The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-03-04
Montpelier Town Meeting.

The town meeting was called to order at |
ten O'Clock by H. A Huse, moderator, who |
announced that the secret ballot law, passed |
by the legislature of 1890, would he put |
into effect for the first time in Montpelier.
On the left side of Capital hall had been |
arranged some seventeen booths or com
partments, enclosed by an iron rail at the |
regulation distance from the booths, with |
an entrance at the north end of the railing |
and an exit at the south end near which |
was ballot-box about the size of an or |
dnary dry goods box. The moderator ex-
planned the mOduS Opcrdpdi necessary for
legally complying with the provisions of
the socalled Australian ballot law, at the
same time directing the ballot clerks, j. H.
Senter, j. g. Brown, L. Il. Merrill, Jr., and
A. j. Sibley, to allow only seventeen voters
within the enclosure at one time. Every
| thing explained, w. A. Lord moved, and
the motion was carried, that the meeting
proceed to ballot for town officers.
The ticket nominated by the citizens
party was elected, II. :. Town for select
man defeating NJ. M Cutler, independent.
dates: Moderator, II. A. Huse; seectmen,
j. W. Brock, NJ. Marvin, II. S. Town; treas
urer, +. l.. Eaton; overseer, Il. NJ. Irish;
first constable and collector, f. NJ. Irish;
second constable, T. J. Keegan; listers, j.
o. Livingston, G. Def. Bancroft, c. A.
Bailey; auditors, Fl. N. Taplin NJ E.
Smile, A. w Fer in; fence viewers, George
e. Holden, N c. Tabor, A. S. Sparrow;
town grand jurors, f. l.. Laird, I. j. Boyn-
ton, j. H. Lucia; inspector of leather, A.
Johonnott; pound keeper, ID. w. Dudley;
surveyor of wood and lumber, ID. Taft
agent, S. G.. Shurtlef; superintendent of
schools, j. III. Senter; road commissioners,
selectmen; trustees surplus money, A. Jo-
honnott, f. e. Smith, Thomas Marvin
commissioner of Green Mount cemetery, l..
| Bart Cross
During the voting the following business
was Transacted: Voted to accept the town
officers report for 1890; to abate the poll
taxes of the state militia, and also to raise
highway tax of fifteen cents on dollar of
the grand list, to be paid in money.
Article thirty in the warning was then
reached: "To see If the town will vote to
raise money on the grand list to pay the
debts and expenses of the town, including
interest on its bonds and any appropria-
lions which may be made" Morton Mar
vim moved that tax of seventy-five cents
on the dollar of the grand list be raised,
claiming that with this tax all town eX-
penses could he paid and about $4,000 on
the Indebtedness of the town. George
Blanchard moved to amend this motion by
voting tax of one dollar, stating that the
selectmen of last year estimated that a
sixty-tive cent tax would pay $4,000 of the
debt, and in fact only a little over 50 600
was paid. Mr.. Blanchard was ably sup
ported by MesSrs Senter, Lord and Holden,
and opposed by f. L.. Eaton. The motion
for one dollar tax was lost, and, on mo-
tion of j. II. Lucia, town tax of eighty-tive
cents on dollar was voted.
1t was voted to put tax bills into the
hands OF the treasurer for collection; to APP
propriate $50 for Memorial day. to author
ize the town treasurer TO borrow money to
pay any immediate liability of the town,
not to exceed $4,000.
A resolution, in effect as follows, was
adopted: " Resolved, that the Sc ectmen be
: authorized TO refund part or all of the in
debtedness of the tewn which is payable
: during the ensuing year at the option of the
town. but in re-funding the same they are
l not to issue bonds running for more than
ten years"
l II was voted to EXEMPT the firm of Perry
. . 81 Demeritt from taxation. for the period of
[ ten years. A motion to prohibit any further
! interment in the "0id Cemetery" on Elm
street was carried, and the selectmen were
instructed to clean up the cemetery and
pat in proper repair. The salary of the
town treasurer was reduced from $50 per
year to one dollar, and salaries to other
town officers were made the same as last
year. 1t was also voted to pay ID. w. Dud-
: ley bill of SIS for teams used by listers in
years past.
t A large and good-natured crowd was
attracted to the polls, undoubtedly to take
in the workings of the secret ballot law.
While there may be difference of opinion
: as to the necessity for such a law in the
case of town meetings, there is no doubt
that in state and national elections the law
| Will uiDtJ Wlbl Int approval OI all GLASSES.
The seleetmen report an aggregate eX-
penditure of S21, ,3S5.54 but the footing of
the figures they give is S21 ,327 IA or SIS. 40
less, and the footing of the items of the re-
capitulation gives still another total, S21, =
336.54 Their recapitulation shows that of
this aggregate S4, ,S29.47 was for orders to the
= street commissioner, while that officials re-
port OF " important bills paid by the COM
: missioner" makes expenses paid by him
$4,722 81, but the figures he presents foot
III 7D1 81 Or1pra linunr N
for Sl,795.23; school fund, So ,69930; state
school tax, S4,250. Kellogg will case,
, 81 164 IS, of which sum $500 was for retain
ing Mr.. Parsons of New York city and the
remainder was for expenses OF selectmen,
the towns law agent and other expenses
at New York and elsewhere; salaries of
town officers $365.90; abatement of taxes,
S237S AZ, this large sum accruing in large
part, the selectmen explain, through the
failure OF the several boards of selectmen
from 1884 to 1889 4" to settle and close the
accounts of the collector of taxes annually"
The town liquor agents report shows that
liquor on hand and his receipts amount TO
S2,5475 52; expenditures and invoice of
liquor year ago, 81, ,00l %; profits for the
year, S54609. The overseer of the poor
credits himself on page 16 with S2025 "A,
but the sum of the items he gives is s.
225.24; and the " balance in hands of over
seer " is given at S132 6G, but there should
be $500 more to balance the account as
printed This seems to constitute a separ-
ate department of town expenses, the de-
tails of which show an expenditure of
$l,S92.2S. Added to the aggregate of the
items embraced in the recapitulation of the
selectmen, the total Of the expenditures
seems to be S23, ,227 50. The treasurer's re-
port shows that the bonded debt of the
town is $4,000; floating debt, 81 63S 90;
cemetery trust funds, 81, ,325; United States
deposit. $6,4Sl,74. The treasurer deducts
from this Indebtedness $500 in notes and
bonds on account of cemetery trust funds
The towns real estate and other assets
amount to $3,S25.2S. The estimates for the
coming year aggregate S24 .262 40. The
grand list of the town is 49,. .946. 40. The
seleetmen recommend tax of seventy-fve
cents, which they say with the fifteen cent
tax will pay estimated expenses and
leave good balance to apply toward the
Indebtedness of the town"
Washington County Court.
The spring term of the Washington