The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-05
The Defunct Legislature.

THINGS IT DID AND OTHERS IT FAILED
TO 30 - TIE LICENSE BILL VOTE -
TIE GONERNOR'S STAFF. THE BOARD
OF AGRICULTURE AND OTHER APPOINT
MENrS.
The wisdom of the State has again
dispersed, and the wheels of the gov
eminent which they attempted to grease
will still roll, with an occasional hot
box. OF the six hundred and ninety
eight bills introduced, many met the
death they deserved, and large per
ceut were private bills bills to legalize
the grand list of Ripton and other
towns whose listers were not up to the
scralc h-bllls to pay John Smith the
sum therein named, acts of incorpora-
ton or in amendment of some other
act of incorporation. All these bills
might have been presented early in the
session, and disposed of, which would
have given time to consider the import
ant measures that concern the public.
This Legislature is said to have been
the most temperate of any for years, but
this does not account for the dismissal
of the license bill. The reason is prob
ably to be found in the fact that Re-
pubicans do not want "change.',
Men who talk ii fierce against st. John
and openly sympathized with the out
rageous performances of hanging ST.
John in efligy and horning clergymcn
and others who had the manhood to
vote against the candidate they thought
corrupt, these men, when it came to
voting against the prOhibitory laws,
were found on the other side. The
vote would haye been reversed if they
had all voted rs they talked after the
news of Blaine's defeat ca ne. On the
vote to DISMISS the bill the Addison
county vote was as follows: Yeas,
Messrs. Bottum of Orwell, Chapman
of Middlebury, Child of Weybridge,
| Darling of III tncDcE, Douglas OF
| Whiting, Flint OF Granville, French of
Addison, IIassetine of Bristol. Hooker
of Goshen, Jackman of Waltham,
Mech Of Monkton, Nash OF New la.
ven, Parker of Ferrisburgh, Sears Of
Panton, Trayer of Lincoln, W llker of
Bridport; Nays, Messrs. Dean of Corn
wall, Farnham Ot Shoreham, Hopper
Of Salisbury, Lewis of Vergennes; alb
sent and not voting, Hill OF Starksb1ro,
Needham of Leicester, Newton of Rip.
ton. The bill was dismissed by vote
of 123 to ~. That there was at least
good excuse for the bill was shown by
the number of the petitions and the in
tluential names upon them. The petit
ton from Middlebury had over tn ee
hundred names, headed by Hon. A. A.
! Fletcher, and followed along down the
list by Col. Il. NJ. Chapman, James NJ
Slade, Samuel Brooks, VIM. Cobb and
others who have helped to enforce the
present law; and one man who sub
scribed himself a "tOtell absent man.
There were also large petitions from
! Cornwall, Nergennes and other towns.
Panton, out of total vote of ninety,
sent the names of siXty-twO of her most
influential citizens, praying for a H..
cense law. There was no complaint
| presented, however, that no one cOull
get all the liquor they needed under
the present law. Probably the only
thing that could increase the present
sale OF liquor would be an increase in
the population of the State.
The bill authorizing the compiling
printing and distribution of the laws
relating to the illegal sale and use of
intoxicating liquor was passed and peo-
pie will not long have the excuse OF ig-
norance 20 plead if the law is not en-
forced.
This Legislature has been quite lib
eral in the matter of appropriations.