Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-11-21

The present law makes the secretary Of
state and state treasurer a board Of insur-
auce commissioners, dividing between them
duties and emoluments that would keep a
good mau busy and give him good salary.
The promoters Of the new scheme are old
line men, who desire an insurance expert
to be at the head Of the business, while
they are opposed 10y representatives Of the
different assessment companies who feel
that their interests will he better protected
10y leaving the law as at present. The fees
paid the state for licenses by the different
companies now amount 10 about $4,000 per
year, aud on quite proportion Of this
amount the insurance commissioners get
sixty per cent for their services. The
report Of the commissioners for 1890 makes
book Of 22G pages, and contains the
financial statement of every company doing
business in the state. 1t can be obtained
by application to the secretary of state 1t
Is said that the committee having the
matter in charge will report against the
proposed new office, but will recommend a
less liberal distribution of the fees to the
present commissioners.
A bill passed the senate yesterday which
provides that a judge of the supreme
court shall not act as an attorney for or
director or officer of any railroad manu-
featuring, banking or other business cor
poration in the state, or transact any pro
bate business except for a relative. The
bill is said to be aimed at one Of the older
Judges who is connected with several cor
porate interests, and derives a considerable
revenue therefrom. An effort will be
made in the house to amend the bill so that
Judge may accept offices of trust without
profit, as there are several savings banks
and other institutions in the state that
would feel it a great loss to be deprived of
the counsel and advice Of some Of the
| Judges now connected with them.
A joint resolution has been adopted au-
thorizing the secretary Of state to sell the
copies of the Revised Laws now on hand
! for $50 per copy-former price 50 per
copy The books are fast going but there
are some left, and the returning represent
atives will doubtless be glad to take home
! copies, not to exceed dozen perhaps, to
| such of their constituents as will drop
them postal
The committee on ways and means have
stirred up quite hornets nest in their in
crease Of taxation of telephone companies
! by the new corporation tax bill lively
| hearing is in progress tonight on the sub
| ject Il W Stoddard represented the Brat
tleborp branch of the New England Tele
phone company. The rate will doubtless
be decreased
Col Hooker is more smiling than usual
today over the result of the agricultural
college fight in the house. The debate on
the question occupied some time, but was
mostly taken by the committee on educa-
ton, in defence of their plan to substitute
a compromise measure proposed some time
ago by the directors Of the Vermont state
agricultural society for the original bill.
This compromise, it will be recollected, was
on the basis Of giving the farming interests
a controlling voice in the management of
the institution, without divorcing it fully
from the university. 1t was attempted to
be shown in the debate that separation
would be a display of bad faith towards the
university, and would seriously cripple it,
and that with a new institution this state
could not furnish students enough to make
it a success, and could not hope TO draw
from the surrounding states, which all have
better institutions than we The very de
csive vote 16 for substitution and l64 for
the original bill, was great surprise to all
1t was doubtless largely influenced 10y the
great volume Of petitions that have flowed
in here for the past two weeks from nearly
every town in the state Not for many
years have the people spoken 50 loudly 10y
way of petitions as on this question. For
several DAYS the members have been pre-
senting these petitions whenever there has
been a break IN other business, and even
after the vote was declared this afternoon
a half dozen men unlolded their pockets
and fired them at the clerk much faster
than they could he filed. 1t is evident that
many voted for the new institution some
what reluctantly, and with misgivings as t.
what will be the outcome, but when they
were confronted with the names of two
thirds of their constituents attached to {
petition their course seemed marked out
Col Hooker says he knows that they
have more than majority of the senate
and that success is assured
Rutland has guaranteed $50 900 for th'
purchase of farm and the erection o
buildings provided the institution shall b,
located at that place. Windham county
voted almost solidly for the new institution
The vote on the high license question to
day was almost equally surprise to boil
sides The friends of the bill had boaste,
of a support of 100 or more, and now CLAIM
that they had 81 last night tried and tru,
supporters by actual count. The debate
took the form Of short, crisp speeches, an,
( many of the stock arguments were no
, brought up. The leading speaker for licens
claimed that prohibition was farce and
failure, that liquor was as free as in an
sister state, and as plentiful as the stream
of water He was followed by a membe
t on the other side, who stated that he wou
{ assert that man could travel all over tn
state and not see drop of liquor unless h
was looking for it.
The vote stood l54 for dismissal of tn
/ bill TO g. against The vote in 1888 stoo
80 for third reading to l4s against. Wind
r. ham county voted for license, il against
q The question of taxation has occupie
e quite a portion of the time of the house fo
! the past two days Mr.. Ryther's bill to ia
o savings banks deposits locally, when in el
5 cess of $500, was supported by ma jority {
e the committee on grand list, with propose
h amendment fixing the limit at $1,000. Nj
e SheTwin Mr.. Marshall and Mr. Ryther too
2 a hand in the debate, which was quite al
e imated.
+ The serious disturbance in financial Gel
t tres during the past few days was allude
o to- and the result liable to be seen neN
f January if the 81, O00, 900 in our saving
banks, in sums in excess of $1,000, should /
e demanded, was duly pictured. Mr. Marsha
e explained the unfavorable results to II
If Brattleboro Savings banks of the cuttm
II down of the limits from $4,000 to Sl5C
i eight years ago, aud stated the fact thu
IS most of the Withdrawals were traced Of
d of the state and lost to taxation. The OF
Is er side set out the great burden of taxatiC
it now resting on the farmer, and demandt
d that money should pay its full share. III
it banks were not the only interest in Il
r state that should be protected, and noboc
10 ! could uaN. IN YES aa sia than thOsp who h1
id the cash The vote stood l IA for this di
p missal of the bill to so against
r The question of relieving the party wi
I'd now pays taxes on real estate for which
Mt owes, is exciting a great deal of intere.
es Two bills are now before the house touc
n ing this question. One has passed the Sc
ID ate with only two dissenting votes
te | provides that money loaned on real esta
securities at a rate not exceeding per &c
ye per aunum shall he exempt from taxatio
u Savings banks lOaning money at per &c
nj may deduct the amount so loaued from I
e amount subject TO corporation tax.
ge The house bill on the same subject pl
at vides that real estate mortgages shall
his treated as real estate for purposes of tar
ee ton and shall be assessed to the mortgag,
NJ while the balance of real estate not rep
scented by the mortgage shall be set 10 t
ed nominal owner Of the real estate This
u substantially the Massachusetts, plan, and
N has been shown in the debate to work Ina,
or in that state TO the parties whom 1t soul
De- to relieve. The farmers there are tryi
TO TO secure the repeal of the law, but
he money lenders are too much for them.
lat senate bill, it is claimed, will extend
m money loaners much lower rate of tal
ne tion-only one per cent-than most of 1
So.