The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-09-28

ton OF Women's Clubs A banquet will be
held at six o'clock Friday evening in Ar
mory hall. The meeting at eight o'clock in
the Baptist church will be addressed by
Walter Sargent, supervisor Of drawing in
Massachusetts, and later the teachers and
citizens of Montpelier will tender the visit
ing teachers reception In the Young Mems
Christian Association parlors. Devotional
Rev. Andrew Gilies. After a business
meeting Hon. Charles r. Skinner, superin-
tendent OF public instruction for the State
OF New York will deliver an address, and
s. j. DuttoD, superintendent Of school,
Brookline, Mass, will speak OF "The forces
Of education and their relation to each
other" The last address Of the day will be
by Miss S. e. Brassill, on Advanced ma
ture work." 1t Is expected that four hum
dred or more teachers from almost every
town in the State will be present, and the
committee having the matter in charge has
been busy for many days preparing for
what is confidently expected will be- be the
best meeting in the history Of the associa-
tion.
THE much talked OF "Charles street
bridge" exists only In imagination, and Is
likely to for many months to come. The
time for filing objections to the report OF
the commissioners in this question expired
last Friday, and on Thursday j. p. Lamsop,
acting as attorney for the Montpelier and
Wells River railroad, filed motion to re-
commit the report to the commissioners on
the ground that they had found no damages
for the railroad because of the establish
ment OF grade crossing at that point. Mr..
Lamson also claims in his motion that un-
der existing laws, highway cannot be laid
across railroad at grade, and that this
question must first be decided by the rail-
road commissioners. 1t is also claimed that
not only the public good and private con-
venience for such highway must be shown,
but that the absolute necessity for such q
road and bridge must be made clear. Judge
Start will probably rule on Mr.. Lamson's
motion some time during the present term
OF Washington county court and II the mo-
ton to re commit the report to the commits
sioners prevails the old straw must again
be threshed. In the meantime the Pioneer
and South Main street bridges accommodate
public travel. Following these exceptions
by the railroad came the city of Montpelier,
through City Attorney f. p. Carleton with
an exception that bids fair to vitiate the en-
tire work Of the commissioners. Attorney
Carleton claims that II. W. Nichols, of
Middlesex, who sat on the commission with
w. z. Stafford of st. Johnsbury and Leroy
Kent of Calais was never appointed by the
court for this position, but that 81. b.
Nichols, the Mddlesex merchant was the
man named by Judge Munson; that H. w.
Nichols is also incapacitated to sit in such a
commission because of his relations with
the petitioners; that the petition was void
because OF its having been brought under
the wrong statute, and that the report
should be rejected because it shows such a
multiplicity OF dangers in the proposed
crossing of railroads. Judge Starts reply
to all these exceptions will be awaited with
much interest. 1t is an undisputed fact
that the court intended to appoint II. B.
Nichols, the representative from Middlesex
in the legislature of 1896, as a member OF
the commission, and it was supposed that
he had been appointed until FL. w. Nichols
appeared and took his place with the other
commissioners. At the same time the lat
ter was regularly appoint ted, although he
was unknown to the court or the parties at
| interest. This leaves the case at present
very much in a muddle.