The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-11-26

Mr.. ABELL of West Haven and Mr.. Row |
land of Poultney filled the speakers chair |
for time Monday afternoon.
THE yeas and nays were called four times |
in the house Tuesday forenoon, although 1t |
was the last day of the session.
ONE of the best things about the last |
legislature was that it killed so many bills. |
There was a perfect slaughter Of them Fri |
day forenoon
The fish bill called out quite deal
of piscatorial eloquence Wednesday after
noon, two or three maiden speeches being
made on the subject.
AFTER waiting until the last week Of
session for a decision ON his case, Judge
w0ght of Williston was declared not en-
titled to his seat in the house.
THE old members must have recognized,
as familiar face, the joke about the differ
ence between widow and an unmarried
woman 1t appears at every session.
The gentleman from Montpelier drew
the least mileage of any member, twenty
cents, and the member from Readsboro,
Bennington county, the largest amount, S44.
THERE seems to be some fascination which
attracts a crowd to the state house the last
night of the session. The galleries. lobbies
and halls We're crowded until q late hour
last evening
THE state treasurer paid the members
of the house Tuesday morning at half-past
eight o'clock. The senators and officers of
the legislature were paid at later hour
Tuesday forenoon.
THE wisdom of the house in choosing
Hon. James X Batchelder as its presiding
officer has been abundantly proven. His
ability and uniform courtesy have won for
him the highest respect of every member.
COLONEL FRANKLIN made an able speech
Monday evening in behalf of his bill provid-
ing for the establishment of an experiment
.Nt,lt
ment of extending by unanimous consent
his time for speaking The bill, however,
failed to pass.
SECTION ONE of house bill three hundred
seventy-three reads as follows: " No man
who is an attorney in the practice of his
profession or the wife of such practicing at
torney, shall be eligible to the Office of town
clerk 1t seems too bad to shut out any
man who is the wife of an attorney from so
lucrative a position!
IT is generally understood that whatever
chance of passing the Douglass bill eXemp-
ting mortgages may have had, they were
utterly wrecked by the member from South
Burlington reading in support of the meas
ure an extract from an editorial in the Free
Press. From that instant the bill was smit-
ten with mildew blight.
THE general committee of the senate and
the house committee on town lines met
together on Thursday to consider the bill
changing the limits of the village of Montpe-
ler and excluding therefrom some real es
tate belonging to G.. l.. Smith Joel Foster
appeared in behalf of the village and Mr..
Smith presented his own case. The COM
mittee reported the bill adversely.
EVEN the opponents of the Orleans county
shire bill can but admire the pluck with
which Senator Thompson fought the meas
ure. 1t seemed to he his purpose to get some
kind of an amendment tackled upon the bill
to 1.nn1 IL t, t1,a inn
perhaps, that in some way it would strike a
snag and fail of a passage, or that the two
branches would disagree omit 1t was, how
| ever, forlorn hope.
| AT three o'clock this morning the house
| took a recess for half an hour and improved
| the time to hold mock session. The chair
| was occupied in turn during the session by
| Mr.. Quinlan of Charlotte, Mr.. Parker of
| Cambridge, Mr. Fullerton of Manchester
| and Mr.. Henry of Chester. A variety OF
| bills and resolutions were introduced and
| the hits contained therein, together with
the witty rulings of the chair, called forth
| roars of laughter.
| THERE was a lengthy discussion this morn
| ing on motion to reconsider the vote re-
| fusng third reading to S. 126, relating to
| normal schools. The question of quorum
| was raised, and at ffty-tive minutes past
| four, on motion of Mr.. Cudworth of London
| derry, a call of the house was ordered. The
|
ent, and the sergeant-at-arms, amid intense
| interest, produced before the bar of the house
| a sufficient number of members to make a
| quorum.
The Daniels claim, which passed the
house, was lost in the senate. Taking adj
vantage of the absence or departure of two
| senators who had voted against the claim,
| the friends of the measure obtained a re-
| consideration of the senate vote, and finally
| passed the bill by the casting vote of the pres
ident. The bill allows Mr.. Daniels 81, 800
| His full claim is in round numbers, $1,000
If the legislature gave him anything, il
should have acted man-fashion and allowed
him the full amount.
The debate on the library bill was con
tinued in the house last Thursday and the
| third reading ordered after having been
amended so as to make the appropriation
| $4,000 instead of S50,000, as recommended
| by the committee. The friends of the bill
| especially Messrs. Dillingham;, Stickney
| Dearborn and Grout, made very convincing
| arguments as to the needs of the state anC
the duty of the legislature in the matter. Il
is evident that their efforts saved the bill
from outright defeat.
The bill appropriating 25,0oOby the state
| to aid in the construction of a bridge from
| North Hero to Alburgh passed the senate
as amended by Senator Chaplin, and was
referred to the house committee on high
| ways, bridges and ferries. The amend
ment guards very carefully the rights of tn,
| state, providing that no part of the appro
| pration shall be drawn from the state treas
| ury until the towns interested have eX
pended, in parts of one-eighth at least, al
| equal amount, and if any portion remains
after the bridge is completed, it shall rever
| to the state treasury.
IT has been a secret, more or less well
| known for several days, that a movement
was on foot among the members of the house
| m. ant h.aa olyar nd fhn aln wit {
suitable testimonial OF the esteem in which
they are held. Messrs. Stickney of Bethel
| Pilling of Bennington, Hopper of Salisbury
Stranahan of st. Albans and Brock of Mont
pelier were appointed as a committee to at
tend to the matter. About half-past min,
last evening the house took a short recess
Messrs. Pilling of Bennington and Hopper
of Salisbury then conducted Speaker Batch
elder and Clerk Stickney to the bar of the
house when Mr.. Stckney of Bethel, in
very happy speech, in which he referred t.
the faithfulness of these gentlemen, pre-
sented each of them with handsome golC
watch in behalf of the members. The recp
tents made appropriate acknowledgements
thanking the members for this expression
of their kindly feelings.
THREE towns were not represented il
the last egislature-Guildhall mo election)
Middletown and Wiliston making two hun
dred thirty-seven towns represented. Tn,
number of days of session were fifty
seven, the same as two years ago. The
per diem OF the members Of the house
amounted TO $40 sos. 90, the speaker drawing
| GS and thp nj her n,Cnbpra I, 81 may dov TN.