The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-11-18
Legislative Notes.

FRED II SHELLEY, the represW tatve from
East Montpelier was seriously i'll last Fri
day and Saturday, but is much better to-
day.
REV. N A. Ross the representative from
Woodbury., will be one of the speakers at
| an all-day meeting to be held in Berlin hall
Wednesday, November 20.
A. p. RosCoE, the gentleman from New
| Haven Is clerk Of the committee on claims
position formerly held by A. p Roscoe
| his father, and A. p. Roscoe, his grand
| father.
THE House judiciary committee lodged
the female suffrage bill, by returning il TO
| the House without recommendation. 1t
will come up for slaughter or passage Thurs
day afternoon at half past two.
THERE is one commendable feature in con-
nectiOn with the petition which the ST. Regis
Indians have just presented to the legisla-
J ture. 1t seems to have brought on spell
of genuine Indian summer weather.
THE session has not been entirely devoid
of special interest. The asylum nvestiga.
ton has furnished side issue that has at.
| tracted many spectators who failed to be
| fascinated by the ordinary proceedings in
| House or Senate.
THE biennial attempt to reduce the sal
airy Of the state superintendent of educa-
! ton met with its usual fate this term, and
| was defeated by handsome majority
| There ara days when false economy gets
| but slight hearing
THE delegation of mel bers who came to
| town via the Montpelier and Wells River
road this morning were RECALLED, for about
| half the distance, with some sweet music dis
coursed by the seven members of the Saliva
ton Army, en- route to Barre.
If the general committee decides that the
bill providing for the turning over of the
SUI plus of the dog fund to the public Libraries
OF the state is good thing and ought to be
pushed along, then it would seem that the
educational interests of the commonwealth
| can be enhanced not little by the more ex-
tensive propagation of CANNES.
HAD the Montpelier friends of the Senate
bill for the removal of the fence around the
State House grounds locke ed after it little
more closely, it probably would not have
been so ruthlessly slaughtered in the House
Tuesday. Mr.. Powers opposed it in catchy,
| hve-minute spe Ach, no one spoke in favor
of it, and it went to its death without a pro-
test.
| GOVERNOR CIRCUIT has received the fol-
lowing letter from President elect McKin-
ley; Canton, Ohio, November II, 1861
! shall ever feel debtor to the people of
| Vermont. | am proud of their manifesto
tions of confidence in the pas, and | highly
appreciate their warm congratulations, ex-
/ tended through you. With assurances of
highest regards believe me, very truly
yours. w. Mckinley"
DEMANDING a yea and nay vote in the
House seems to be pleasing exercise of
their official privilege with several of the
members. Those who are such professed
watchdogs of the state treasury should re-
member that it costs the state S75 every
! time the roll is called. To a very large
majority of the members the two roll calls
| Tuesday morning were considered entirely
unnecessary. A count would have answered
every purpose.
A RATHER savage piece of legislation is
that which provides penalty of not ex e.
| Ceeding twenty dollars for any child under
the age OF twelve years who shall have in
his control or possession any pistol or re-
volver constructed or designed for the use
OF gunpowder, or other explosive substance,
with leaden bullets or shot. This provision
is found in the second section of bill
whose first section very properly inf1icts a
penalty for the sale or gift of firearms to
children under twelve. The application of
the second section seems likely to be at
| tended with difficulty and embarrassment
"MANy towns situated as Middlesex u.s.
geographically divided into different sec
| tions, would be better suited If the law al
| lowed them to elect three road commits
sioners instead Of one. We are allowed to
have three, four or five selectmen, three
four or five listers; why not one, two or
three road commissioners? We are glad to
notice the vote Of Representative Nichols
among the yeas on the Bliss bill to reduce
salaries. Now, il our honorable senator's
Stevens and Ward, stand up as we'll for the
| people, Washington county will have made
good record."-Middlese Correspondent
"GKoRaE POWERS threw down thu COM
mittee on grand list in decisive manner
Friday. He had introduced bill remedy
ing the statute which permits trust COM
| panies to get exempted twice for their real
estate. The committee reported adversely,
not understanding the subject as appeared
when Mr.. Powers asked for an explanation.
He made the matter so clear that the bill
| was ordered to third reading without
dissenting voice. "-Randolph Herald and
| News.
"a BILL to extend municipal suffrage to
women OF legal age, and necessary qualifca-
tions otherwise, was ordered to third
reading in the Vermont Senate last week.
II this bill becomes law we may expect in
the future some such incident as occurred in
Utah the other day when one of Mr.. Can
mons six wives defeated him in a contest
for the State Senate-with the difference,
that in Vermont few men are blessed with
more than one wife, and defeat would be
more calling In the late presidential cleo
ton, the three states in which women voted
all went for Bryan. Was the result due to
the fascinating personality of the silverites'
leader, or is 1t possible that the bargain,
counter announcement" dollars marked
down to 90 cents each had an irresistible
influence over the fair voters2"-
River Junction Landmark
1T is seldom that committee of the YER
mont legislature is called upon to perform
such service as has devolved upon that
named by Lieutenant Governor Fisk and
Speaker Lord to inquire and investigate
into the management of the state asylum for
the insane at Waterbury. The: senators
and representatives composing the commit
tee have had scarcely a moment to them
selves from that hour to the moment Mr..
Stickney closed his argument in the Wash
lngton County Court room last evening.
The members of the committee have shown
themselves to be faithful servants of the
people in the matter, and it has been rare
that one of them has been absent from
session OF the investigation. Naturally the
hardest part of the work has fallen upon
the lawyers Of the committee, Messrs. HUI
burd, Bates and Baldwin, as the inquiry
was directly in the line of their profession.
The other members however, have served
just as faithfully and their work in weigh
ing the evidence has been just as valuable.
They have served without extra considera-
ton. and at an actual loss to the state, as the
committee numbers among its members