The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-12-02
LEeIsLATIyE SESSION OF 1902

has been AN eventtul one. Inc 1rSt narJ
of the season was marked by the lection
of U. 5. Senator in the person OF Hon.
Redfeld Proctor. The closing days of
the Legislature have seen the enactment
of much important legislation and the
rejection of number of measures which
were not for the public good. The total
number of bills introduced was COS, Of
which $40 became laws. OF this number
Y were in the nature of amendments to
existing acts of incorporation and "a were
in amendment to other laws of minor i'm
portance. Private claims to the number
"a were passed and the grand lists OF six
towns were legaized. Twenty-six acts |
related to legal forms of procedure and !
Courts. Twelve bills apprOpriating |
Sl37, 200 for various purposes became |
laws. Bills providing for State revenue |
tax of 10 cents, a State highway tax of |
cents and Il State school tax of 5 cents |
were passed.
The Australian Ballot law of 1850 was !
amended in several important particu- /
lars. The principal amendments made |
to the bill are these: Providing that 7,
candidate may withdraw his name by
notifying the officer with whom a GER
titicate of nomination was filled, at least
eight days before election; that i'll case
duly nominated candidate dies before
election the vacancy may be filled 10y the
political party or other persons making
the original nomination; it is provided
that all the nominations of each political
party shall be arranged in seperate
column on the ballots, each party ticket
to be separated from the other party
tickets and bOrdered on either side by
black parallel lines at least one-eight of
an inch in width: over each column and
under the party designation shall be
placed blank square. The voter may
vote the entire list of candidates in any
column by placing cross i'll the square
over such column, or he may vote for
any candidate by making a cross oppo-
site the name. AT elections in towns the
election officers shall consist OF the
Board of Civil Authority and the ballot
clerks. At elections in cities and
villages the election officers shall consist
of the officers who now by law, constitute
the election officers, together with the
ballot clerks.
The last bill that became law was the
act supplementary to the law providing
FOR the town system of schools. The bill
contains several new sections and repeats
certain provisions in the old law, and adj
justs certain differences so as to har-
mOnize with and conform to the
town system adopted at this SEES
sion. The main features of the old law
are retained, including the provision for
country examiners and the distribution
of the public money. The examination
and licensing of teachers is to be con-
Quoted the same as heretofore. Two or
more towns can now mite in selecting
a Superintendent Schools. Women are
also allowed to vote in school meetings,
and also in other meetings on school
matters. The county examiners are to
be appointed by the governor and ate
Superintendent of Education.
Fifty-one acts of incorporation were
passed, including acts for eight savings
banks and trust companies, two safe de-
post companies, three villages, eight
) graded school districts and academies,
four street railroad companies and three
homes for aged women.
The financial institutions chartered
were the Barre Savings Bank and Trust
Company of Barre, the Ludlow Savings
Bank and Trust Company OF Ludlow,
the Hardwick Savings Bank and Trust
Company of Hardwick, the Vermont
Trust Company of Hartford, the Barton
Trust Company of Barton, the Farmer S
} Trust Company of Mont1elier, the Nells
River Savings Ddnk of Wells River and
the Caledonian Savings Bank and Trust
Company of Lyndon. The Merchants
: Safe Deposit Company of Burlington and
the Montpelier Safe Deposit Company
were also chartered. Charters for street
ilIoad companies in st. Adams, st.
Johnsbury, Bellows Falls and Barre were
passed. Graded school districts in st.
Adams, Enosburgh Falls, Bradford,
White River junction, Mortified,
Unde hill, South Royalton and Hard
wick were incorporated. EnOSburgh
} Falls, Essex Junction and Readsburo,
were chartered as villages and Rutland
as city
Other acts ofincorporation were these
The Vermont State Teachers. AssOcia-
ton. the North Eastern Mutual Fire In
surance Company, the Masonic Temple
Association of Vermont, the Rutland
Hopsital the st. Johnsbury Home for
Aged Women, the Windsor Home for
Aged Women, the Brattleboro Home
for Aged Women, the Vermont Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company, the
Newport Board OF Trlde, the In erna-
tIOnal T, l9graph and Elec sric Company,
the Columbian United Electric Company,
the Windsor and Felchville Telephone
Association, the Franklin County Argri-
cultural and Mechanical Society, the
Lake Champlain Yacht Club, the IIud-
low Aqueduct Company, the East Barre
Water Company, the Barre Electric
Power and Manufacturing and Street
Railway Company, the Chelsea, Tun-
bridge and South ROyaltOn Road Com
pany, the Willamstown Acqueduct
Company, the Elmore Pond Turnpipe
and Building Company, the Barre Pure
Spring Water Company, the WolcOtt
Water Company and the Board of Health
of North Bennington.
Among the most important measures
that became 10 ,.,,,.,,
lhE Tie Town System of schools, abolish
Ing (three) days of trace on notes and
contracts, ratifying and comforting the
consolidation and merger of the Vermont
and Canada, the Consolidated Railroad,
the Montpelier and White River Railroad
Companies with the Central Vermont
Railroad Company; an act defining the
duties of local Boards of Health, provid-
ing for the election of a Road Commits
sioner in every town and for the improv-
ment of the highways; and act OF pro-
viding Naval Battalion, authorizing
the the construction of new jails in
Franklin and Bennington Counties, Civ
ing the governor authority to order a
parade and muster of the National Guard
at Chicago during the Worlds Fair, and
providing for advertising the attractions
of Vermont at the Worlds Fair.
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