Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-11-05
THE LEGISLATURE.
THE NH GRINDING sLoWLY,
Hut che Important Measures Of LegIs-
latiOn Getting Wen In Hand.


PREME COURT JUDGEs-A WOMAN SUFFRAGE
BILL PASSES THE HOUSE.
tFrom our Montpelier correspondentl
MONTPELIER, Nov.
Since my slast letter the legislature has
spent only -four days in actual session. Dur
ing this time large amount of business has
been done and many of the more important
subjects have been taken 10 hand which are
to constitute the principal objects OF legisla-
ton. The discussion Of railroad measures
has fairly begun. The fourth and fifth rail
road commission bills have been introduced
one by Mr.. Wall of Dorset and one by
Senator CLARK of Rutland county. An alb
stract Of Mr.. Wallis bill is given in another
column. Senator Cark's bill, introduced on
Tuesday, by request, is entitled "An act to
prescribe rules aud regulations for the opera
ton OF railroads" and is essentially a com
mission bill. and quite different from its pred.
ecessors. Senator Olarks bill provides for
commission Of three members with a term OF
two yeas, TO be appointed by the governor,
who may remove and fill vacancies; one
member to be lawyer of at least ten years
practice one capable civil engineer of ten
years experience the third practical bust
ness man. No stakeholder or agent of a rail
road to be eligible to appointment The
board is to be located at Montpelier, aud TO
have clerk salary of each commissioner
500, clerk $500, and the total expenses in
Guiding books, ETC.. not TO exceed $4,000. TO
| be paid by the state. The board il to approve
the laying out OF railroads and the taxing of
real estate for the purpose. NJ part OF any
railroad to be opened for public travel until
the board certify that II Is in safe and suita-
BILE condition. II a railroads affairs are In
bad condition or the company violates the
laws, or refuses TO obey the directions of the
board, the board may get an injunction from
the supreme court to restrain any person or
persons from exercising or attempting to ex-
ercise the duties Of sny Office in such com
| pany and the judge may proceed thereon ~
the supreme court does on petitions for other
| inJunctions The board may summon wit
nesses and whoever refuses to appear OF OBJ
structs any commissioner from dong his du-
ty shall be fined $500, or imprisoned six
months, or both. The board shall report to
the legislature the affairs Of the railroads and
make suggestions rs they deem proper 1t
shall fix terms on which competing com pan
les connect with third road compel per
Torrance by attachment, mda,idmus, or 9th
erwise, the expenses of such proceedings to
be borne by whichever party the court shall
direct. The board shall regulate connections
between railroads, aud a penalty of Slj il
provided for each days neglect to comply
with the regulations OF the board. Corpora
tions may appeal from the orders of the
board to the supreme court Railroads shall
furnish any information required, copies OF
agreements aud contracts etc, to the board.
who shall examine books and accounts and
recommend such changes rs it deem fit, and re-
report them to Legislature. The first railroad
hearing was had on Tuesday evenings report
OF which is given elsewhere. 1t is not prob
BILE that the committees will make any report
on the subject for several days
The general work OF the session proceeds
slowly. Several of the minor bills have been
disposed Of, but most Of the work of the ses-
sion is still confined to the CON mittees Tho
highway committee OF the two houses are
considering the bill to repeal the law of 1884
giving state aid to towns for the maintonance
Of highways. report of an interesting
hearing on this subject is given else here.
The hsst important law Of the session was
approved on Friday by Gov. Ormsbee. Il
wasintroduced by Judge Poland and provides
that all that part of section one of No.
60 of the acts OF 1854 which deprives per
sons guilty Of desertion, or persons convicted
OF felony, of the right to vote is hereby re-
pealed." 1t seems probable that the present
legislature will raise the salary OF the su
preme court judges to $1,000. A bill for that
purpose was ordered to a third reading in the
senate on Tuesday. Quite a discussion was
bad over this bill Senator Chaplin thought
that the salary at present was large enough
aud as much AS the people could afford to
pay, and asked what was the necessity for
the bill. Senator Bates said that the main
necessity was that the salary was too small.
and that 1t was not reasonable SUN for the
office they held. 1t is not as mu CD ~ il often
paid to q drummer, and he hoped tue bill
would pass. Senator Blake said that the on
ly fault he had with the hill uaa that the
airy it proposed was too small. We pay
judges $500 year and then some complain
II free pass upon the railroads OF the state
IS offered them, and they accept it. OF
course we cannot afford to pay our judges A.
much as in New York and other rich states
but We ought to pay them q fair salary Sen
ator Spear said he could see no reason why
tue bill should pass, the salary was raised
5000 some time ago, and that they would
want 1t raised $500 more in a few years
bill WAS introduced yesterday providing
that the shire of Orange county be removed
from Chelsea and that two half shires be es-
tsblished at Bradford and West Randolph.
This bill will, of course, be opposed by the
people Of Chelsea, but will, at least, be well
considered by the legislature before any seri.
Gus opposition is shown to it by the majority
of members. The introduction of railroads
has made the question of the location of shire
IL
years ago, A geographically central" town
ls by no means, in all cases, the most desira-
BILE for the location Of a shire. Chelsea is IA
miles from any railroad station, and is the |
only shire town in the state, outside of Grand |
Isle county, which is not situated on the line |
of some railroad.
The subject of the division of the town of |
Rutland will probably come up in the IeRisl. |
ture next week. A hot fight has been car |
VN.adn ~ NaE n.
friends and opponents OF the proposed dvi |
sion. To night the war is to be continued at
the state house, where the special committee
OF the two houses on the subject meet Tor
their second hearing.
Judge Poands bill providing that Female
citizens, 81 years OF age, whose lists are
taken in any town at the annual assessment
next preceding town meeting, shall while
residing in the town be voters in town meet
ings !" also that they shall be voters in city,
village and fire district meetings, came up in
the House yesterday morning The door
and lo0bes of the House were crowded with
spectators, the larger portion of whom we're
ladies. The bill was read the third time and
on its passage Mr.. TinkhRm moved to amend
1t by striking out the words between "aRe"
and ''shall, which was opposed by Judge
Poland and others as giving the advantage to
the women when his bill sought to put them
only on an equAllty with men IN voting rights,
and the motion was disagreed to. Mr.. Man.
sur then moved to amend by requiring WON
en- voters to have a grand list of at least $500.
He said that men voters had to pay on at
least 5000 and he thought that without his
amendment the billgave greater advantages to
women than men. Messrs. Kingsley, Abel.
Randall. Bsdsrd, Butterfeld, Marsh aud Mann
favored Mr.. Mansur's motion. Messrs. Ink
ham and Poland opposed it. The House &C
eepted the amendment the vote standing
yeas, l72 nays, 81, Mr.. Tinkhsm said that
he opposed the passage of the bill in its
present form. He said it offered TO women
the shadow Of a right without the substance
Mr.. Mansur favored the bill, which was pass
ed by vote Of 1876 to 50. The vote OF the
Wlndham county members on the final pas
sage stood, as-Butterield, Wood ward,
Mann, Sparks, Dexter, Taylor, Arnold, Stat
ford, Underwood, Newton, Farr, Abbott
nays-Tudor, Adams, Sdow, ODER, Ranney,
Tyler, Alexander, shumway, Willis, Albee,
Brooks
The case of Mr.. Battell has been decided
and he has Withdrawn his claim to a seat in
the House, The situation in which this de-