St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-11-08
CONCERNING THE BALLOT LAWS.

In ADDITION to the Dill introduced
by Senator Bell, modifying the
operations of the Australian ballot
system, several other measures have
been introduced looking to the
abolishing of some features of the
compiled ted system. The idea of
having separate ballots for each
political party seems to be favor
able one, and there is also a desire
to do away with the ballot clerks
and put the ballots in the booth
where the voter can help himself.
One or two Of the bills, it must be
confessed, would rather increase the
perplexities of the present plan of vot-
ing, but these stand no chance of
passing either house. If any changes
are made, they will he in the way of
simpli6cation. The fact that moth
ing has been heard from the very
first bill introduced, to repeal the
operations of the law as touching all
towns of less than 1000 popula ton,
would indicate that the committee is
waiting till all the ballot law tinker
ers have finished their work, and will
act on the whole bunch of sugges-
lions at once
TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE.
Here is another topic which has
brought out a considerable number
of bills, and the committee on agri-
culture will have no easy task id
working out a satisfactory solution
of this serious problem. An interest
ing hearing was held the other even
-.
made by DIR. Rich of the experiment
station, Chairman Winslow of the
committee, and Mr.. Sanford of the
State Board of Agriculture. 1t was
generally conceded that something
would have to be done in the near
future to prevent the spread of the
dreaded disease among the dairy
herds, and one speaker insisted that
it would soon be necessary for Yer
mont farmers to show clean bill of
health for their cattle before they
could ship them to markets outside
Of the state. The question as to
how far the state should go in the
matter of controlling the disease or
compensating dairymen for the
slaughter of infected COWS, proved a
"puzzler."
SIMPLIFYING THE BALLOT.
Senator Bells bill doing away
with several complications in the
Australian ballot law, and simplify
ing the process of voting is sensible
measure, and has been introduced in
the senate. 1t provides, in brief, for
the filing of certificates of nornina-
ton with secretary of state and
county clerk within l. days after the
date of the nominating convention;
does away with the "blanket sheet"
ballot and puts all the nominations
OF each party on a separate ballot;
If the voter wants to vote for all
printed on the ballot he
makes no mmarks thereon, simply
folds it up and deposits it with the
presiding officer; he may write in
names of persons for whom he wishes
to vote, other than those printed in
which are not to his liking.
NOTES.
Senator Bell of Caledonia is mem
Der Of the special committee on the
of Rutland city. The
committee went down last week to
take testimony on the matter of
slicing the fair city.
The house has passed the bill au-
the Fairbanks corporation
to indorse the bonds ofthe St. Johns
bury Aqueduct Company.
The bill calling for three and four
inch tires on wagon wheels devoted
to the hauling of heavy loads died
an easy death.
One of the curiosities in bills is the
measure making it lawful to kill
deer found damaging crops.
Chairman Clark and his commit
tee on game and fisheries have sew
eral bills under consideration.
The advocates of woman suffrage
are putting in their work, and quite
a number of bills providing that
privilege have been introduced. A
very recent one gives women who are
of "a quiet, peaceable disposition"
all the election rights of man.
A valued policy" bill was intro
duced in the house on Tuesday.
An effort is being made to secure a
return to the district highway sys-
tenn. ]. w. S.
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