Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-17
BILLS KILLED.
HOUSE Ak SHARPENeD AND APPLIED
VIGOROUSLY.
Bills Providing for the Election of Town
Representatives. by Plurality Vote,
For Free Text Books, For Parochial
Schools and Taxing Bicy-
cles Defeated.
CFrom Our STAFF Correspondent

(From Our Staff Correspondent
Montpelier, VT, Nov. 15.-Railroad
business did not work according
to schedule to-day, but it has proved
one of the most interesting meetings OF
the session. There has been more debate
and more important business transacted
than on any other day thus far The frst
railroad measure 10 go differently than
expected was the House bill now before
the Senate, requiring railroads to sell lVVo
mile mileage books at two cents per mile.
This was taken up in the Senate as spe-
Cial order but was not acted upon, being
put over until tomorrow, when II VIII
come up again as Il special order. IL is
not understood that there is TO be any
change in the result of the vote, 1t being
generally understood that there is ma
jority of votes in its favor in the Senate,
but il is not impossible that an amend
ment to the bill will be made. Railroad
men have raised the objection that the use
of mileages allows of more stealing by
the conductors than any other method
The conductor who knows IA travelling
man. for instance. will often take a book
containing 50 cents and slip the money
into his pocket. taking only few miles
out of the book The railroad men sug-
gest that the bill be amended by making
1t compulsory for people to step up to the
ticket office and have the mileage taken
out there and receive a ticket In return
This is no injustice and 1t would not he
surprising If the bill was amended to
make this provision effective.
The other measure which failed to ap-
pear was the Central Vermont rcorganiza-
ton bill The report of the committee
was placed in the hands of the clerk or
the House by the committee and was TO
be acted upon early this afternoon. AT
the request of MIR. Wilds. however the
4. no lao de of
the clerk and taken back to the commit
tee room. 1t is understood Mr. WildS was
ready to concede everything but the debt
OF the National Bank of Redemption and
wanted "a further hearing on that, which
was granted.
Among some of the interesting business
done this morning was the killing of
House bill IA. shortening the oper season
for fishing. and the ordering to n third
reading of House bill No. 109 fixing the
penalty for catching trout under six inches
In length. House bill No. 80 repeating the
law allowing the posting of streams would
also have been acted upon. but out Of
courtesy to the member who introduced it
was ordered to lie. House bill No 257. in
troduced by DIR. WEBB and providing for
the reorga nization of the Vermont Ma
tional Guard, was ordered to a third read
ing without a word of debate or n vote
In opposition. The removal of the State
this morning on very close vote. 1t has
been said that the bill will probably fail
In the Senate. An act which will inter-
est citizens of Chittenden county is the
passage of House bill No. 49, amending
the charter of the village of Essex juno
ton.
Vermont will have no more holidays
than she has previously had but If the
Senate endorses the action OF the House
this morning OH House bill No. 12S, they
will come on different days in the year.
The bill was amended by striking out
February l. which was to be designated
as Union Defenders Day" and striking
out Fast Day as legal holidays and Labor
Day--thc first Monday in Scptember--and
Bennington Battle Day'-the sixteenth
of August are made legal holidays.
House bill 10 was amended so that no
scholar living less than one and one-half
miles from a Ccntra! school can he carried
toand from school at the towns expense
and a third reading ordered House bill
32o was also called up and II substitute bill
reported which was ordered to lie and I've
printed. This substitute bill provides that
a county examiner shall decide when
scholars shall be allowed to attend con-
veniert schools outside of the town linn
its. House bill No 49, a substitute, maxi
ing the school age from five to 81 years
and making il Illegal for any children I'M
der five years tn attend school was ordered
to a third reading on Il single aye"
general mix M on grand list bills
WAS INDUCED in this forenoon. The i'm
mcnse number of these bills introduced in
the House lcsaIzng the quadrennial APP
raisal of 1898 were all amended in the
Senate by striking out all reference to the
year 1895 as all those lists have been legal
lied there 10y general law. Mr. Chaplin
OF Essex was in the chair at the time
and as II was very hard for anyone to
follow the amendments proposed the
House soon lapsed into a period of SILL
ness and refused to concur with the SEN
ate in an amendment to a grand list bill
but amended the title which then did not
apply 10 the bill at all. This silly mood
now developed into a sour ono and several
mon hoped the House would refuse to con-
cur in all Senate amendments To grand
list bills and thus save time. Several mo-
tions which Were ont of order appeared
in the confusion but Speaker Haskins re-
turning to the chair, explained to the
House how any attempt to lock horns
with the Senate could only result in much
greater loss of Anne than consistent
course would require which brought the
members to tasir senses and business was
resumed.
In the Se,-Stc some discussion was
aroused ov@S the passage Of Senate bill
No. T. making close season of four years
for deer, moose and caribou. Senators
tnrlEnt ana bartlett opposed the bill OF
the ground that in some sections the deer
work havoc with crops and farmers ought
10 have the right to defend these crops
Senator Cudworth favored the bill and
was surprised, after the testimony put be
fore the committee at the opposition
manifested now, the damage to crops, ht
thought, was small compared to the gooc
results which the bill made possible. Sen
ator Enright said it would encourage
poaChing
The bill raising the age of consent wa.
passed in concurrence and several inter
esting bills introduced the scope of which
will he found in the official report. Tn,
bill granting relief to the town of Wood
ford was called up by Senator Griffith IA
10:i5, before noon IL was signed by tn,
governor and at / O'Clock the work o.
building bridges was begun in Woodford
Special orders were much in vogue thi!
afternoon although IL took a little time I,
kill House bill No. 29S requiring telegraph
telephone and express companies or cor
porations To pay the internal revenu,
taxes imposed without extra charge I,
their patrons. The first special order wa
House bill No. 2ll an act to reimburs,
towns deprived of revenue by the act tax
ing railroad property solely for State pur
poses. The advocates of the bill main
tanned that some towns had bonded them
selves heavily to aid in the construction
of railroads before the present law max
ing railroad property taxable only fo
State purposes, and that the change ha,
reduced the several town grand lists o
towns so that they were unable to pay OF
their Indebtedness even through they ha,
constantly raised very heavy taxes. Tn