St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-11-08
BILLS AND BILLS.

| MONTPELIER, Nov. THE visit to
Rutland last Friday made quite
| break in the regular course of bust
ness, and the honorable senate did
not want to sanction the trip. But
a senate resolution shutting off fur
Their adjournments on Friday was
promptly tabled in the house last
Thursday, and that body voted. by
ffty-three majority, to adjourn over
till Monday, SO as to permit of the
| Rutland journey of investigation.
The senate agreed to this by the
close majority Of one.
To be sure, a few bills will be in
troduced within the next week, by
general consent or through the
committees; but if the joint judiciary
committee finishes its work on the
revised statutes by next week, as is
now expected, there would seem to
be no good reason for the legisla-
| ture's failure to finish business by
! the usual time-the dav before
Thanksgiving.
| THE LIBRARY BILL.
The predictions as to the final suc-
cess of the library bill, recently in
PRODUCED by Senator Hazen, were
fulfilled in the house on Monday af-
| ternoon, when the measure was
passed, without opposition, 1t has
already received the governors
signature, and numbers of our small
| er towns will at once begin to reap
| the benefits which this bill confers.
Gov. Woodbury. has already ap-
proved this act, and in accordance
Herewith has appointed these libra
ry commissioners S. w. Landon of
Burlington, H. E. Rustedt of Rich
ford, A. E. Watson of Hartford. Mary
L, Titcomb Of Rutland, Louise L.
Bartlett of st. Johnsbury. This
board is an excellent one, and St.
] ohnsbury people will be pleased to
note that they, with their splendid
facilities in this line of educa tional
development, are so finely represented
on the board
TAXING BICYCLES.
The bicycle has been ridden into the
ring, so to speak, in both senate and
house, and an attempt made to i'm
pose tax on that sort of vehicle.
One senate bill of this kind has been
killed, and there is another now be-
fore the house exempting "bikes' of
not over fifty dollars value, but tax
ing all valued higher than that This
bill may hardly be said to be in a
healthy condition.
a BIG DAYS WORK.
One hundred and six bills were in
PRODUCED in the house on Tuesday,
and thirtv-seven in the senate. So |
far as the house is concerned, this is
46 more than at the same stage of |
the session in 1892. One important
special order and some other matters |
were postponed till today to allow
the members full swing in the intro
duction of bills, and would-be laws |
fairly poured on to the clerks desk. |
Very few of these bills had in them
anything ofvital interest to the public |
and good many of them, doubtless,
will never again be heard from. But |
it made busy day for both houses |
and relieved the members of consid- |
cradle stationery.
A LICENSE BILL
The last day for bills was a little
late for the regular license measure
of the session, but it came up "smil- |
ing"-in fact, with the same smile it |
had in 1892, for the bill introduced |
on Tuesday by Mr.. Stone of Walling-
ford is the Identical bill towards
which the legislature of 1892 turned |
cold shoulder. It does not need |
much of a prophet to tell what will |
happen to it at this session. The |
temperance committee will enjoy |
cracking such nut (chestnut) as
this.
EXCEPTIONALLY SPEAKING.
Just what is going to develop in
the way of educational legislation is,
at present writing, somewhat uncer-
tain. The bill to abolish graded |
school districts was killed by a vote
of 80 to ~, after some earnest dis
cussion, but other matters OF vital
interest to our state school system
yet remain to be settled. Since our
last letter several more long petitions
calling for a return to the district
system have been presented, and there
is every indication of a strong effort,
in the house, at least, to fulfil the |
desires of the petitioners.
The local option" school bill came
up as special order yesterday, and