The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-10-29


THE committee on the worlds fair has
thus far but informally considered that sub
ject. Commissioner Snalley is attending
meeting of the executive committee in
Chicago. This week Commissioners Smalley
and McIntire will appear before the COM
mittee to present the matter in definite
form aud suggest such legislation az seems
To them advisable. The feeling il universal
that Vermont should be well represented.
Those who take broad view of the subject
say If Vermont is to be represented at all, it
should be done in "A creditable manner.
Our manufactures Of marble and granite
should he sent for exhibition. Chief of all,
our agriculture should be so presented as to
dispel any impression that the state is pow
erty-stricken and to show that the average
acre of Green Mounai soil will produce as
good crops IA an average acre of any other
state in the Union.
THE plan of Mr. Steele of Stockbridge,
referred to in our general report Of the hear
ing last Wednesday evening, provides that
the prudential committee shall furnish a
place for school and supply furniture, fix
lures, fuel, etc, to be paid for by tax on
the grand list of the district, but he shall
not employ any teachers. The town at its
annual town meeting shall elect board of
three or FIVE school directors who shall EN-
pOy all the teachers in town, and deter
mine the location and number of schools,
the chairman of the board to be superin-
IenueuJ Oh SCHOOLS, Iue expense OF same 10
be betrayed by tax on the grand list of
the town, to which shall be added all pub
lie moneys and be known as the school
fund The gentleman argued that such a
system would eliminate the difficulties of
equalizing the school property az required
| under the town system. 1t would also
equalize the tax between districts, bringing
school supervision in closer contact with
| the schools and allow the uniting of small
schools when it was possible. The plan
also pro vides for keeping the qualifications
of teachers up to the present standard.
a BARNARD correspondent says: Our
people, as a general thing, are not pleased
with the new school law. Changing the
time of holding school-meetings caused
some friction 1t was a new thing to have
the annual schOol-meeting at a time when
farmers were engaged in hayiug. Voters
! did not attend the meetings and 80 the bus
| mess was done in a sip.Shod manner. An
other thing that made the law unpopular
| was the action of the school board in Sc
| Letting text books. Every school book that
was used in this town was thrown out and
a new list substituted. a town-meeting
| was called and the town voted to purchase
such books as were then in use, thus multi
! flying the action of the board. The town
claimed the right to take this action under
| Sections 172 and 1856 of the new school law.
! Section 172 reads: " But this shall not be
| held to prevent the use of such books as
shall be supplied without expense to the
| pupils" Section 1856 says: "Towns can
vote free text books.' Amend it and make
| 1t plain, or fix up some new thing The
member of the board for Barnard is away.
This office seems to be useless. Why not
abolish it? OF the three systems, the pres
ent law, the Enright bill, and the town sys-
TEN, the last named is to be preferred.
THE education committee considered,
| Thursday evening, III. 10l, an act dividing
the funds arising from the grammar school
| lands in Orleans county. The fund.- it ap-
pears, has been divided among the schools
of the towns of the county which have put
in sort of grammar school annex to secure
part of the fund. Mr.. Dustin of Crafts
bury claimed that the fund was intended
originally for the towns of Craftsbury and
| Bloomington. Major Grout said the grant
! for Orleans county was made in 1912 for
! Craftsbury and Bloomington, but was not
| accepted Another was made in 1920 which
| Bloomington accepted, and in 1899 organ
! lied an academy, asked and received "A
division of the funds. Finally all the four
| teen towns of the county developed an
academy. Major Grout claimed that the
money granted is perverted from the inten-
tons of the original grant and should be
used exclusively for bona .fde academies.
| The money so scattered impoverishes the
! real academies and does not enrich the
! other schools. The total amount annually
| is $500, which should be divided equally
between Derby and Craftsbury; whereas,
! Derby receives about $40 and Craftsbury
receives its own share and that of Green's
! boro. The Derby school fits for college and
has three terms year, while the others
! have only one term and instruction is
chiefly in English branches Mr.. Chafey of
Albany explained that in the village dis
! trict of that town an addition had been
made TO the district school-house and
rented TO the academy, in which at least
! three months of school is held annually,
| with same teachers for the academy as for
the district. In Holland. Mr.. Kidder ex-
planned that the academy" circulates
among the school districts OF the town.
Senator Cleveland explained that in Cow
entry they have annually a three months
school. The fund money is kept entirely
| distinct, The same teacher presides over
district school and academy.
THE hearing in the Barre contested cleo
| ton case began last week Tuesday afternoon,
! Messrs. Fay and Wing appeared for Mr..
Smith, and Boyce & Boyce for Mr. Perry,
the returned member. The contestant
claims his seat on the ground that one S.
l.. Gates voted for Mr. Perry twice on the
third ballot. This ballot showed a total
| vote of 40; necessary for "A choice, $50.
MIR. Perry's vote was 36S, Mr.. Smiths was
$50, and there were seventeen votes scatter
| ing But for the alleged double vote for
! MIR, Perry on this ballot, the number of
votes necessary for choice would have
| been 3S5-eXactly the number that would
have elected him. The defendants intro
duce testimony to show that there was
illegal voting for Mr.. Perry. The contest
ants met this with evidence that there was
illegal voting for Smith. Dispositions were
read to disprove evidence introduced on
the other side in regard to Gates voting
twice Dispositions tending To show that
persons voted for Il. l.. Smith, who were
not voters, were also read. Mr.. Gates
deposition tends to show that he did not
vote on the first or fourth ballot, and that
he voted three times in all for town repre-
sentative, and consequently he voted tw .ce
on either the second or third ballot. Some
misinformed person told him another bal
lot was in progress, hearing which he went
to the polls and deposited his vote, no one
Directing. The lawyers arguments in
the case began Thursday afternoon and
closed Friday. Mr.. Fay opened the case
for the contestant, arguing that the evidence
proved that Mr., Gates voted twice on the
third ballot. The dispositions of several
persons he claimed, established this fact
conclusively. If this fact is proved, then
Mr.. Smith was legally elected ON that bal
| lot. The claim of the defence that Gordon,
Hunt, Hall and Dickinson, who voted for
Smith, We're illegal voters, he maintained