the prophecies
of the session. Speaker Martin has more
than indicated the wisdom of the choice of q
presiding officer. His committees were sin.
gularly well constituted, and by their works
it shall be known and conceded that they
have been loyal to their sworn duty. His
lightning like rapidity in the despatch OF
routine business, his unerring precision and
his lucid direction of body of new members
through parliamentary labyrinths, has very
largely contributed to the intelligent under.
standing of measures and the orderly proceed
ure of the House. In the few instances in
which he has Joined in the discussions he has
spoken with force and displayed good sense
and sound reasoning, and he has been uni,
formly on the right side of all measures of q
distinctive character. The vote of thanks tC
him was no affair of cold eonventionality."
1t is gratifying to us of this section tC