The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-11-19
Legislative Notes.

Legislative Notes.
NELSON G. PIPER, the representative from
Cavendish, is detained at home by the seri
GUS illness of his wife.
MAJOR JOSIAH CIRCUIT made one of the
best speeches of the session, last Wednesday,
advocating the bill changing the Orleans
county shire.
FIVE hundred seventeen bills have been
introduced in the house and one hundred
forty-six in the senate. This is the largest
number for many years.
j. B. SANDERsoN, the member from High
gate, who has been prevented from attend
ance thus far this session by illness, was
sworn in and took his seat last Wednesday.
WHY should skating rinks pay franchise
tax while other places of amusement are ex-
empt from the burden? Is a skating rink a
more Objectionable place of resort than
billiard hall?
THE governor returned house bill No. 1S5
without his signature, it being the first veto
of the session. No objection was found to
the general purpose of the bill, but there
were one or two fatal minor defects in it.
WHAT is the cause of the feeling of dissat-
isfaction which leads to an effort to abolish
the State Board of Agriculture? We are
surprised to see this disposition on the part
of the farming interest, as the board has, in
our opinion, never been more efficient than
at present
THE committee on banks and banking will
report bill this week placing savings
banks and trust companies under the same
restrictions as to investments, with the eX-
ception perhaps of some more liberty in the
matter of loaning funds to the officers. The
committee on ways and means will prob
ably report bill making the tax on these
institutions the same.
A LITTLE two-and-a-hal year old son of one
of the members of the house, accompanied
by his mother, attended the opening service
few mornings since, and when the chap
lain commenced his prayer the little fellow
dropped on his knees and began, in an audi
BILE voice, Now lay me down to sleep"
The example ought not to be lost on the
members.
THE bill to reimburse f. II. Daniels for
alleged loss in building the reform school
at Vergennes will not be passed. The state
cannot afford to open this door for deluge
of similar claims now and hereafter. A le-
gal contract is not heads-I-win tails-you-
lose arrangement, and Mr.. Daniels would
not have reimbursed the state If he had
cleared 5000 on the job.
THE Free Press of Saturday, in it's account
| of the election of supreme court judges, al
| ludes to the gentleman from Halifax who
opposed Judge Royce. This allusion seems
| to us uncalled for. Whatever may be the
ability of any gentleman who conscientiously
advocates any measure with civility, he
| should be treated courteously. Unpopular
measures are not advocated upon the floor
| of the house with hope of winning applause
and favor, but from good motives and a
| sense of duty.
a LARGE number of the members of the
| legislature have discussed the desirability
| of having a general reunion, next year, OF
| all who have ever been members of the gen.
| eral assembly, and Mr.. Fullerton's resolu-
| tion granting the use of the hall of the house
.lnx rst
week of October 1885, for that purpose, is
the result of the discussion 1t is believed
| that such an occasion would bring to Montpe-
lier very large number, including many
| now residing outside of the state, and the
| town would doubtless be scarlet color while
| they were here.
| THE senate chamber was the center of at
| traction Thursday, the bill to change Or
leans county shire being the bone of conten
| ton. The bill had already passed the house
| by very large majority. The principal
| features of the contest were the cross-eXam.
| ination of Senator Amsden, chairman of the
| special committee having the bill III charge
| and the speeches of Senators Thompson and
| Ide. Senator Thompson labored to show
| that the county buildings were in satisfac
| tory condition and that it was an in Justice
to the county to compel them to go to the
expense of establishing new shire, with
| out leaving it to the vote of the people OF
| effort and the argument plausible, but, con
| sidering the fact that the senator is a law
yer at Irasburgh the present SHIRE and
| has very strong personal and financial in
| terest in the matter, his alluson to subsid
| lied press employed to misrepresent facts
was in very bad taste, to put it mildly
Senator Ide replied showing that former
contests of this nature had been settled by
the Legislature and in no case had it beer
submitted to a popular vote. There Were
.l Ia.
senators, after which the proposed amend
ment, referring the matter to the people
was refused and the bill ordered to thirc
reading. The final contest on the question
will occur in the senate this "Wednesday
afternoon.
THE governor has approved and signed
the following bills, since those last reported
in the order named: S. 5S, an act to author
ize the removal of Instructions from the
Gihon branch of the Lamoille river; III. 103
an act to pay Wilson S. Lowell the sun
therein named; II. 113, an act to incorpor
ate the Lyndon savings bank; III. 2Oj an ac
to pay Lorenzo G. Coolidge S. 40, relating tt
education of the blind; S. 49, authorizing the
compiling, printing and distribution of the
laws relating to elections, qualifications o
voters and the naturalization of foreign-borI
citizens s. 73, to amend section 2,9l5 of tn,
revised laws; Fl. 40, to incorporate the Yer
mont Telephone and Telegraph Company
III. l46, enabling certain school and town Off
GERS to obtain books and papers of their office
III. 155, to pay j. II. Brown the sum therein
named; III. l57, to incorporate the Southern
Vermont Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany; I'll. 172, to incorporate the Society o
st. Peter, Winoosl<i; III. 2l9, changing the
time of holding the supreme court in the
county of Windham; III, 2, relating tC
appeals in civil causes from Justices courts
III. 81, giving dealers in monuments and
copings certain powers; III. 80, to incorpor
ate the Vermont Cattle Company; III. 1872, re
latng to the grand list; III. 1853, authorizing
payment of counsel employed by town
grand Jurors in criminal cases III. 1875, reat-
ing to the payment of fines and costs wheI
the respondent is committed in default o
payment.
THE military committee had "A meeting
last week to further consider the bill estab
fishing a soldiers home in Vermont. Peti
tions from about six thousand citizens of th'
state, praying for soldiers home, had beer
received The committee is in favor of es
tabishing n home, but discussed two bills
one of which was house bill number fifty
introduced by Mr.. Hutchinson, which make,
it state institution, the farm and prop
erty to belong to the state and always sub
ject to its control. A bill TO create corpo
ration for the purpose of building home
the state to give a certain sum annually tC
tho corporation, was also discussed by tn,
committees. The latter bill is similar TO tn,
one establishing the insane asylum at Brat
tleboro, while the former is more like tn,
one establishing the state reform school
| The committee seemed of the opinion tha
there were not far rom one hundred sol
| liars now that were in mead of tha hnma