The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-10-05

PRopABLY when the legislature that mas
this week assembled gets through its WORK
we will hear the usual chorus OF complain
that has followed every legislature of recent
wears, that 1t was the "worst we ever hau.
There is wide opportunity for sood worN
this wear. as there has been ut every Session
for years, but we may expect to see IL 1or tn'
most part neglected. There are Il rev ap't
men. though a less number than usual. IN tne
body, and there are plenty who have the
best of intentions, more or less nebulous. i6u'
the one great requisite of good goverhiheh''as
indicated by all American experience, sehse
of party or political Us well AS personal re-
sponsibility, is totally lacking. so ihste"u o'
n reduction of the outrageous extravaganza
that has grown up in our state expenses we
NAV expect still larger ones. Instead OF the
far-sighted craftsmanship that might DC oe-
yeloped from the friction of evenly matcheu
parties, we may expect the narroWhess anu
bungling, the control of sinister Influences
and the serious mutilation of even the goo''
m ensures that ret through And so 1t VIII
continue until the people of Vermont become
satisfied that it don't pay to have things so
one-sided.
The chief work of the session is of courso
TO be the revision of the statutes. ana the
quality of this work will depend mainly on
the commissioners who have it in charge, as
there will not be Il score of members i'll Doth
houses that will know anything about 1t or
he able to contribute an, thing to
if. 1t is evident from Governor
Fuler's yaledic,ory message that some more
hoops are to be put on the prohibitory baffei
"A work that has now been going on for ~
wears. only TO demonstrate each time the need
for more of it, even while 1t Is decHlfeo'
as ~ the governor, that the law is working
beuefcent results. Gov. Fullers canvass Oh
the state showing that the law Is enforced Ill
50 uer cent. of the towns, is impressive, ptlt
nevertheless seriously defective. 1t is easy
enough for men to say that the law Is zen
forced'in their town ;but there is one stubborn
fact that can't be disposed of, and that Is the
showing of the internal revenue records that
the number or liquor sellers in the state, II
not actually increasing, is at least not dlmln-
L
the large number of town liquor agencies III
the state where liquor is being sold just as it
is sold by any respectable dealer, and II nee
essariy cannot gather the lac,s
about express importations, the Jug
trains, bottle peddling and cellar GROCERY
phases of the business, the most evil OF all,
and naturally promoted by our legislative poi
lev. The governors recommendations are TO
be commended because they aim at almore
honest enforcement of the law to replace the
fee-fattenng farce into which it is now so eN-
tensively turned. OF course they wont accom-
plish the purpose, because it is not Ill the ma
tltre of the law; the result will probably DE
to substitute more direct blackmallinS meth
DDS. But 30 long as the prohlbltory pollcy
is continued every effort toward more strlh-
rent enforcement is to be commended
The school and highway laws will be
fought over of course, but radical changes
are not to be expected, though there ought to
be some intelligent collation. of the facts and
figures bearing upon the Justice
of the financial provisions of both
and especially the highway law. A
valued-policy bill to aid in more honest and
equitable and less wasteful system of inslr-
ance ought to be passed. The new ballot law
W i'll be vigorously attacked and If there is no
chance of securing its total repeal an effort
will be made to contlne its operations to a
few of the largest towns, though the evils 1t
seeks to obviate are just as likely to exist in a
small as in a large town.
A permanent camp ground for the militia
and the completion of the State asylum build
ings are two of the projects that will call for
m ore money and there will be an effort to es-
tablish IA State board of pharmacy.