Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-11-25
THE LEGISLATURE,
ADJOURNMENT FOR
THANKSGIVING,
End Will Come Next Thursday
Morning.

The Appropriations for the Next Two
Years So GOOd-by Gen. Peck --- Hot
Fight over the Board of Agriculture
---TwO-Cent Mileage Bill Passed---
Gov. Smiths Taxation Scheme Killed.
MONTPELIER, Nov. 81.
Both houses have today been consider
ing whether it is best to adjourn from
Wednesday morning to some time next
week or to suffer night of horrors tomor-
row night and have the session funeral be-
fore the members 60 home for Thanks
giving. Either way the state at large will
kick about something done or left undone
and allege that the legislature has been
one of gross Incompetence, though the fact
is it has been hard working body whose
greatest failure has been its timidity and
bashfulness about offending somebody.
The ways and means committee today
presented the bill for the support of gov
ernment for the coming two years and
also the bill carrying the regular appropri-
ations for the same time. The state tax
fixed is 20 cents on dollar or five cents
more than the past two years. The in
crease is due to the expenses of the special
session and the appropriations made at
that time. The appropriations for the
different branches of state government are:
Debentures of general assembly, S65 900;
for fiscal year 1S9S-99, $450,OO0; fiscal
year 1s99-19OO, $425, 200; for period from
end of fiscal year July l, 1900, to Decem-
Der l, 1900 $177,000 interest on state,
bonds and debts, $4,000; support of pen
al institutions and pauper insane from
June 30, 1898, to December l, 1900, S423,-
900. The treasurer is authorized to bor-
row S650,000 temporarily as needed.
The report of the joint investigating
committee reported today and the report
was read in both house and senate. No
action on it was taken in either body.
The house this afternoon refused third
reading to the house bill creating a separ-
ate insurance department Just as The
Phoenix predicted last week that it would
The senate has already disposed of the SEN
ate bills on the subject in the same way
and for the coming two years at least the
business of the state insurance department
will be handled just as it has been in the
past.
Senator Hit on Saturday introduced
| the following brief bill into the senate and
the senate has today passed the bill with
out dissenting vote:
"Sec /, Act No. of the general assem-
bly, of the state Of Vermont passed at the
| special session thereof, convened under
proclamation of the governor in May, 1898,
entitled AN Act to provide for the rein
statement of the First Regiment of the
National Guard of Vermont is hereby
repealed.
zation and maintenance of the organized
militia, known as the National Guard of
Vermont, are hereby suspended until the
next biennial session of the general as
Sembly.
"The Office of adjutant and inspector
general is hereby abolished. All the nee
essary duties heretofore required to be per-
formed by the adjutant and inspector gener-
al that may hereafter be required shall be
performed by the quartermaster general.
"Sec. a. This act shall take effect from
its passage"
The two cent mileage bill for all rail-
roads operating over so miles of road pass
ed the house all right but had hard strug-
gle in the senate and was only saved from
an untimely death by the deciding vote of
the lieutenant governor, when the senate
voted IS to Is on its thirdTeading. Gov
ernor Smith today announced his first
veto. 1t was of a bill to pay Edward
Hayes a small amount named. The bill
passed both bodies and went to the govern
or without specifying except in the title
who was to receive the money, therefore
the governors veto.
The house had hard struggle the last
of last week over the bills to abolish the
board of agriculture and to do away with
the tuberculin test as far as the state is
concerned. The last named bill went
through with rush while the first was
ordered to a third reading An unusual
incident occurred in connection with the
bill to abolish the board of agriculture.
After heated argument yea and nay
vote was taken on its third reading just
before dinner Friday. The result was an
nounced to be 103 yeas and 105 nays and
the bill was supposed TO have been dis
posed of. After dinner, however, some
body counted over the record of the vote
as shown by the clerks book and found
! that the result was 104 yeas and los nays.
1t was at first thought that somebody
had tampered with the clerks record but
1t turned Outlthat others who had kept tai
ly agreed with the second count. The mat
ter was brought up Friday afternoon by
Representative Dickey and after considera-
tiOn Speaker Haskins decided that the final
count was the correct one and that the bill
should have third reading.