The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-10-26
Legislative Notes.

SENATOR SHATTUCK of Windsor is thu
Oldest, ana Senator White of Rutland the
Youngest man in the upper house. The for
mer will reach the four score milestone mex
year, while Senator White has just turned
thirty, bringing him within the age specl
fed by law. In the house, Mr.. Burnhan
of STAFFORD is the father of the house N
years. He is seventy-eight, and is as bright
and active as is his townsman in the ma
tional senate. Charles Ii. Grout of Stratton
is not only the youngest but the smallest In
stature of any one in the lower branch. tie
is twenty-five years old and has as seat
mate Wilbur Brown of Berlin, the heavy
speakers left, they can both be seen and
heard.
The Vermont Officers Reunion So
ciety held their annual meeting in the
hall of the House of Representatives
Wednesday evening, Oct. 18th, Ma ior
Valentine in the chair Major josiah
Grout was the orator of the occasion
and Abraham Lincoln his them The
room was crowded, there being many
prominent Grand Army men with
their wives in attendance. While
Major Grout makes no pretensions to
oratory, of the spread eagle variety
his address was practical, patriotic and
eloquent. In his war recollections the
Major paid tribute to the hero of
Vicksburgh and the "March to the
sea-" Yet towering above them all
''as the mountain towers above the
plain" was the grand, noble and dig
nifed Lincoln, the man who was both
ballast and helmsman for our ship of
State in its perilous voyage from '61 to
'65. The Montpelier band discoursed
fine music, and all in all, it was per-
haps the most enjoyable occasion for
the average number since the begin
ming of the session.
1t would seem that everyone had
been touched in a tender spot by the
town system. Some of the provisions
detailed in bills introduced are curious
specimens of educational legislation.
for instance House bill No. "a mixes
the school directors with the selectmen,
House bill No. SO let's down the bars
for graduates from high schools to be
admitted as teachers without examine
lions, Senate bill No. q would elect
the school directors same as selec tmen,
viz, board of three to hold office one
year. To anyone familiar with the
machinery of our school system this
sort of stuff is nonsense. These bills
will hardly get through thr education
al committee room.
The recommendation in his report,
by the State superintendent of educa-
ton "that incorporated school districts
should be abolished," has stirred up
hornets nest in the senate and the hor-
nets began to buzz on Thursday morn
ing, when Senator Barber asked for
the return from the House the Joint |
resolution creating a joint assembly |
for that afternoon, for the election of !
certain state officers. The object of |
which was to drop from the list of |
officers named, that of State superin.
tendent of education, thereby defer
ring the election of superintendent,
this move savors strongly of the organ.
izing of forces against Supt. Stone
When it comes to that point that an
officer holding an important public
position must be beheaded because he
takes stand on any question of public
interest, candidly and fearlessly and
that measure knocks the idols of many
senator galley west lbs time to use
the eye-opener. The conservative view
of the whole matter is that that the
legislature fully appreciates Mr.,
Stones good work, and after a proper
chastisement for what appears to be
youthful impetuousity, will unani-
mously elect him to that Office for which
a large majority of the legislators be-
lieve him to be well equipped.
One can hardly anticipate the the
Governors acts in the officers to be APP
pointed by him. There are however
patriots enough ready to be struck by
gubernatorial lightning
At the joint assembly on Thursday
to elect State officers Gov. Mansur
made an excellent presiding officer. /
Another attempt was made on Tues
day to pass joint resolution for
Joint assembly 10 elect state superin-
Jendent of education, but the senate
was not in trim 20 concur without Z
t
The writer of "Legislative Notes" }
lad the pleasure of visiting the house q
IF correction at Rutland as a member t
If the joint committee, a report of S
which will be given next week a
We are indebted to the Montpelier :
Daily Journal for the biographical
notes in the last issue, and for the c
legislative proceedings. /
The stern features of Ethan Allen,
who stands guard at the State House I
loor, are relaxing, and tears have )!
been noticed to trickle down his cold,
mooth cheeks. When interrOgated as a
% the cause of his weeping, Vermont's &
early hero said that to be denied the Il
privilege of having made, for his own d
Use, crazy quilt of the rare and curl
)us bills presented at this session, was A
enough to melt the heart of a craven 9
mage. Il
Legislative PROCEEDINGS. p