Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-11-28
THE LEGKSLATURE.
some OF the Things Done and Left IN
hnna. Nv the anaaInn Of naan.

as usual, large number of important bills
were disposed OF with rush, aud It is there.
fore impossible to say just what was aud was
not accomplished in every particular. The
fate of some Of the more important measures,
acted on since last Friday is outlined below
Senator Holtons bill establishing a railroad
commission aud his 'short haul bill were
both refused a passage in the Senate, though
the doctor made stout fight for them. In
the estimate Of the friends of these bills it
was the Central Vermont influence which
killed them. Tue law providing for rail.
road commission was changed no that that
official ia now appointed by the governor in.
stead of being elected by the legislature, and
the state pays him $500 year instead Of his
pay coming out of the different roads.
Senator Hoiton's bill providing for a state
board of health and vital statistics passed
the Senate, but was killed in the House.
Dr. Commands bill allowing physicians to
have, for dissection the body of any person
who dies and must be buried by the town
the person not having requested to be buried
and his friends not claiming the body-passed
both houses and became Law. The only
practical results of this law will be to give
the Burlington medical college few bodies
from state institutions for dissection pur-
poses each year
Dr. Commands local option license law was
killed in the House Monday night by vote
Of l2l to y. The question was on the dis
missal OF the bill, and the record Of yeas and
nays shows that II Windham county mem.
bers voted against dismissal, 3 for it, and 6
were absent or or not voting.
Some important changes were made in the
laws governing savings banks and trust com
pauies. Trust companies are made subj ect to
A.. a
of their funds sare savings banks. The penal
ty for disobeyng the law by either trust com.
pany or savings bank officers is increased to
fine Of $1,000 to SO, 600, or imprisonment
one year to ten years. The rate of taxation
/ of savings banks is raised from one-half Of
/ one per cent. to 10 of one per cent, and tn o
tax on trust companies is reduced from one
per cent. to 6 10, making the rate Of taxation
uniform. Stockholders in trust companies
are made liable to precisely the same extent
as are the stockholders in national banks.
A joint resolution passed both branches re-
/ gu sting the state board of agriculture TO
make the subject Of forestry a special topic
for instruction at their meetings, and to do
/ what they can to promote the planting OF
trees aud the preservation OF our forests. 1,
was adopted by both branches.
On petition of citizens of Reldsboro Whit
ingham and Wilmington, Mr. Butterheld in.
troduced a bill for charter for railroad
from some point on the south line Of the
state in Nottingham, Read4boro or Stamford
thence northerly through Wilmington to some
point in Bennington county. This charter
was readily granted. The purpose of the
measure is to enable Wilmington to get a
railroad to connect with tue Newtons' road
at Readsboro.
The bill to make the wn system of school.
O1fnpulaOry " ntuapAaH IN Iaagb- ~
in the back by its alleged friends As passfd
1t simply compels such towns as have moi
adopted the school system to vote on tbs
question at the March meetings in 1855 and
1856. The bill making towns provide text
books for the public schools passed tbs
House, but the Senate killed it,
The appropriation bills passed include $50,
/ 600 for a state library building, S2j, 600 fol
a bridge from North Hero to Isle la Note
$1,000 for the New Orleans exposition, s.
800 to pay the contractor for the present re
form school buildings for money alleged L
have teeu lost by him. and $40, 600 for sol
diers' home, for which 600 citizens of Brat
tleboro petitioned. The appropriation aske
for the state prison was refused. The gov
ernor's salary was raised to ! 1900 year. II
meet the amounts required by the extraordin
AIRY appropriations q direct tax Of 10 pc
cent. was voted.
An important measure, aud one which ma
ny people regard as highly Objectionable, i
that which provides for the appointment o
special prosecutors in certain cases Unde
this law il 20 or more legal voters in an!
town shall certify to the Governor under oatt
that the criminal laws in their town are in
sufficiently enforced the Governor mus
thereupon appoint one or more special prose
cutors these prosecutors are to have tn,
same powers as town grand jurors, and nj
states attorney can discontinue a prosecution
except by their consent This Law is, oil
course, aimed at the more stringent enforce
ment of the liquor law.
The bill to do away with the double taxa
ton of mortgages was finally killed in tn
House where it originated So also was
bill giving women municipal and town suf
frage, although the measure was ordered 4
a third reading in the House, and its passag
confidently looked for.
An important measure passed was that con
corning the property rights OF married WON
en-. 1t makes q woman hold all her persona
property aud rights to her sole use, aud pro
vides that neither a wlfe's personal propeTt
or the rent or profit from it shall be subj &C
to the husbands disposal. A wife, however
cannot deed away her real estate without he
husband executes the deed with her.
All bills relating TO barbId wire fences wer
dismissed.
Senator Chapins highway bill, which pro
posed TO put the management of highways il
the hands of a commission in each town, wa
passed with amendments which PRACTICAL,
nullify it.
A law intended to put an end to the scar
dal Of colusve divorces was passed in tn
small hours of Wednesday morning. 1t pre-
vides, first, that all applications for divorc
shall be continued as of course, over tn
term of the county court at which they ar
brought, and End, that thu petitionee sha
be summoned into court and examined b
the judges upon the merits Of the case.
bill decreasing the amount for whic
trustee process can be served from SO to )
passed both branches, as also did bill allow
ing each Senator to appoint one cadet to ia
Norwich University - the cadets tuitio
and room rent to be paid by the state.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Franklin c
Newfane to provide for the support of GOV
eminent appropriates $50, 900 to pay the el
penses OF the General Assembly and debeI
lures of the Governor and Lieutenant Gov
ernor, 1925, 900 for running expenses of ia
government for 1884 and 1855, $500, 900 fC
1885 and 1886 The treasurer is authorize
to borrow $50, 600 to pay expenses.
bill was passed which will prevent town
from eXempting portable saw mills from tai
htlOu AS III tuuIhctutlng cSlaDubumeuts.
The bill increasing the pay for state pa
tients in the Vermont asylum from So. 80 t
50. - per week was passed.
Col. Franklin's bill to establish an agricu
tural experiment station was killed in spite G
his earnest work for it.
A bill was passed exempting DR.. Clarke
Lake View Retreat at Burlington from taxt
ton for five years.
English sparrows are taken from the list Q
birds protected by law.
The bill to prevent the running Of Sunda
trains failed of a passage,
Bills exacting a license from skating rink
failed of a passage. A bill was passed -
prevent the Generalization Of schools, whic
regulates the attendance of public schoc
children on Kinks and gives prudential CON
mittees certain powers in the matter.
Speaker Batchelder and Clerk Stickne
were presented with gold watches during
brief recess of the House on Tuesday ev,
ming.
At O'Clock Wednesday morning the Hous
took recess of half an hour, during which
mock session was held and out of which tn
usual amount of fun was extracted.
The Governors Appointments.
At u O'Clock Tuesday night Gov. Pingre
sent the following appointments to the Ser