Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-12-09
THE LEGISLATURE OF 1898
Defended by Speaker Haskins

Who Says Its Personnel Was Above the
Average, and It's Worst Ora ayvbecIs
Was the IneSperienee of the Members
of the House.
Mr. Editor:-I thank you for allowing
me a brief space in the columns of yopr
valuable paper to reply to some of the uu-
reasonable and unfounded criticisms al
ready published in some few of our state
newspapers in regard TO the Legislature
which finished its work the 1st inst. I
copy the following from the Burlington
News:
1T st likes us that the legislature of which we
were happily rid Tn rsday, registered low water
| mark, as compared with all previous legislatures
sun held 10 remembrance The house, at any
| rate, II not the senate, was the cheatest most
ohensiyely blatant body that could be found this
| size OF Kansas. As well as can be seen
through the smoke, not one bill of general pnbIic
| interest went to the governor. There is one
| hopeful feature in the situation. The l,st legIs
lature was such very small potatoes that the
next one cannot help being an Improvement
The foregoing extract is but a specimen
OF the gall and vituperation which has been
poured out by certain newspapers of cheap
notoriety at the close of nearly every leo
islature within my remembrance. To one
who knows, it is evident that the critic
does not see clearly, but sees Through the
smoke" only. do not deny but that the
last legislature, like all other legislative
bodies, left undone some things that they
ought to have done, and did some things
that they ought not to have done, but 1
do know that they did many creditable
things, and but very few, If any, TO their
discredit; also that very many bills of
general public interest went to the gov
ernor" and became law If | had the
| N Il
seem to all fair minded persons that un-
seemly criticism and abuse should be with
held until the work of the legislature is
published by authority.
The Senate was composed of 80 very ex-
cellent gentlemen, "a of whom had had
previous legislative experience which is
all-lmportant in a law making body, A
legislature is not conducted upon the same
basis as is the business of a town or viii
lage meeting, but is governed by well es-
tablished rules of legislative law, which
prevail alike in the English House of
Commons and the Congress of the United
States, together with rules of their own.
creation, and hence the greater has been
the experience of its members the greater
the efficiency of the body of law makers.
The House of Representatives had 24G;
members, but 16 of whom had ever been
members OF legislative assembly before,
and but four of these for more than one
single term 1t will, therefore, be observed
that the great body of the house member
ship, being without any experience what
ever, had much TO learn; and whole not
lacking in capacity or good intentions vet
could not take up the work at the begin
ming OF the session and speed it along like
Old and experienced legislators. Who but
the people, who persist in electing new and
untried men at each biennial election, are
responsible for such conditions? The aues-
tion readily suggests the answer.
L have been honored with four elections
TO the Vermont legislature, and have been
more or less acquainted with the personnel
of every legislature since 1868, and l have
no hesitation in affirming that, aside from
the legislative inexperience of its members,
the House of Representatives of 1898, was
above the average of any preceding it as
to ability and capacity to do good work.
It's honesty OF purpose and strong desire
TO deal fairly and justly were repeatedly
made manifest in this, that whenever its
members found that a mistake had been
made they were willing and anxious to
rectify their error. The House properly re-
fused to concur with the Senate in agree
ing to final adjournment the day before
Thanksgiving for there were many import
and measures still pending, which, with
the bulk of business then on hand and
undisposed of, must of necessity have been
rushed through in a day and night with
out that consideration their merits deserv-
ed. The result was, as can be easily and
truthfully demonstrated, that while the
extra cost was less than $4,000, more than
$50, 900, was saved to the state. When
the record OF the session of 1898 is fully
written, it will, as a whole, be one of which
both the Senate and House need not be
KITTREDGE HAsKINs.
Brattleboro, VT, Dec. I, 1898.