The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-01
The Makeup Of the Committees.

question is especially interesting among the
members of the House, for the reason that
there is always more material than space in
that body, in other words that there are not
nearly enough good places on the committee
to go round -; and, do his best, the hapless
speaker cannot crafty all. Mr.. Batchelder,
who will doubtless be chosen speaker, Is a
gentleman of great tact and extensive ac-
quaintance. He will listen to the sug-
gestions of the members and their friends
with courtesy, and will succeed, as well as
anyone in the state possibly can, in ac-
complishng the difficult feat of pouring
quart into pint bottle" The senators are
calmer than their representative brethren.
In the first place they are only thirty in
number instead of two hundred thirty-nine,
and there are eighty-six places upon the
standing committees. There are special
committees in both houses and these are the
speakers salvation. He can give an un-
fortunate representative place on one of
them, when the duties last only few hours,
and his appointment being announced in
the newspapers, where his constituents at
home will read it, he is as well satisfied as
if he were at the head of the judiciary com
mittee. The committees of the House are
appointed, through custom by the speaker,
though there is nothing in the rules of the
House, which prevents the members
themselves from appointing them. The
senators generally meet together and "di-
vide the honors" as they deem best. Of
course there is good deal of preliminary
talk on the subject. 1t seems to be ex-
pected that the presidency pro tenn. of the
Senate and the craftsmanship of the judiciary
committee will be divided between Senator
Ide of Caledonia and Judge Thompson of
Orleans. Mr.. Ide was member of the
Senate in 1882, and as one of the three re-
elected senators, he has peculiar claim to
the presidency, which it is believed he
will assert Should he be chosen, Judge
Thompson will undoubtedly be chosen
chairman of the judiciary committee AS
there are seven members of that committee
and only four lawyers,in the Senate-Messrs.
Ide, Thompson, Hebard and Paul-three of
its members must necessarily be " laymen,"
"a good thing In 1880, it was put into prac-
tice by the House, when Hon. James w.
Simpson of Craftsbury and Hon Justus
Dartt of Springfield served upon the
judiciary committee, where their strong
common-sense and acquaintance with affairs
were acknowledged by their legal associates
to be of great value. Who shall the lay
men be? Hon. William Chaplin of Washing
ton, a farmer, who represented his town in
1880, was member of the state equalizing
board in 1882, and whose reputation for
Yankee " horse sense " is deservedly high
in Washington county would make good
member. So would Hon. Henry f. Field of
Rutland the cashier of the Rutland County
National Bank. He has had lifelong
training in financial matters, which cannot
of Windham is a physician of eminence,
who has paid especial attention to medical
jurisprudence and insanity Upon such
matters he is an authority of great weight
A Senate judiciary committee, composed of
Judge Thompson, Mr.. Ide, Hon. Norman
Paul of Windsor, Hon. Salmon b. Hebard
of Orange, Mr.. Chaplin, Mr.. Field and DIR.
Holton would be as strong as can well be
constituted. Mr.. Brainerd of Caledonia
was the chairman of the committee on
printing in the last Legislature and also a
member of the committee on military affairs.
He can doubtless have these places again,
if he desires. Colonel Estey, who was
chairman of the committee on military
affairs last session was not reelected and
Mr. Brainerd is entitled to this place. Mr..
Jones of Washington will undoubtedly be
the chairman of the committee on finance,
the position assigned him by the Senate of
1882. Mr.. Greene of Franklin is favoraby
spoken of for the Craftsmanship of the COM
mittee on claims, and Mr.. Field will
probably be the chairman of the committee
on laws. Sheriff Amsden of Windsor is
well qualified for the chairmanship of the
| state prison. Judge Williams of Addison.
who lives near Vergennes, is a good man
| for the charmanship of the joint committee
| on the reform school, and Mr.. Horton of
| Rutland, who in 1882, was chairman in the
| part of the House, of the joint committee on
| the house of correction, will probably be
Senate.
Judge Hobson of Brighton is a strong man,
and is believed to possess the requisite
| timber in an especial degree for the chair
manship of the committee on claims. Hon.
Warren Gibbs of Chittenden and Senator
| Ide are both spoken of for the Craftsmanship
of the railroad committee. Mr.. Ide was
| chairman at the last session. Senator Howe
| of Windsor is large manufacturer himself
| and is well fitted, therefore, for the chair
manship of the committee on manufactures.
If Mr.. Ide should not have the chairman
| ship of the railroad committee, he will un-
doubtedly be put at the head of the import
ant committee on education. He was a dis
| tinguished teacher in early life and has
maintained his interest in educational mat
| ters ever since. Hon. Henry Mott of Grand
| Isle aspires to the Craftsmanship of the joint
| committee on game and fisheries. MIR. Nc
| Duffee of Orange, who is gentleman of
| affairs, is good man TO put at the head OF
| the general committee.
The craftsmanship of the judiciary COM
| mittee of the House is usually conceded
| to Judge William ii. Walker of Windsor,
| one of the oldest lawyers in the state.
| Among the other able lawyers in the House
| are Hon. William p. Dillingham; of Water
| bury, Hon. Hugh Henry of Chester, Mr..
| Herbert f. Brigham of Bakersfield, Captain
w. IL, II. Kenfield of Hydepark, Mr.. b. F..
| ID. Carpenter of Barton, Hon. Josiah Grout
of Derby (though Major Grout now claims
| TO have forsaken Themis and to be worship
| ping solely at the shrine of Ceres), Hon II.
| G. Abel of West Haven, the father of the
| House. Zed S. Stanton of RoXbury, Mr.. T.
| E. Brownell of Pownal Mr.. +. b. Hall of
Lunenburgh Mr.. w. b. G. Stickney of
| Bethel, Hon. o. Il. Buttertield of Whining
| ton, Mr.. A. e. Cudworth of Londonderry,
| and Mr.. George b. French of Woodstock,
| From such material it will not be difficult
| for Mr.. Batchelder to make up good com
mittee. And if the precedent of 1880 is fol-
| lowed and n portion of the judiciary com
mittee is composed of laymen, there are
| plenty of good men of business in the House.
Harrison +. Dean of Cornwall, d. III. Lewis
| of Vergennes, f. ID. Douglas of Whiting, j.
| X. Pilling of Bennington, w. H. Fullerton
| of Manchester, j. b. Mattocks of Danville
w. u. Fairbanks of ST. Johnsbury, +. Stew
art Stranahan of st. Albans, n w, Fisk of
| Isle La Motto, John Bailey of ewbury, j.
A. Prouty of Newport, lockwood Barrett of
Rutland, James W. Brock of Montpelier,
Colonel A b. Franklin of Newfane, and
NJ. O. Perkins of Windsor, are, any of them,
well qualified to serve on the judiciary COM
| mittee, by business training and acquaint-
rnce with men and things. The lawyers of
the committee would be greatly aided by
two or three of such gentleman in their de-
liberations.
The most important committees except
the judiciary, are the committees on rail-
roads, on ways and means, on education
claims, elections, agriculture, manufactur-
ers the grand list, public buildings, the in
sane, military affairs, corporations, the gem
| eral committee, the joint committees ON the
reform school, the library, the house of cor