The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-15

know anything about it,"
THE important subject of reducing
the supreme bench to six judges has
properly been introduced early in the
session. 1t should also be reported on
at an early day. 1t is not subject for
much consideration in committee. The
state of things in reference to the
judges work is well understood. 1t is
merely question of whether this leg
islature wishes to reduce the number
to six or not.
THE Rutland Herald intimates that
it is proposed to locate the new agri-
cultural college in this section "with
view to gaining local support for the
bill" This is not a fair inference
Those who favor a separate college, so
far as we have heard, make separation
the first consideration, and are content
to leave the matter of a location to the
good sense of the legislature. 1t is, of
course, quite important that some CEN
trail point be selected, but whether this
section or some other is chosen is of
small moment compared with the de-
cided advantages of an Independent,
fully-equipped school, 1t is understood
that the University of Vermont has
engaged Ex-Governor Ormsbee as coun-
sci, and George W. Wing, Esq, is said
to be the legal adviser of the friends of
the new institution. There is nothing
wrong about having legal advice on
either side, but it is hardly becoming
for an instructor in the University of
Vermont to spend several days here
lobbying for his college. He is paid to
teach, not to lobby. He should be
servant, not dictator, to the legisla-
ture, which is authorized by congress to
assume the responsibility of spending
the school funds in the most profitable
way.
ACCORDING to the NeW York Euen-
ing Post, the states of Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont made larger
gains in population previously to 1850
than did Massachusetts, Rhode Island
and Connecticut, while since that year
the rule has been reversed. The Post
says that between 1890 and 1900, the
northern New England states gained
166, 1892 population, or 51.6 per cent,
while the southern section only gained
81, AL, or S.35 per cent. In the next
decade the northern section gained
81 per cent, and the southern only
9.14 in the next two decades the
northern gain was respectively ia and
and 22.3 per cent, and the southern 50
and 1873 per cent. Since 1850, how
ever, the three northern states gained
but 4.35, 0.6, Al and three per cent,
respectively, and the southern gain was
23.4, 1874, PIP and 1913 per cent. 1t is
not hard to explain these tendencies.
The growth of manufacturing has been
at points accessible to the other states
or foreign countries, by either railroads
or sailing craft. Since the war es-
pecially, manufacturing has made Won
derful strides. Cities having good COM
mercal facilities, and some fortunately
located as TO water power, have had
remarkably rapid development. 1t is
undeniable, too, that the proximity of
the three northern states to the Ca
madam line has hindered their growth.
Customs laws have checked the natural
course of trade. 1t was inevitable that
central points would grow more rapidly
in the long run than the out-of-the-way
places.
CONGRESSMAN CIRCUIT writes the
Free Press an interesting letter regard
ing the status of maple sugar under the
new tariff bill Most of the facts which
he brings out have been referred to in
the WATERMAN, but one important fact
in connection with the time at which
the bounty goes into operation is
pointed out, for the first time in public
print, we believe, by General Grout
He says: "The bounty will expire Jul.
l, 1905, and the maple sugar men WHIT
hold on till that time will get the bount,
they ought to have next spring, anC
that year cane, sorghum and beet suga
will have none" Regarding the polar
iscopic test of maple sugar, Genera
Grout quotes from letter from Secre
tary Rusk, as follows " In some case
maple sugar is made very pure and dry
in such instances the polariscope wi
be between ninety-four and ninety
seven per cent. In other cases it
made quite moist and contains cor
siderable portion of invert sugar, forme
in boiling; in such cases the polar
scope may fall as low as seventy-fve {
even seventy per cent. On page 1876
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