Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-11-09
bill will become a law at either 25 or so

Ihe visiting committees at the state'
penal institutions found everything in fin,
condition of course. As the Kentuckiar
said of the whiskey, "It is all good. bu
some brands are better than others. 'So the,
found it all good to look upon, but though
the states prison not quite up to the work.
house. They think the former institution
ought to be lighted throughout with cleo
tricity, disapproving especially of small
hand kerosene lamps in the prisoners cells
1t does seem as if the era Of hand lamps in
a state institution was about past.
Well, the junketipg and social splurge.
are about over and the remainder of the
time will be devoted to solid business and
lots of it. Before long evening session,
will be In order and the members, if they
attend the sessions, will put ip at least hal
as much time as they usually do at home
Everything is in committee now and as fast
as they grind out the reports the bills will
be disposed Of.
But all ord nary rout ne legislation is as
nothing compared with the sensation of the
year, the legislative investigation. 1t ha.
been the only important topic Of conversa-
| ton for the past four days and is as yet
only in its infancy. Members, senators
and officials confer in little knots and won
der where it is going to hit and who will be
dragged down before it stops.
The first public appearance of the inves-
tigation was q resolution in the senate last
Thursday under which committee of three
senator's, Platt, Foss and Young, was
appointed ''to investigate the salaries OF
state officials and states attorneys" This
did not attract attention until the Mont
peler Daily Journal, the paper of which
the writer is legislative editor, gave the
significance of the move.
The investigation was started largely as
matter Of personal enmity and to accom-
plish the downfall of an ex-governor, who
Is already politically dead. This is the
colored man in tire>fepce but the origina-
tors little knew what they had done. The
result may heap more sods on the political
coffin OF man entirely beyond reach, but
it will also do much more.
A prominent member told me today that
it reminded him of Bill Nye's mule how
itzer. Bill told of the soldiers who took a
cannon through the mountains with which
to deal with the Indians, and carrie it
strapped on a mules back. When the
enemy yas sighted the mule was aimed and
a match applied to the fuse. When III.
mule heard the sizzling he began to whir
around rapidly and the detachment at once
began to hunt for cover. So in this case
the gun was aimed all right but it is now
pointed in every direction and seems des-
tined to sweep the entire horizon.
The "oficial" visit of Gov. Grout and
state officials and invited guests to
Nashville thus far shows up more promi-
nentiy than anything else. A joint resolu-
ton of tie legislature of 1896 authorized
and directed the governor to appoint
commission of seven or more members to
the Nashville exposition that Vermont
might be properly represented there and,
besides the commission many other d,gnl-
tarles went at tbs expense of the state. In
all 56 tickets were paid for by the state
from New York to Nashville and a table
OF actual ''official expenses" appears in the
vouchers which are calculated to cause the
ordinary taxpayer to gasp TOR breath.
it also appears that the state has had to
pay the cost OF Cows Woodbury. and
Grout's official receptions to the legisla
ture, board of staff, carriages, ETC., aggre-
eating nearly $40 each event.
An investigator n of Gen. T. S. Peck's
expense account is both ludicrous and sad.
Telegraph and lephone bills ad libitum,
large bills for single and double teams to
the camp ground, hack fares in New York
and Washington, drawing room car seats,
nearly 500 to Miss Wood, his office sten.
ographer, all combine to make fearful
and wonderful exhibit. One bill of the
generals for an accident ticket while trav-
cling to Washington was disallowed by the
governor.
All this indicates that the governor
audited these bills, instead of the auditor,
who took the governors word that it was
all right. This may lead the investigation
into yet another channel.
The rumor today is that the Soldiers
Home at Bennington is also to be thor
oughly investigated and the board of agri-
culture and cattle commission will also be
hit hard. The two latter with the fish
hatchery, are likely to be hit mostly by the
refusal Of appropriations and the bill to
abolish the board of agriculture is finding
new friends every hour.
The back town m mbers are thoroughly
scared and angry at the wasteful extrava-
gance shown in certain quarters and are in
clined to cut and slash everything right and
ett that look like an unnecessary appro-
priation or commission.
The calf has got away from the small boy |
who was leading him to water and heaven |
only knows where the frantic bovine will |
1r1nO nm 7 HADprc