Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-27

payers list for debts owing. This motion
was disagreed to by vote of SO 10 1902.
On the ProhibItory Amendment.
The special committee of the Senate, Mr..
Howard of Fairhavcn chairman, and the
Judiciary Committee of the House, Mr..
Thompson of Irasburgh chairman, sat to-
gelher in the Representatives hall this even
ing, and listened to an address by Mrs. L, G..
Greene of ST. Adams, the president of the
w. {. Il. L., against the proposed prohibi-
tory amendment to the constitution and by
Hon. David L. Nicholson of Rutland in
favor of it. The hall was filled with an in
terested audience
Hearing OH the PrOIibitOry Ancnd-
made 'G int" s I LAWS "nS A,,c@p, to
Protect Hotel Keepers.
MONTPELIER, Oct. 81.
The Senate, after brief session, this fore
noon, adjourned until Monday afternoon at
two o'clock but the House stuck to its work
and after voting down two or three rcsolu-
lions to follow the example of the Senate,
adjourned at three o'clock, this afternoon until
ten O'Clock on Monday forenoon. There
were 1870 members in the House when the
adjournment took place an unexamped
number on Saturday afternoon at this period
of hcsession. Both branches have done good
deal Of work this week. The committees have
been very industrious and have acted on
the bills with great promptucss, and the
houses have disposed of them for the most
part after brief but sufficient discussion.
There are good takers in the Senate and
the House but they do not deem il ncccs-
sary to talk all the time.
The visit TO the State Prison.
the committees on the State Prison and
their brother members who accompanied them
lad a very pleasant, and, 1t is to he hoped, a
profitable visit to the State Prison, yester-
day. Under the guidance Of the directors,
Mcssrs w. ii. ii. Bingham, Charles Thatch
er and Joseph c. Parker, and of Supcrntcn.
dent Rice they went through every part OF
the institution and made Il thorough inspec.
ton of its accommodations and workings.
The comittces then held Il meeting and lis.
tened to statements from the superintendent
and directors in regard to the needs OF the
prison. These consist mainly of new barn
and a piggery (Which will cost about $4,000,
to the cells by an iron one, and the substtu
ton of iron rod doors for the wooden ones.
1t is estimated that the piggcry produces q
net revenue of $1,000 a year, and the present
one is unfit for use. The old barn too can
not properly accommodate TIE COWS and
horses which must be kept there for the uses
OF the prison. The wooden doors now in ust
admit very little light and ventilation aud on
Sundays, in order to read, the convicts had
either to light their lamps OF stand up close
to the doors and make use Of the little light
which pcnetratcs through the air-holes bored
through The iron floor will be more econ
omical (sincc ii will last for years., safer
(slncc it can no, burn, and cleaner (sincc il
can not harbor vermin). 1t is used in all the
other prisons in the country 50 far as tho
directors and the superintendent know. The
wooden floor has been down forty years anC
ought not TO be kept there any longer The
guests were handsomely entertained at dinner
by Mr.. Rice. Our State Prison is certainly
a model one under Mr.. Rice's management
and the members of the committees and tho
entire company were full OF admiration a
the perfection of its operating machinery ant
discipline.
Mr. NichOI SON and the W. Cru.
As telegraphcd you last night, the spe
cial committee Of the Senate upon the pro
posed constitutional amendments and til,
Judiciary Committee of the House sat il
| Representatives Hall, last evening, and lis
tened to the harapguc OF the Hon. David +
Nicholson of Rutland fer, and the argument
of Mrs. f. q, Greene of st. Adams, the
president of the Women's Christian Temper
ance Union OF Vermont, against the adoption
of the proposed constitutional amendment
which reads "The manufacture and sale o
| intoxicating liquors, other than cider an,
wine, made from the fruits of this State
shall be and arc hereby forever prohibitc,
except for medicinal chemical and mcchani
cal purposes; and the sale of cider and wine
made as aforesaid shall be so regulated ant
restrained MS to prevent drunkenness, paupcr
ism and crime" And the Legislature i
commanded to make the provisions of tn
amendment effective. 1t seems, from Mr.
Nicholson's statement to the committee, tina
he was the author Of the amendment, whIcl
accounts fully (Which has hitherto been
mystery for its buugling and awkwar,
phraseology. Some good friends of tota
abstinence have suspected that it wa
drawn by some enemy of the cause
and that its bungling phrascology wa
designcdly made loose, in order that some
body might "drive II coach and four through
it," as the phrase is. But the knowledge o
Mr.. Nicholson's authorship does away wit
that suspicion at once. lie is the Luiioon o
the bar, and no more fit to draw consttu
tutional amendment than he is TO calcuat
the path of the great comet which buzes i
the sky every morning, To have some idc
Of the litigation which is likely to ensue, i
case the amendment is adopted, it IS on
necessary TO observe the punctuation of til
first clause, There is comma after iii
quoIs,' another after wine and thir
comma after State The strict gralpmati
cal construction of the clause therefore is
that the manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors mdde from lie fruits Of tie Statt
shall be and are hereby forever prohibited, etc
Thus allowing the manufacture and sale o
intoxicating liquors not made from the fruit
of this State, and prohibiting the manufac
I turc and sale of cider and wine, the yer
things, which if made from the fruits of tn
State, Mr.. Nicholson meant t. allow to
sold. | have copied the punctuation as it
given in the printed slips of the propose
amendments, furnished to the members
that is the punctuation of the original (as
suppose ii to be- the Legislature may we
hesitate before adopting it, II PRACTICAL
makes free rum" n part of the organic la'
VI lHc Dldtt III OTutT 10 carr
out the undoubted intention of Nj
Nicholson, there should be no comm
after "wine." The Legislature has no pow
er to alter in the slightest degree any
+ these proposed amendments, 1t mu
| adopt, or reject them, just as they wei
= transmitted by the last Legislature.
4 adopted by u majority of the present Sena
and majority OF the present House, tho
S the freemen have The power Of accepting