The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-15

state cabinet the past two years Most of
our birds are now represented there and
two deer heads from the Adirondacks are
nearly as pretty as the beautiful birds. The
cases OF minerals have also largely been re-
arranged and labeled. The Vermont mar
bles, now the finest on the continent are also
well represented. More room il emphat-
ically needed that all Vermont rocks NAV
be fully displayed, as in her marbles and
other building stones are countless fortunes.
THE Springfield Republican has this para
graph relating to some proposed legislation;
" NO provisions now exist for the examina-
tion of the affairs of any domestic fire or life
insurance company by any state official, and
the state has no means of ascertaining, ex-
cept from such reports az the companies
publish, their actual financial condition,
This defect has been brought to notice more
particularly on account of the rumors now
current in regard to the financial condition
of one of the state companies Some law
will probably he passed requiring inspection
and examination of both fire and life insur-
ance companies"
A BILL was introduced Friday forenoon by
Mr.. Brock of Montpelier to incorporate the
Vermont Telephone and Telegraph Co., COM
posed of the following persons; James X.
Langdon, Charles Dewey, James w. Brock,
James G. Houghton, George c. Shepard and
A. G. Brown of Montpelier; George Nichols
of Northfeld w. II. Dubois of Randolph,
w. II. II. Bingham of Stowe, George w.
Hendee of Morristown and c. s. Page of
Hydepark. The object stated is to operate
telegraph and telephone lines from Mont
pelier to any points in the state. If the COM
pany is incorporated, it will take charge of
the lines now operated by Mr. A. C.. Brown,
THE Grand Army posts are circulating Pc
titions to be presented to the general assem-
bly, asking for some law by which any and all
soldiers, sailors and marines who have
served in the army or navy of the United
=.
and who by the laws of the general govern
ment are entitled to all the privileges Of
honorably-discharge soldiers, and are at
the time of their decease residents of this
state, shall at their decease be furnished de-
cent Christian burial at the expense of the
state. The preamble rectes Vermont's care
of her veteran soldiers, her gratitude to them
and her repugnance of any such filling pau
pers' graves or being dependent upon
public charity.
SOME of the democratic members are con-
sidering the advisability of making objec-
ton to allowing Senator Amsden to retain
his seat on the ground that he was sheriff of
Windsor county at the time OF his election
and was therefore ineligible under the fol-
lowing clause in the constitution: " No per-
son in this state shall be capable of holding
or exercising more than one of the following
offices at the same time, viz: Governor,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Judge of the supreme
court, treasurer of the state member of the
council member Of the general assembly, sur
veyor general or sheriff." 1t is claimed, how
ever that Senator Amsden, having resigned
the office of sheriff, can now hold his seat
in the senate, and this view will probably
prevail.
THE Rutland Herald objects to any appro-
priation being made for the purpose of en-
couraging our farmers and manufacturers
to send exhibits to New Orleans. 1t says:
The whole thing is pushed by people who
want to make the state pay for advertising
their own pet private interests. There is
no reason why business that needs adver
tising should be advertised at the expense
OF the state. If the state wants to send a
commission, then very well; but Vermont
industries can afford to pay their own ad-
vertising bills at the New Orleans EXPOSE
ton. A Vermont industry that can't afford
to advertise itself except at the expense of
the state is not very valuable institution.
The exposition literally affords 5000
| toward the expense of state exhibit; let
| the industries that seek chance to be ad-
vertised pay the rest of the bill"
RUTLAND HERALD: Mr.. Conland of Brat
| tleboro has introduced a bill providing for
| the delivery of the dead bodies of paupers,
under proper restrictions, to physicians for
| anatomical purposes, and making body
| snatching punishable by heavy fine and i'm
| prsonment. We are glad this bill has been
| introduced; we believe that the unclaimed
| bodies of paupers and criminals should
| always be delivered to the surgeons. Such
bills are generally voted down by persons
| who would be ready to brain a person for
| malpractice who through failure to find a
subject for dissection did not know his busi-
| ness; and yet subjects can only be obtained
| by theft or under the law. Why not give
| the surgeon legal control of the unclaimed
| bodies of persons who are paupers or Grim
| inas rather than see the grave mutilated
and regularly robbed for surgical instruc-
| ton"
| WINDSOR JOURNAL "The attention OF
| the legislature is directed to some of the
provisions of our election laws which ought
| to be remedied. Section "a of the revised
| statutes should be so amended as to do
| away with distinct ballot box for repre-
| sentative to congress. Since the adoption
| of the biennial system, there has been no
need of this box. Section rs should be so
| amended as to allow the voter to deposit his
own ballot, and not be compelled to hand it
| to a second person to deposit for him. 1t is
| not in line with the spirit of a free ballot
Section II practically stultities itself. What
| presiding officer can receive ballot in
| such manner as not to discover the name
thereon, but shall examine it so far as to see
| whether there is more than one ? The
| law should stipuate the size of ballot paper
used at freemen's meeting. Such ballot
| should he tightly folded a given number of
| times and it should be the duty of the pre-
| lot unless folded according to law. This
| would be for the detection of fraud when
| the ballots came to be counted. Such a
method prevents spotting,' and protects
| the voter in his constitutional right to cast
| his ballot without fear or favor of any man,
set of men, clique, party or corporation" 3"
| Editor Perkins, who is the member from
| Windsor, should look after these things.
THE legislature has elected the Hon.
| Justin S. Morrill, his own successor under
the provisions of section Is of the Revised
Statutes of the United States, which reads
| a. follows: Such election shall be con-
Quoted in the following manner: Each house
| shall openly, by piUd-uoce vote of each
| member present, name one person for sena-
| tor in congress from such state, and the
| name of the person so voted for who re-
ceives a majority of the whole number OF
| votes cast in each house, shall be entered or
| the journal of that house by the clerk or sec
| retary thereof; or if either house fails TO
give such majority to any person on that
day, the fact shall be entered on the journal.
| At twelve o'clock meridian of the day fol-
lowing that on which proceedings are re.
quired to take place as aforesaid, the mem
bers of the two houses shall convene In
Joint assembly, and the journal of each
house shall then be read, and If the same
| person has received q majority of all the
votes in each house, he shall be declared
duly elected senator. But If the same per
son has not received majority of the votes
in each house or if either house has failed "a
take proceedings as required by this section,
the Joint assembly shall then proceed to
| choose by a piud-poce vote of each member
| nraaant a narSou for senator and a parsOp