The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-27

stored to S4 on an appeal to the secretary OF the
interior; Charles La Page, Barre, increase to
S4 a month; Joseph Wells, Barre, S4 month
and $3.50 arrears; G. A. Woodcock, Marshfield,
an increase to So month Charles s. Wrisley
Waterbury, S4 month and 1915 arrears; A. A.
Morse, Waterbury Center, $4 a month and $3.50
arrears; Timothy Blanchard, East Roxbury, $4
month and $915 arrears; William W. Holden,
Mortified, $4 a month and $3.50 arrears; Cap
tain Albert F. Dodge, Barre, $40 a month and
S2 070 arrears
THE trustees of the Southeastern railway
have written Commissioner Dillingham; re-
questing that the suit instituted for unpaid
taxes mention of which was made last week,
be discontinued, and expressing their readiness
to comply with the law, both as to the first
and second instalment Of taxes The delay
grew out of the trouble in which the road has
been involved. This, and one or two other
similar cases, brings out the need of some
amendment to the law, giving the commits
sioner, or a board of the state officers, some
discretionary powers in the matter Of remitting
the fines the law imposes, when it is evident
that there has been no wilful or avoidable de-
lay in paying the taxes. 1t Is the taxes the
state wants and, when from business embar-
rassments or other reasonable causes Of delay,
a fine has been incurred, the commissioner has
no power to remit, and the case must go
through the cumbersome legislative machinery.
MASONIC convention, comprising the
lodges in Washington county, was held at
Montpelier on Friday February %, under the
direction of j. Henry Jackson district deputy
grand MASTER The grand officers, with the
exception of Right Worshipful George w. Wing,
grand junior warden, failed to appear. The
convention opened at two o'clock, p. NJ. The
work of the first degree was exemplified by
Mad River lodge, No. II, OF Waitsfeld. James
r. Dale, worshipful master. Green Mountain
lodge, No. g. of Cabot L. D. Smith, worship
ful master, gave the work Of the second de-
gree. At seven o'clock, P. NJ. Winooski lodge,
No, 40, of Waterbury, Seaver Howard, worship
full master, opened lodge of master masons,
and conferred the degree upon a candidate
The work was done we'll by all the lodges, but
Green Mountain lodge bore off the palm for
good work. square work, etc. There were
nearly two hundred brethren in attendance.
The meeting was Of great interest, and can
but prove of the utmost Importance in estab-
fishing uniformity of work throughout the
lodges in the county.
AN Iowa man has figured up the cost of
keeping dogs in his state, and finds that they
eat enough annually to feed one hundred thou
sand workmen, and, counting in the damage
they do to the sheep farmers, the dogs cost the
state S9,0O0,000, while the education Of all the
A Tennessee man makes out similar condi-
tion of affairs in his state. He finds there are
three hundred thousand worthless dogs, which
consume food enough, If fed to hogs, to make
thirty million pounds of bacon which would be
equal to feeding meet to one hundred thousand
able bodied men whole year. At ten cents
per pound the bacon would be worth SO, ,000,.
600, and il in silver would load down ninety
four two-horse wagons, and make wagon
train more than half a mile long. Again, the
worthless whelps prevent farmers from keep.
ing two million sheep, the mutton and WOO
from which would be worth S5000,000. In
cluding the sheep now annually killed, the
whole expense for keeping the dogs Of the
state amounts to the pretty sum Of SO, 600, 600
Tennessee expends S3.O0O.0O0 for educating
her children. Three dollars for dogs. One
dollar for children
WE fully appreciate our esteemed contem
porary's solicitude for our diet, but it is ad
monished to keep a close watch on its own bill
of fare. Like a dog to his vomit, the ArguI
returns to its charge that The WATcHMAN ha,
" milf against DR.. Nichols about some state
printing" and says we have done "almos
everything except contradict its assertion" Il
does not make its assertion man-fashion, but
with characteristic duplicity and cowardice
says it has "heard" that there is "miff ;
1t, however, treats its convenient heaIsay
as a fact; and this seems to be a favor
lite way our guileless contemporary has of ere
atiDg it's facts to order. At the time, we tolt
our contemporary-whati it knew we'll enough
that its insnuation was a lie, and supposed
that was a contradiction sufficiently fiat anC
adapted to its understanding. Its faculties
lately, seem to run to long words of Greek o
Latin origin and to have lost their power t
comprehend plain English. Had we used one o
its own favorite phrases, and said that its asser
tion was but another instance of its "outrage
GUS mendacity" our meaning might have beel
made clear to it's classic mind. And II a lie il
four syllables is proportionally worse than ii
one, we cheerfully apply the many-syllable'
term to the reproduced milf " falsehood. TIL
Argus cannot place THE WATcHMAN in falls
position towards DR.. Nichols. AS we SAT-
when we wasted space on the first appearance
of its "mendacious charge, neither Nichol
nor Pingree is our first choice for governor. II
however, the people want either OF these men
our personal feelings will not be harassed o
our fortunes made or marred by the choice @
either. Provided, of course, that he is fair
and honorably chosen, we shall be able to Civ
cheerfully to whomsoever may be chosen tn
loyal support every good citizen owes to
ruler, and to labor with him for the advance
ment of every good cause. II this is "boile
crow" we pass our plate for more.
J The first reunion of Capitol Guard, compan
f, second regiment, Vermont volunteers, wa
held at Capital hall, Thursday evening, Con
pany + was organized at Montpelier an
mustered in at Burlington June 20, 1861. O
the eighty-three men who went out in CON
pany in 1861, together with the many II
cruits who from time to time joined 1t, onl
forty-three are known to be living, Twenty
| four were nresant Mt this reuniOn tWentv-On