News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-09-23
The Coming Legislative Session.

The Coming Legislative Session.
, The session of the Legislature
which opens in Montpelier October o.
, PROMISES to be one of the most inter
esting and important held in Vermont
since the close of the war for the
= Union. -
The contest for the Speakership OF
the House seems to lie between Maj.
Josiah Grout, of Derby, and Judge
Zed P. Stanton, of Roxbury. Both
have had considerable legislative ex-
perience, and either would make an
excellent presiding officer. Clerk
: Stickney doubtless will be reelected.
Mr.. T. G. Phinney, the genial and
efficient Sergeant-at-Arms, will be
unanimously re elected to the position
which he has filled so acceptably for
so many years. The Senate will con-
sist of 20 Republicans and one Dem
ocrat. The division by occupations
is as follows: Thirteen farmers, six
manufacturers, five lawyers, two edit
ors, one merchant, one bank Presi-
dent, one capitalist and one teacher.
Twenty-seven Senators have beer
members of the House, and one, VIM.
Chhapin, of Middlesex, was in the
Senate of 1884. The President of
the Senate, Lieut-Gov. Levi X. Full
er, was one of the Senators from
Windham county in 1880.
| The House will consist of 33S mem
bers, divided politically as follows:
Republicans, POS; Democrats, 20;
Labor Reform, /. Sheffield and Gran
vile failed to elect Representatives.
The following nine members of the
House of 1884 were reelected this
year: W. A. Rawson, of Montgom-
cry, H. L. Reynolds, of Alburgh, Jo-
siah Grout, of Derby, ]. H. Rowland,
of Poultney, R. c. Abel, of West
Haven, w. B. Mayo, of Mortified,
Zed P. Stanton, of Roxbury, N. G..
Piper, of Cavendish, and W. A. Fos-
ter, of Weston.
The Republican State and County
Conventions passed resolutions favor
ing the establishment of railroad
commission in the State, and it is
probable that bill will be passed SIM
liar to the Massachusetts law Great
ing board of railroad commission
ers. "The "Short Haul bill is like
ly to be again introduced into the leg
islature. The farmers of the State
are vitality interested in the passage
of bill relieving mortgaged real es-
tate from taxation. Various bills have
been introduced at previous sessions
to relieve the owners of mortgaged
property from the burden of taxation
imposed upon them under the law,
but they failed of passage. 1t is
probable that the law passed by the
last Legislature reducing the limit for
trusteeing wages from $40 to S. will
be repealed. The law as it now stands
is oppressive to the workingman and
there is strong demand for a restor-
alton of the trustee limit to SO.
The fight between the friends and
the opponents of the town system of
schools will be renewed in the next
Legislature. The question of the es-
tablishment of the town system
throughout the State by Legislative
enactment entered largely into the
election of Representatives in several
towns. The discussion of the COM
parative merits and dement's of the
district and town systems will proba-
bly, occupy the attention of the Leg
islature for several days.
Application is to be made at the
coming session for an extension of
the charter for railroad from Hard
wick to Marshfeld, TO connect the
Vermont division of the Boston and
Lowell with the Montpelier and Wells
River railroad. The proposed road |
will shorten the distance from sta
tons west of Hardwick to Boston
many miles, and the object of the
promoters of the project is to divert |
through business from Portland to
Boston. The proposed new road has
been surveyed and pronounced FEAST
BILE. The Boston and Lowell corpo-
ration is behind the project.
There promises to be another lively |
contest in the Legislature over the
question of the removal of a coun-
ty shire. This time it is Orange coun-
ty which is stirred up over the re-lo-
cation of its county seat, which is
now at Chelsea, in the center of the
county, and IS miles from the near
est railroad station. The voters IA
voring removal seek to establish two
half shires, one at Bradford and the
other at West Randolph. The towns
in the interior, will, of course, oppose
the removal of the shire, but it is
probable the friends of a dual shire
will carry the day.
The most interesting event of the
session will occur on Tuesday, Octo-
Der 10, when the Republicans in both
the Senate and House will meet to
name Hon. Geo. F. Edmunds to be
his own successor in the United States
Senate for fourth term of six years.
Both branches will convene in joint
session on Wednesday to consummate
the election. The Democrats will
probably compliment Hon. E. j.
Phelps or Hon. W. H. H. Bingham
with their vote for United States SEN