The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-11-21

day, which, we were informed in the con-
text, IL FOR legislative notes in THURSDAYS
daily-By lady" Contrary to the laws of
journalism, we are inclined to publish this
anonymous squib emitting the personal
references which real lady-or gentle
man-could not make. Here is the "item"
That aspiring and ambitious man from
- was took with one OF his bad SHELLS
this afternoon. at the State House, and poor
--- will have to be up all night cooking
up something nice for him, for he alters has
a dredfW appetite when he has them bad
! spells and he's had EN- pretty often late
years. The miliners should all have their
70 cent Bunnts on exhibition, caus he may
want to take present home to -.
| That is he may see tit to If the incubator
works all right while he's gone, so he can
| have some chickens to sell. He's Just the
| kind of protector the Ladies don't want
and they would just enjoy tucking him up,
! If - will very kindly let EN- know he's
took with another bad spell, for further in
formation read the opening chapter of Jo-
siah Aliens wife's new book"
" THERE has been a hearing on the Pitkin
| bill before the special committee on temper
ance. Your correspondent was talking with
prominent member Of the house day or
two since and he said that while he favored
the Pitkin bill personally, yet he could not
IN justice to his constituents, vote for it,
This is common remark, and just here, at
the risk of being dull, | would like to say
word: What is man sent to the legisla-
ture for? Why, to represent his town, YOU
will say. Granted. but you are not snffi-
GENTLY explicit. You say he is sent to
represent the town. Now the question
is this Shall a representative act in his
official capacity according to the dictates of
his own judgment? Or shall he vote as he
believes his constituents would like to have
him? He has got to do one or the other
AT the risk OF being sneered at, | affirm that
man who represents town in the legisla-
ture should do what he thinks is right
what is manifestly for the best good of his
town rather than as he thinks majority of
his townsmen would like to have him. A
member of 'SS cannot hope to return in 80
as a rule, so that however he NAV act he
can lose nothing. If any member believes
high license to be for the best interests of
the state of Vermont, he but stultifies him
self If he votes against it, He further has
not the courage of his convictions. The
Pitkin bill is very stringent and its passage
would be great thing for Vermont. Per
genneS Vermonter.
WHILE the ladies were enjoying themselves
Thursday night in the executive chamber
| and reception room, the members Of the
senate of 1886 were holding their first bien-
NAL reunion in the senate chamber. Lieu
tenant-Governor Fuller was in the chair
and at the secretary's desk sat G.. w.
Brownell the veteran secretary, and AL
land G.. Fay, assistant secretary. Earle S.
Kinsley, the senate reporter, was also at
his old post, and at the right of the desk
sat the chaplain, Rev. T. p. Frost. The
heavyweight doorkeeper, Lafayette Soper,
was on hand to maintain order Seventeen
of the senators were in their places to re-
spond to the roll call: ID. w. Nash of Addi-
son, A. b. Valentine of Bennington, H. G.
Bates and G. A. Bunker of Caledonia, Will
liam Wells A. j. Stevens and Smith Wright
of Chittenden, j. F. Draper of Franklin,
j. p. Hall of Grand Isle, V. I. Spear and
John Bailey of Orange, A. T. Foster and
G. II. Blake of Orleans, p f. Chase of Rut-
land, F. f. Smith and William Chaplin
of Washington, Chester Pierce of Wind
sor Numerous and weighty subjects of
legislation were discussed and satisfactorily
disposed of. The chief item of business
consisted in favoring action on the report
on the high license bill by the senator from
Caledonia and his two immortal associates
on the special committee. The bill has been
lying for two years, and the question being,
Does the report also le?" it was voted
that the report does lie and be ordered to
lie still further.
AT the railway hearing, last week Tues
day, the representative from st. Johnsbury
stated that he paid the railways 500, 900 a
year for freight, that he owned several lum-
Der mills in Essex county, and If, in con-
sideration of his business, the railways saw
fit to give him a pass or do him other
favors, he thought that no legislative in
reference should be had with his relations
W VIC companies. lie nau
no fault to find with the roads, and be-
lieved there was no cause for complaint,
and that the legislation proposed by the
Holton bill was not needed. A man in
Vermont who pays railway company
100000 year in freights would not be
very likely to have-or allowed to have
any grievance. AS human nature goes, it
would be natural for him to oppose any
legislation that would regulate, at the ex-
pense of his personal convenience and in
the interest of the general public, the man
agement and operating of railways With
all due Difference to this large shippers
opinions, which, like other mems seem to
be influenced by selfish considerations, we
believe it would be in the interest of good
morals and for the general public veal, as
well as for the best interests of the railways
themselves, If the giving Of free passes
should be prohibited by law. We do not
believe it is a wholesome thing that men,
beers of the legislature, chairmen of COM
mittees, state officials, judges of the courts,
should take from the railways favors hav-
ing large money value, and whch-dis-
guise 1t by any ingenious plea you will-are
given for corrupting purpose. We believe
it is better that Mr.. Hazen should pay his
fares than that this free-pass scandal should
longer continue. People who are holding
public office, and who are called upon to
act in matters in which one of the parties
is so directly interested as are the railway
companies, should, like Caesars wife, be
above suspicion. There is no way expe-
rence has shown to correct this evil except
through imperative legal prohibition.
EX-SENATOR CHAPLIN of Middesex who
was chairman of a similar committee [Grand
Isle bridge appropriation two years ago,
had looked the ground over and was fully
persuaded that the aid sought should be be-
slowed. The burden of the state, if it could
be considered such by any, was not worth
mentioning; he himself paid on grand list
of $50 and it would only increase his tax
sixty-seven cents. st. Aibdns Messenger
The islanders have not used the ex-senator
so well as they have their other friends, or
have offered to use them, if they have al
lowed him to suffer to the extent of even
siXty-seven cents for his devotion to their
cause. A friend of the senator, bantering
him on his enthusiasm for the people of
Grand Isle county, on his return from his
visits to those localities inquired, What
do they do for you when You go up there ?"
These, of course, are mere pleasantries,
for Uncle William, like Brutus, is armed
so strong in honesty " that innuendo passes
by him " like the idle wind" But seriously,
our honest friend is too good an economist
to be deceived or TO deceive himself by any
such false reasoning as this sixty-seven cent