The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-10-17

DdJe JuuReS'
THE anniversary exercises of the Ver-
mont Bible Society will be held Wednesday
evening, October H. in representatives hall,
at 1880 p. NJ. An address will be delivered
by Rev. f. ID. Aver, DID,, of Concord,
n. II.
The judiciary committee evidently re-
ported bills four and five to the house be-
fore they had sufficiently digested the con-
tents thereof. They were accordingly re-
committed on motion of Mr.. Marsh, the
chairman.
No one can complain that the legislature
is forgetting the old soldiers. Mr. Wal
bridge of Concord introduced bill this
morning providing for the burial, at the ex-
pense of the town, of those dying in desti-
tute circumstances.
THE state press, in commenting on the
school bill, seems to be quite unanimous in
approval of the bill as a whole, although
there is little disappointment manifested
in some quarters that the adoption of the
town system was not made obligatory
BILLS have now been introduced in rela-
tion to each of the three most important
subjects of legislation, the schools, agricul-
ture and railroads. And still there's more
to follow. When they are all in, the house
will have good assortment from which to
take its pick.
NOTICING a statement in the newspapers
that the Bennington centennial celebration
cost $4,000, correspondent, by way Of
correction, presents the figures from the
official report signed by Governor Fair
banks as president of the association.
These are $4,000.
THE bill regulating the salaries of the
judges of probate, introduced this morning
by Mr.. Marsh of Woodstock, provides for
an increase of from fifty to one hundred
dollars in each case. The legislators are
evidently following in the wake of their
hrnt In E,1
reduce the surplus.
THE bill introduced by Mr.. Stevens of st.
Albans, if passed, will probably greatly in
crease the zeal of the saloon annihilators.
The bill allows the complainant in liquor
prosecutions half of the fines recovered.
The temperance worker will now receive
other more substantial rewards than the ap-
proval of his conscience.
Mrs. L. p. WHEELER of VerCennes has
given the Vermont historical society two
flags captured at the battle of Plattsburg in
1914 by Commodore McDonough. One flag
is colonial and has thirteen stars on the blue
ground and three broad stripes of red, white
and blue. The other has twenty-three stars
and thirteen red and white stripes.
THERE was great excitement in the house
Wednesday afternoon when the sun ap-
peared for a moment and sent a few sickly,
yellow rays scintillating through the win
dows. There was little faint applause in
one corner. The episode awoke the as
sembly from its lethargy, and the gentleman
from Rockingham moved to adjourn.
THAT was a curious situation in the town
of Athens in regard to the seventh justice
of the peace. OF the two candidates who
received the highest number of votes, one
! is now dead and the other is dumb. Either
! of the two would no doubt be able to keep
the peace perfectly, but the joint assembly
chose the dumb man as the more eligible.
GOVERNOR DILLINGHAM has made the fol-
! lowing staff appointments: Henry James,
! Waterbury, surgeon-general; II. f. Taylor,
Brattleboro NJ. o. Perkins, Windsor G. S,
Forbes, st. Albans; f. ID. Bennett Ben
nington; f. ID. Butterfed, Derby Line; Il.
j. Kimball, West Randolph; l.. G. Leavens,
Berkshire: g. o. Tyler, Burlington, aids
with the rank of colonel.
SOME of the members seem to be vioat-
J ing rule which it is always well to observe
, in legislative affairs, namely, to contine
ones attention to but one subject of legis-
lation at time. No one is likely to make
his mark as statesman by introducing all
sorts of bills on every variety of subject
Don't try to participate in every contest
that is being waged in the legislative arena.
" One war at a time.
The unsophisticated wight who composed
the blood-curdling account of Speaker
Grout's accident which appeared in this
! mornings 1rgUS ought to be pensioned by
Hiram for his brilliant achievement. The
rhetorical beauty OF the opening clause is
quite overcoming: Speaker Grout met
| with bad and one which might and indeed
seemed likely for a time to prove to be a Sc
rious, accident last Friday night"
DIR. HoLToN's bill to enable the town OF
| Brattleboro to purchase the toll bridge OF
the town of Hinsdale and build bridge
over the Connecticut river was railroaded
| through both houses on limited express
field, directly across the river from Brattle
boro, holds its town meeting on Saturday
next and il was very desirable that the bill
should be passed before that time
In attempting to explain why Mr.. Fur.
man failed to receive his party vote fol
speaker, the ArguS gives away the demo.
Gratis in the house in bad style. 1t is said
that "they did not understand the situa
ton" In other words, they were asleep
and did not know enough to vote for the
party candidate after he had been put IN
nomination. In the language of the ArguS
famous slogan in the senatorial campaign
of two years ago, Wake up wake up,
democrats, and get on TO the situation. >
SPEAKER CIRCUIT hesitated slightly wher
the woman suffrage petitions came in, and
seemed in doubt as to which committee tC
refer them, but finally selected the genera
committee. Mr.. Ballard, the chairman o.
this committee, seemed anxious to get rid
OF tne TASK imposed upon nluli anu on nls
motion the petitions were referred to the
committee on judiciary, as in previous
sessions. The speaker states as his reason
for referring them TO the general committee
that the judiciary had, at the last session
requested to be relieved of this RESPONSE
bility.
THE Vermont Historical Society met in
its room at the state house to-day. The
following board of officers was elected
President Hon. e. p. Walton; vice-pres
dents, Rev. w. S. Hazen and Hon. ID. Rob
erts recording secretary, Colonel j. III
Lucia; corresponding secretaries, f. w
Scott and Professor Charles Dole; treas
urer, Hon. Hiram Carleton; librarian, III
A. Huse, Esq; curators, Hon. II. S. Taft,
DIR. III A. Cutting, Hon. Gilbert A. Davis
Fred butcher, Esq, Mr.. Edward .Conant
DR.. p. ID. Bradford, G. c. Chandler, Esq.
A fuller account of the proceedings will be
given in our next issue.
THE last Argus contained half-coumn
expose of the circumstances connected with
the attempt to seat Mr.. Hartman as the
representative from Canaan Mr.. Hartman
is characterized as a persistent offce-seekei
and is playfully described as the possessol
of a cast-iron gall and an adamantine cheek
Verify the gentleman must be most fearfully
and wonderfully made. The attempt tC
seat him is also denounced as a case of un