Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-10-13

oughly convinced OF the wisdom of this pol
icy, and l believe that those who oppose the
enactment of statute looking to this end,
stand in their own light in 40 doing. But,
however this may be, your duty is to legs-
late for the greatest good OF the greatest
number, so far you can do so and be just
| to the minority.
Wrongs and in justice often creep in under
! the system of monthly indefinite pay
ments or payments in merchandise. Re
! member that it ia your duty, as we'll as con
stitutional right to correct these wrongs.
STANDARD OK UNIFORM INSURANCE Poll
tCIEs.
There is no tax which our people are
called upon to bear which Is more burden
some then that OF insurance against fire.
Tho policy Of some of our sister Statos-no-
tabiy Massachusetts, New York and Penn
| sylvanin-now is to require all insurance
companies to write Il uniform policy pre-
scribed by law.
There is no contract at once so common
and so important as the contract of insur
ance. II is held by nine-tenths of our peo-
| pc and III the contingency OF fire has "a
value measured oftentimes only bv the
face Of the policy. Its universalitg and
| great importance make it OF tho first mo-
! nent that the terms employed be as simple
aud the conditions Incorporated therein b,
as few az possible consistent with the scope
| Of the contract. The ordinary policy with
its manifold conditions, is quite too com
pley for the comprehension OF the average
| policy holder. This ComplcXity is somewhat
enhanced by the feet that hardly any two
Of the 81 companies doing business in Yer
mont use the same form Of policy. We're n
uniform policy prescribed by law, the poll
| cy holder, though ignorant of the legal eff
feet Of his contract, could rest in the full
| assurance that be held n policy devoid Of
! techncaitlcs and fair IN its conditions.
therefore recommend TINT n statute be
| enacted requiring the insurance commits
sioners, acting with committee to be np-
pointed by you, to prepare uniform or
standard form of policy, to be used by all
companies writing stock insurance in Yer
mont.
PIsOHGBrJRY Law.
At each succeeding session OF our Legis
lature the charge is made that the prohibi-
tory law is n failure and that its repeal should
be the first labor OF the session. That this
session will provo an exception in this regard
is hardly to be expected The shlbboleth of
the7o would be reformsrs is prohibition
does not prohibit" During the past month
vestiE as to the truth or falslty or this
claim. My information has been gathered
from tho prosecuting attorneys of the differ
ent counties, from the Superintendent Of the
House Of Correction and from other official
sources, and the facts ascertained 20 to
show CouCiuslvey THAI tho law is to-day be-
ing more faithfully enforced than ever be-
fore. The number OF commitments TO the
House OF Correction for the past two years
has been 300, compared with 21l for TIE
biennial term proceeding while the fines
and costs collected were 5 703. 10 as com
pared with s., III 81 for the same period,
The manner in which the prohibitory law
is being enforced in ermont is fast maxim :
the liquor ratlic6unprotitable, and when the
element OF profit is eliminated from tho bus.
lncss the prohibition problem is practically
solved. / believe that with five years more
of as honest enforcement as the la W has had
for tue past, two, the Illegal traffic in in
toxicatng liquors Will he practically stopped
in our smaller town and greatly diminished
} in the larger. Public sentiment is moving
in the right direction, and | am confident
that you will tHke q backward step in
e whatever you may do with reference to the
, prohibitory law.
THE AUSTRALIAN BALLOT LAW.
OuE llIsU lEldl OIL Tue Australian DRliOl
g law has resulted in some differences OF opin
ION to its adsptability to Vermont. The
\ claim is made TINT no necessity therefor
r exists in our State and very likely you will
{ be called to pass upon propositions for it:
r amendment aud perhaps for its repeal.
1t is not improbable that the experience
9 OF our recent election may suggest SOME
- Slight amendments to the law but the gen
erai principles thereof should not, in my
q judgment, he disturbed. He serves his party
( best vino serves his country best, and til,
{ broad minded citizen, even though he be
= ever so strong a partisan, will welcome any
system that compes political parties K
q bring forward their best, knowing that il
they do otherwise discriminating voter vii
t place his seal Of condemnation upon its un
) patriotic action.
0 believe there should be some change
5 made which will enable the electors to cas-
! their vote without as much assistance a
o was necessary at our recent election. With
o out any change a second trial would un
I dOubtedly show very marked improve
y ment over the first, not only because of thu
q confidence which the eoctor will feel il
q himself after having passed through hi
i first experience, but because of the eXten-
sive discussions in the columns OF every
v newspaper IN the State and everywher
l. among the masses, concerning tins radica
= departure from the old method. These dis
/ cussions will steud to educate the people e.
4 we'll during the next two years that scarce
ly any citizen Of fair intelligence who car
read and write viii need assistance at tn
election Of 1894. But to make assistance un
& necessary, even for the educated, | beliey
% we should adopt the original feature of tn
Australian system by placing after eac
/ uamo to be voted Tor emblem whc
shall signify the party to which thp nomiue
It belongs For instance, after each republi
y can nominee could be placed the nationa
re Tag next to tho square in which ths vote
I makes tho cross The intelligent republi
can would understand before entering tn
F. booth that by voting for tho flag lie vote
10 for the nominees of his party. In like man
u ner an eagle might designate the nominee
81 OF the democratic party, and fountai
80 those of the prohibition party. With thes
precautions taken, and the number Of booth
d doubled so that the eloctor could dsliber
- ately and in his own time study the ballot
r believe the work OF the election officer
IF would be practically nothing.