St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-12-07
FINALLY ADJOURNED.
Some Notes on Closing Scenes at the Capitol,
With Brief Review Of General Results.

Correspondence of the CALIFORNIAN
MONTPELIER, Dec. 5.-The legisla-
ture OF 1898 has passed into history,
and left behind it a string Of memoir
les that will be thought upon by the
people OF the state for some time to
come. The closing scenes were full
OF interest, and no little excitement.
The house continued its fckleness up
to the last hour, its last change of
mind involving recession from a
point to which it had several times
announced itself as bound to stick
to the bitter end-namely, that
trough rider" on the appropriation
bill. or this, however, we will speak
a little later.
The section of the State Asylum
bill which provides for an expendi-
ture of $35, 900 for the erection of a
separate building for the accommo
dation of the nurses was handled
without gloves in the house. Speak
err Haskins talked for three quarters
of an hour in opposition to that
part Of the measure, and it was final
ly stricken out; the senate concurred
in the house amendment, so the
asylum gets no appropriation for
such building, but does get cash
Tor the purchase of farm and for
the furtherance of pathological
work. The idea OF those who op-
posed this $4,000 appropriation
was that if the institution is too
crowded to admit of proper accom-.
mediation for nurses, some Of the
patients can be sent to the Brattle-
boro Retreat, and the needed room
be thus obtained.
Senator Bartlett's bill for the
change of shire town of Essex coun-
ty, which went through the senate,
was given a fairly decent burial in
the house, and Guildhall will con.
tinue to do business for the county
as for the past hundred years. Mr.
Haie>Qf Lunenburg made an earnest
plea in Behalf of letting the county
seat alone, and the house backed him
up. During the>debate over this
measure, Mr.. HobsSN OF Brighton,
to which town it was proposed proposed to
remove the county seat, tainted
away while talking and had to be
assisted from the house. Concord is
not going to be Caledonia county
town for two years at least; and
Brighton will have to wait for the
court hoase and Jail. When it is
considered that the change would
probably have added $4,000 to
Brighton's debt, it will be seen that
waiting will not really be hard
ship.
The new bill for increasing the
revenues of the state-founded on
Gov. Smiths suggestions regarding
the holding out of inducements to
wealthy residents of other states to
come into Vermont on q contract
with state board as to the taxes
they should payment through the
house without much trouble, but
was hit hard in the senate, the vote
against it there being 10 to 10. 1t
will be remembered that the first
measure introduced, bearing on this
subject, failed to pass the senate by
a majority of one.
About the last business the senate
did was to pass house bill, intro
duced late, imposing d penalty upon
railroad companies that did not
comply with the law requiring them
to issue mileage tickets. There was
considerable opposition to the bill,
but it went through to the tune of
16 to 10 and Gov. Smith signed it.
The 6ckleness Of the house was de-
monstrated in connection with the
highway commission BILL This was
killed in the forenoon of Wednesday,
but after dinner the vote was recon
sidered and the measur passed, 119
to 90. The senate subsequently en-
dorsed it by vote of 13 to ~, so
the state has made definite start in
the direction OF permanent road i'm
provement.
The Inconsistency of the lower
branch of the legislature was made
very plain at different intervals OF
the session, but never more so than
in the closing hours and in its con.
test over the board of Agriculture.
1t had passed bill aboishing the
board, and, in spite Of attempts to
reconsider, it stood firmly by its
hostile action as to that measure
When il hecame evident that thf