Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-11-30

the care of the insane, which means in its
practical effect the erection of a state asy
lum at some place to be decided on by the
trustees authorized in the measure.
The only essential changes in the educa-
tional bill from the bill as recommended by
the governors commission are contained in
three substitute sections proposed by DR..
Holton of Brattleboro. Under these pro
visions every town at its annual meeting is
to elect one member Of a county board of
education, who will hold office for one year.
The members of the county board thus chos-
en- will meet in the shire town of each coun-
ty on the first Tuesday of May, organize,
elect a county superintendent and have
general charge of the school work in
their respective counties, under the di-
rection of the state superintendent Their
pay is to be three dollars per day of actual
service Mr. Manns bill, as finally passed,
provides for only one commissioner instead
of three. The governor appoints him, and
his pay is to be five dollars day and ex-
penses. The bill for new insane asylum
appropriates 800, 600 for a beginning the
commissioners to carry out its provisions
are three in number. with the governor and
lieutenant governor members e.r o6icio.
Until within week of the end of the
session the appearances were that in spite
Of the warning of the officers Of the Yer
mont asylum, and Of both Governors Orms
bee and Dillingham;, nothing was likely to
I
pressure on the Brattleboro institution :
but finally, on a suggestion from Gov. Dill
lingham that he might be obliged to call an
extra session if provision was not made for
the proper care of the states unfortunates,
the Senate awoke to the gravity of the stu
alton, and the result was the introduction
in that body of the bill which has become a
law.
No other Legislature since the war time
has been so generous in the appropriation
of the states money Perhaps. when the
people come to count up the cost and see
what all the various appropriations amount
to in solid dollars, some of them will be in
clined to substitute the word prodigal for
new salaried offices, the giving of a round
sum yearly to the Burlington and Middle
bury colleges, So, 900 to the Soldiers
Home, and the 500, 900 necessary for the
new asylum, the Grand Isle people get an
other plum in the shape of a cool $50, 900
Of the states funds, not to mention sundry
lesser items, which will help to swell the
grand total The worst of it is that the
most Objectionable of these schemes for the
unwarranted use of the public money were
carried through by deliberate trades on the
familiar basis of You vote for my bill and
I'll vote for yours" If the common i'm
preston is well founded, this is especially
true of the grab of $50, 900 for another
Grand Isle bridge. This measure was once
| killed in the House, but was called up on a
reconsideration, and went through by a
bare majority of one. The promoters of
the scheme rushed to the governor with the
bill and tried to have him sign it instanter,
but he refused. and held it until the House
had time for another reconsideration had it
desired one. The fact is an interesting one
for the rest of the state-that since 1880
the Grand Isle people have now had special
appropriations of the public money amount
ing TO nearly Sl4 each for every man. WON
an and child in the island county and this
in spite of the fact that the people up there
are as well-to do as those of any part of the
state With this 1900, they have had
| Sj1, 600 out of the state treasury in the last
eight years The population of the county
at the last census was 4l24. No one blames
the Grand Isle people for wanting bridges
to connect them with the mainland but it
will be noticed that when Brattleboro for
instance, wants bridges across the Connect
icut, she has to pay her share of the cost,
| and gets no state aid.
One of the spicy incidents of Tuesday was
the debate on the fox bounty provision in
the bill relating to the destruction of nox-
ious animals This provision gives 60 cents
for each fox killed, ten cents of which goes
to the town clerk for making out the certi-
| ficate. 1t was argued by those who opposed
\ it that this bounty would take anywhere
from $1,000 to $40, 900 out of the state treas
ury needlessly during the next two years,
without causing the death of an additional
fox, because fox hunting is a pastime pur-
sued for its own pleasure, and not for a 80
cent bounty. Moreover, it was said with
! truth that in most cases there are two
hunters for every fox But the friends of
the bounty-most of them lawyers-said
the farmers wanted it 10 protect their tur
] ,fah Ill s,,1
fore the fox hunting season begins, and the
measure went through with the amend
ment striking ont the fox bounty refused,
IA TO 40, though it was observed that a
good many of the nay votes were those of
the very farmers whose turkeys needed
protection.
The bill to aid towns which have bonded
in aid of railroads, by the payment TO them
out of the state treasury of 10 per cent of
the amount bonded for, met different fate.
The debate on this measure was also bright
and interesting Some of the bonded towns
based their plea on the ground that when
they bonded it was with the expectation
that they would make a gain by having the
railroad property within their limits for
taxation, but the corporation tax law had
taken away even this poor resource. This
had its effect until Mr.. Prouty of Newport
arose and calmly inquired when these suf
/ fering towns were bonded. In 1873 or
4 1879 was the answer. Il thought so, "
said Mr.. Prouty, and at that lime railroad
property was subject TO no local taxation
| whatever and there was no thought of its
ever being The passage of the bill was
refused 10y the House nays l57, yeas A.
In the way of legislation tending TO
strengthen the hands of our railroad com
mission and TO make our state laws CORE
| spond with the interstate law and with the
laws of our progressive neighboring states
the record Of this session is conspicuous for
the absence of any such legislation accom-
/ phshed. Stated in plain terms, there has
not been session in recent years when the
domination Of the Central Vermont railroad
in legislative affairs has been so evident and
pronounced. In spite Of the explicit recon-
mendation Of Gov. Ormsbee in his retiring
message that our railroad commission law
should b. So amended as 10 make il NOR in
accord with the provisions Of the Interstate com
mrrcs Law of Congress including some or all pro