The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-29

entertain tne committee at MS reSluence
instead of allowing them to exc out a miser
able existence at that famous hostelry
known as the Irasburgh Hotel"
AMONG the visitors at the state house
Thursday were Ex-Governor Proctor of
Rutland, Judge 7. p. Redlield of Montpelier,
Hon. w. G.. Fairbank of Vergennes, Hon. B.
ID. Harris of Brattleboro Hon. g. G.. Benedict
of Burlington, II. N. Newell of Shelburne,
ID. w. Dixon of st. Adams, John III. Thorpe
of Charlotte, G. +. O. Kimball of Vergennes,
w. Il. Child of Weybridge, and Wayne
Bailey of Rutland.
BROOKLYN UNION: Vermont pays her
governor only 1000 a year, and the state is
at last beginning to think that It is pretty
short commons. Only four of the thirty
eight states allow so small a salary, and
three of these are in New England-Ver-
mont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
the fourth being Michigan. AS Vermonts
finances are in an exceptionally prosperous
condition, such niggardliness seems the
more inexcusable, and there is prospect
that the legislature will pass bill increas-
ing the allowance to reasonable figures"
BY the decisive vote of five to twenty-four
the senate Friday morning refused a third
reading to the bill reducing the number OF
judges of the supreme court from seven to
six. The measure was very fully debated.
The committee reported favorably upon tn
bill, but new light seems to have been poured
upon the subject from some mysterious quar-
ter. Nearly every member of the majority of
the committee repented on the floor of the
senate of his action and voted against a bill
the passage of which, after presumably ma
ture deliberation, he had recommended.
Senator Paul made a strong argument in
favor of the bill but he was unable to stay
the stampede among its quondam friends
and supporters. 1t looks as if those having
friends who may want comfortable place
of honor and emolument were more power
full than reason and good sense.
THE governor has approved and signed
the following senate bills in the or
der given; S. 13, relating to the duties of
town clerks; S. y, relating to the time of
service of process; s. 21, an act in amend-
ment of sec. l ,7S0 of chap. 90, revised laws,
entitled, courts of insolvency; S. 16, in
amendment of an act to incorporate the vii
lage of Brattleboro; S. 15 an act to restore
the name of Norwich University; S. %, an
act granting pension to Andrew W.
| Kezer. And house bills as follows: H. 3,
| in amendment of sec. SOL revised laws, re-
| lating to the jurisdiction of constables in
| serving process: H. Ii, in addition to chap.
| 100, revised laws authorizing towns to APP
propriate money for the observance of Dec
| oration day; ii. II, to pay Henry f. Wilson
| the sum therein named III. l5S, in amend
| ment of sec III and sec. 112, revised laws;
| H. 4, in amendment of sec. 2,742, revised
laws of 1880, relating to soldiers monuments.
| THERE was an interesting debate in the
| senate Thursday forenoon upon the bill to in
| crease the salaries of the supreme court
| judges The bill Iby amendments was re-
duced to the simple proposition to increase
eloquently advocated by Senator Ide OF
Caledonia, on the ground that the state
| should pay the judges enough to induce the
| best lawyers to accept positions upon the
| bench and retain them permanently, af.
| fording an income that should enable these
1 .fa aiall to Et,n in, hnn inn mar md
| educate their children. The bill was op-
posed by Senators Howe, Horton, Chaplin
| and Thompson. 1t was shown that the
highest judicial talent had been obtained in
| times past at a much lower salary than is
| paid now, that an increase of $500 would
| have no effect in securing or retaining the
| services of lawyers who were offered lucra-
| tive positions or offices of higher honor and
| emolument, that the salary now paid had a
very much larger purchasing value than
when it was established, thatit is higher thar
| the average income OF professional men III
the state, higher than the average income OF
| lawyers, and that the judges are faring
| proportionally better than the farmers and
laborers who are taxed to pay the present
salary and who on decreasing incomes
would be further taxed to pay the proposed
increase. The bill was refused third read
ing by the decisive vote of nine yeas tC
| twenty-one nays.
THE contest which is about to ensue ovel
the location of the county buildings in Or
leans county will be the fourth. The frs
attempt to move them from Irasburgh was
made in 1872, when Major Josiah Grou
represented Newport. He introduced bill
for that purpose which passed the legisla
ture, after having been amended so as tC
provide that the question should be sub
mitted to the voters of the county. Th'
measure failed on account of the inability
of the friends of removal to agree upon thu
location of the new shire. In 1874, bill Il
remove the county buildings passed th'
house and was killed in the senate In 1877
bill for the same purpose was killed il
the house. Every one living outside Orleans
county who has attended court at Irasburgl
will be in favor of removing the count,
buildings. The hotel accommodations arr
probably the worst in the state, as they
must inevitably be, for the simple reason
that the landlord has almost no bust
ness to support him, and he cannot keel
his hotel up as he should. Moreover
Irasburgh is four miles away from th
nearest railroad Standardization Landing
and the four miles are very, very
long. There is no telegraphic copmunica
ton between Irasburgh and the world an'
there is only one mail day from any on
direction. The buildings have been allowe,
to remain in Irasburgh, in spite of mucl
complaint for two principal reasons-the eX
pense of erecting new buildings, and the i'm
possibility of Barton and Newport settlin,
| lntlr TlNdl cldllHS. Dut lle ODsldcltS ndN'
been removed. The county buildings a
Irasburgh have now arrived at such con
dition that money must be spent in their re
pair, and it is certainly better to spend th
money on new buildings located somewhere
on the line of the Passumpsic railroad. b,
the terms of the bill the decision as to loca
tion is left with the judges of the supreme
court, and Barton or Newport need not dis
turb the legislature with their rivalry. |
the members of the legislature could onl,
pass a week at Irasburgh during the Feb
ruary term o. the county court they woul,
vote for removal unanimously, immedi
ately and without debate.
THE military committees of the house an,
senate met together Wednesday afternoon t,
consider house bill number fifty, to estab
lsh soldiers home in Vermont. The lette
written by Mr.. L. j. Deavitt of Montpele
on this subject addressed to the governor
was read. The following is brief eXtrac
from the letter: " 1t would probably sur
prise many patriotic and charitable peopl
to know the number of Vermont soldier
who are in her poor houses. Not all, even
wounded men who merit pensions, car
get them. The laws delay starves some
For others, evidence is forever lost. Tn
national homes are not legally open To al
soldiers in distress, and even If they Were
exile from the state is no part of our policy
Other states have soldiers homes or hos
ptals. Vermont has done nothing in thi
direction since the war. Her liberal pay t
the soldiers ceased with the surrender of tn
foe. Vermont, out of debt and rich, has al
lowed such of her brave soldiers as coul,
not obtain the pensions they deserved 81
well to die in the poor house and To ill pau
pers graves, 1t pains and stains every sol