Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1899-02-25
OUR CONCORD LETTER.
Legislature Hard at .WOrk-Fight
over High License, Local Option
Law-M0re Liquor Bills IN Order.

over High License, Local Option
Law-More Liquor Bills IN Order.
CONCORD, N. H.. February %, 1899 =
The eighth week CT the legislative session
finds both branches in humor for bard
work and making the masses of proposed
Legislation disappear like the recent snow
drifts before the February thaw.
Last week the members were in as much
OF hurry to get away from town as they
had been tardy in arriving. Many of them
went to Durham along with the senate to
pay a second visit of inspection to the state
college. Enough more lit out for home or
the noon trains Thursday so that the after
noon session OF that day found the house
without quorum and once more the state
aid TOR INDECENT children bill caused an ad
journmt mt through roll call that dir closed
the lack OF quorum. This trouble-breed-
ing measure comes up as special order
today and it is hoped that it may be passed
and sent up to the senate.
Tuesday of this week found the fight on
in the house over the proposed high
licer Sc, local option law. Through some
quick work on the part Of Speaker Currier
the debate was cut down to one speech on
each side. Bartlett of Manchester, the
author OF the bi |, Grated in its favor for 40
minute, and Fuller OF Exeter came back at
him effectively. Fuller led the fght to
repeal the moiety clauses, but now that has
been done, evidently believes In temper ng
the wind to the shorn temperance lamb
The vote on the bill stood 170 to 127 Tor
its defeat.
Tuesday afternoon the perennial bounty
bills came up tor consideration. The house
having previously eliminated the crow by
killing the bill provid ng for bounty on
that bird, wood, bucks and hedgehogs were
the subjects under discussion. Alter
numerous speeches pro and con the house
decided to offer 20 cents apiece Tor hedge
hogs heads but not to repeat the expert
ment of 1885 and SO when the state paid
out 1922 900 tor woodchuck bounties. 1t
was argued that great many of these
'chucks were imported from Vermont and
it evidently went against the gram of the
house to pay tor that kind OF Green Noun
tain products.
At the same session two more disputed
question, we're settled, by killing bill al
Loving persons to snare partr dyes on then
own land and passing bill appropriatlng
$1,000 tor the and OF the New Hampshire
Horticultural Society.
Wednesday morning in the house was
principally taken up by the discussion of a
bill introduced by Gle ment OF Warren to
revive the old law which usei to pr, hibt
the legislature and to force the Ia lroads
to carry members aud officers OF the
legislature to and from their homes
once week during the session at the rate
of one cent per mile, the ill at The close OF
the session to be footed by the state. The
bill was unfavorably reported by the COM
mittee on the judiciary as being unconstl-
tutiopal Clement defended hi, bill vigor
ourously though without using any OF the
sensational sentences that ma ked his Man
chester & Mi ford speech. Bachelor OF
Keene did most OF the the ia king in oppo-
sition to the bill viii b was killed on roll
call by vote Of 292 TO ~.
In the afternoon the state OF Vermont
figured prominently in the debate which
was waged over bills introduced by Remlch
of Littleton to regulate the time and man
ner OF paying county solicitors so that they
should not receive their pay until justice
of the supreme court had decided hag the
solicitors duty has been faithfully per-
10 med. In the course of his remarks IN
f.vor OF bis bills Mr.. Remich said that they
were modelled after the statutes adopted Ia
Vermont when that state repealed Its
moiety law aud that it had worked well
there. In support of This statement he read
letters from Chief Justice (now Senator)
Ross and from Judge Thompson OF the
Vermont supreme court.
Mr.. Batchelder OF Keene, who led the
opposition to the bills, in replying to this
part of Mr. Remich's remarks said that Ter
mont did not adopt her law on this subject
because she had repealed her moiety law
but because her state attorneys had in some
instances fallen from grace through berg
in league with hqnor dealers. One OF tie
R.mich lis was fioally beaten by vote
OF 1877 to ~ and the other passed after be-
ing amended SO considerably that it bore
little resemblance to its original form. The
provision for approval by supreme court
Justices before payment of solicitors sila-
RES should be made was stricken out tn
tirely.
While the house has been enjoying these
heated debates the senate has been grind
ing away on routine business and giving
public hearings on the bills, passed by the
house and now before the upper branch Tor
action, to repeal the moIety law and NUS
ance act provisions of the lq1or laws