The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-08
Saattbman 4 Journal.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1890.

The house adjourned without pass
ing resolutions of thanks to Speaker
Reed. His constituents in Maine
thanked him in behalf of the house and
the country.
THESE pension figures are interest
ing: Total expenditures for the year
ending June 30, sos, 1857 ,534; in the
previous year, SS7 ,644 100; in the year
before that, $50, 2SS,50S.
MAJOR MCKINLEY has gone home
to his gerrymandered district, and he
will do his best to overcome the $500
democratic majority against him. He
is hardly likely to succeed, but he is
said to have the good wishes of many
democrats at Washington. The gerry
mander was an outrage that only the
most bitter and INSCRIPTIONS partisans
approve. -
THE two branches of the legislature
are well Differed clerically by the cleo
tions of last week. Messrs Powers of
Morrisville and Dana of New Haven
will do the senate excellent service, and
Mr.. Stickney's ability is too well at
tested by long experience to need any
word of commentator. 1t is a good
thing for everybody to have these
offices well filled.
THE postmaster-gen has again re-
minded the post-oflice committee of the
house that he is anxious to have a
postal telegraph system established.
Well, so is almost every one but the
great telegraph companies, who of
course do not care to make any change.
The argument for a government mail
service is equally applicable to a gov
eminent telegraphic service.
The new anti-lottery bill goes further
than was anticipated by many of those
most anxious to see it passed. By an
Interpretation of the assistant attorney
general, it is to apply to advertisements
of church raffles and announcements of
the results of such raffles. This is hard
on the churches that indulge in such
illegal business enterprises, but these
churches must rise to the level of COM
mon morality.
HNHT fariH hill iS q 10 for haitian f,r
worse, as the case may be. 1t has been
stupendous piece of work, and differ
ences innumerable have been en-
countered. 1t is doubtless far from
perfect. The man does not live who
knows the needs of every business in
dustry in this country. Mr.. Mckinley
has framed bill based on high pro-
lection, and on that principle it is con-
sistent. High protection won the vic
tory in 1888, and it is still dominant.
Two priests, who arrived at Phila-
delphia on their way to teach in col
lege at St. Paul, Mimi, were not al
lowed to land because they had come
under contract. They had been
promised $500 year for their services.
A more absurd act could not be i'm
agined. These men came with no
other purpose than to do the highest
kind of good to the young men of ST.
Paul, yet they were refused the liberty
of our soil because they had prudently
made arrangements regarding their
work before leaving the foreign shore.
If we are not mistaken, the law has
been amended by congress to meet
such cases in the future.
The ballot reform law proposed by
Representative Marshall of Brattleboro
is substantially the law of Massachu-
sets, which has worked admirably and
to the entire satisfaction of both par
ties. The only objection to such law
is, of course, on the score of expense.
Governor Page, however, assures the
legislature that the cost in places in
Massachusetts corresponding to the
average Vermont town is only from So
to $50. 1t is not matter of vital i'm
portance in Vermont, but she may pre-
fer to be counted among those states
which have adopted the system, even
though there may be no crying need OF
the reform within her precincts.
THE death of Hon. Frederick Bill
ings, to which reference will be found
in another column, will be learned
with profound regret by all who have
either known him personally or are fla
miliar with his thousand acts of deli
cate charity and noble munillcence
His gifts to his adopted town, to hi
alma mater at Burlington, to Amhers