Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-13

this subject also ask your attention to the
advice OF Ex-Governor Horace Fairbanks
found in his message 70 the General Assem-
bly, in 1876.
Questions Of law are constantly arising in
the administration of State affairs on which
the advice of an able law officer is required
and should the Office be created, am conn.
dent that many duties OF Importance and
value to the State would be imposed upon
the incumbent
Constitutional Amendments.
There will be laid before you the propo-
ais of amendment to the Constition, six in
number, that were adopted by the last
General Assembly. These proposals
were examined by committees in each
house, were published at the time,
and have been extensively discussed
by the press They should, however, re-
Ceive your close scrutiny for the organic
law Of the State should not he lightly chang
ed and should lie 50 clear as to admit of no
doubt as to construction, Should you concur
in any or all of them, it will he your duty to
provide for II submission OF each one 80 con-
Cured in to direct vote of the people.
Olc OF the proposals greatly restricts the
power the Governor to pardon or commute
the sentence of persons convicted of MURDER
and, if adopted will doubtless lead to n
more speedy and certain punishment for
crime, after conviction.
Another is n supplement TO the last clause
of section &c of the Constitution, which reads
aG follows Nor shall any person. hold
ing any office of profit or trust under the au-
thority of Congress, he eligible TO any APP
pointment in the Legislature, or of holding
any executive or judiciary office under this
state"
In 1880, the distinguished member from
Montpelier resigned u lucrative Federal Of
nee to serve his townslnen in the legislature,
but this is a rare exception 10 the rule that
the constitution Is habituay violated in this
respect,
Persons ineligible under the Constitution
elected TO the Legislature, have uniformly
been good men, it has not been the duty of
any partiCu al person to enforce this provi-
sion. But its non-obsetvancc has not passed
unnoticed, the press has always, with energy
and perseverance called attention to it, 50
that the whole people have for years, had the
spectacle persistently brought to their eyes.
OF the law making power of the State acting
in open disregard of the Constitution. The
worst result wrought by this practice is the
dsrespecl which it tends to create for law
genrally. 1t teaches disregard for authority,
and is a deplorablc lesson to the people that
constitutions and laws are only to be obeyed
by virtue of force. The proposed amend
ment is designed to remedy this state of af-
fairs and make the existing clause of the
Constitution self-operatiye.
Another proposal relates to the election of
certain State officers. 1t is now tie duty of
the Legislature to elect about twenty-five
State officers at each session, and except in
eases of reelection, they are usually chosen
from among its own number of off
GERS. Hardly any other State adopts this
practice 10 such an extent, and in many, as
well as in Congress, it is unknown. Every
Legislature contains men who are fitted by
experience ability, above all by their honest,
independent character, to Till any office in
the State many times these qualities are 50
conspicuously eXhibed in the Legislature by
such members, AS to properly lead to their
election to important Offices The trouble
rests in the fact that these men do not seek
the offices, and they are left as the prey of
another sort of men who spend their time in
forming combinations with others of like
character to advance their own schemes, and
these combinations frequently extend to the
passage or defeat of pending measures. At
the same time, ii is not to bc denied that
some of our best and most faithful State Of
ilcers have been elected by Legislatures of
which they were not members, and that Of
iiccrs otherwise elected or appointed have
not always proved to be the best. The prac-
tice, at its hest, abstracts attention from leg
lation prevents deliberation, and by length
ening the sessions, is very expensive, the
average cost per day of actual session being
estimated at one thousand dollars. This
proposal is intended to bring the power to
elect two important officials directly to the
people,
Another proposal is one which prohibits
the manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors, and is mainly 10 accordance with the
long existing law which has repeatedly re-
ceved the approval and sanction of the peo-
pie through their Legislatures. It. is to be
observed. however, that the law allows the
sale of intoxicating liquor for medicinal,
mechanical, and chemical purposes, while
the proposed amendment restricts it to medi.
clnal purposes only.
In this connection may allude TO tho fact
that, owing to disagreements between county
commissioners and local authorities, many
towns have no agency for the sale of liquor
thus forcing entire communities into viola
ton of law.
In considering the question OF court jail
pauper, Reform School, House of Correction
and State prison expenses, it is well Away!
to bear in mind that large share of them ar,
directly traceable to the illegal traffic in in
toxicaling liquor, and that the enactment %
laws or constitutional amendments tending t.
restrain aud destroy this evil, is in the direc
ton Of moral aud economical legislation
Men may differ as to what such laws shoult
be, but those that are enacted should he uni
tOrmly enforced
Official bonds.
would suggest as an improvement in tn
form OF official bonds pow used in the State
that in i'll cases the snretes should make atti
davit on such bonds as to their qualification
in property. The form of official bond use,
by the United States Government require
the smelles to make oath showing til
amount OF unincumbercd property owned b.
them, over and above all debts and liabilities
to be double the penal sum named in tn
boad. 1t seems to me that the adoption q
this feature in our own official bonds woul
not only throw about the execution of thcs
important instruments all increased and prop
er solemnity resulting in better security to tn
state, but would also relieve in some measur
those whose duty 1t is to approve such bond
from the necessity of making inquiries "a I
the suhiciency of the surclics
savings Banks and Trust Companies
There are sixteen savings banks and 81
trust companies now doing business in the Stat
and the total amount of deposits therein on Il
thrtieth day OF June last was SIC, 675 300 a
increase in the two years OF 50, 599, 800.
Of this total sum there was due non
residents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS l,454,O9l
The number of depositors was, ..,..... 4g,5
An increase in the same period OF ..... ~
The average sum due each deposlor
WAS. .....,.t...... s29s
Ihe number of persons credited with
Sllms In excess OF $4,000 was .....
There has been credited to depOsliurs'
accounts in savings banks ami
TO stockholders in trust cOmpa-
ules during the last year, las inter-
est and dividends. .............. 1857, s2l
An increase of ...... ..,.,,......,..... 3Oag
Seven savings banks paid dividends Of per Gel
Five Pr" Az" -
And four u