The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-08

and that the cities have been more
peaceful, orderly and more desirable
places of residence since the saloons
were closed up.-Greenfeld (WdSS)
Gazette and Courier.
DEATH has been busy among the
members of the forty-ninth congress.
Seven members of the house have
died-Duncan of Pen. 'ylvania, Ell
wood of Illinois, Rankin of Wisconsin,
Hahn of Louisiana, Cole of Maryland and
Beach and Arnot of New York. The
senate has lost two members-Miller
of California and Pike of New Hamp-
shire. Mr.. Arnot's successor will be
republican. January | Congressman
Hewitt will resign to fill the Office of
mayor of New York, and Congressman
Green will leave Washington to become
governor of New Jersey. There will,
therefore, be three vacancies on the
democratic side of the house during the
winter session, unless Governor Green
orders a special election to choose his
successor as a New Jersey representa-
tive.
Mr.. BLAINE may not be seeking the
nomination in 1888, and he may not
be nominated in any event; but the in
dications are as plenty as blackberries
in good season that he is still at the
head of the list OF strong and available
candidates. Hence the desperate eff
forts of the mugwumps and all other
classes of Blaine -haters to check the
tide of republican sentiment now so
strongly in his favor. This explains
why they have sought to make some
thing to his discredit from the triiiing
incident at Arthur's funeral. 1t is
small business, but the mugwumps have
a wonderful capacity for magnifying
little things. The Blaine-haters are
getting little comfort from the sturdy
republican press of the middle and
western states, and, fortunately, it is
the republicans of those great sections
who will control the selection of the
next republican candidate for the presi-
dency.
THE legislature passed an act to es-
tablish an agricultural experiment sta
ton in connection with the University
and State Agricultural College at Bur-
lington, and appropriated $4,000 year
for its maintenance. The purpose of
the station is to make investigations
and experiments on the nutrition of
plants and vegetation, with a view to
ascertain what fertilizers are best suited
to the various crops of our state. and
with reference to new fodder plants,
feeding stuffs, the ravages of noxious
insects, the fostering of new agricultural
industries and the analyzing of soils
and fertilizers. Such stations have
proved of much value to the farmers in
other states, and there is no reason to
doubt that such experiments here will
be equally advantageous. The Uni
versity is well equipped in its professor
of agriculture, Professor w. w. Cooke,
for director of such scientific serv-
ice.-Messenger.
A BILL has been introduced in the
Georgia legislature to limit the profits
on "store goods to fifteen per cent,
and it provides penalty for merchants
who speculate outside of these figures.
The books of mercantile concerns are
to be open to inspection by the proper
officers to ascertain whetherthe law has
been complied with. The friends of
the bill aver that it will bring about
revival of prosperity among the poor,
that are in the ma iority, and that the
state has as much right to regulate the
profits of the mercantile ring as it has
railroad rates, and that laws should be
made for the poor entirely The dis
patch states that, Notwithstanding the
absurdity of the bill, it stands chance
of passing the house.-MeSSenger. 1t
is now in order for some other crank
to ask legislation to prohibit farmers
from demanding or receiving more than
a stipulated price for such produce as
they have to sell.