Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-11-30
MoNTPEL1ER, Nov. 2s.

MONTPELIER, Nov. %.
If leaving undone things that ought not
to be done is a virtue for legislators, great
has been the general assembly of Vermont
for the year 1900. 1t has succeeded in
failing TO accomplish more supposedly i'm
portant measures than any other two leg
islatures since the civil war. 1t has really
accomplished so little in the way of gen.
eral legislation that it would doubtless be
an object of ridicule but for the fact that
1t has had more freak measures before it to
deal with than any four legislatures ought
to have.
If the legislature has made mistakes this
year, and 1t has, it has been in killing bills
of merit without giving them due consid-
grafton; and IL there are any reasons for
commencing it, and there are, it is be-
cause of its rigid determination from first
to last not to countenance anything with
out an overwhelming argument in its favor.
For this latter reason the legislature has
failed to accept and adopt every one of the
many radical plans placed before it and
has followed Gov. Stickney's advice to
leave the statutes of the state practically
without change.
The senate has been unusually strong
this year in the presence Of men of more
than ordinary ability and as a consequence
has cut a larger figure than is often the
case in legislative matters. The fault of
the senate has been in wasting altogether
too much time in profitless discussion of
trivial matters when there have been
things of more Importance waiting and de-
serving of attention. The house, too, has
been fully up to the average this year in
intelligence and ability, but it has failed to
develop enough leaders in the confidence
of the house and in natural ability to en-
able it to take the initiative on important
matters.
The house has been deficient in orators.
True, it has contained several men able to
maintain their own in any discussion and
competent to debate any subject, but too
often it has been permitted to let the house
grope blindly in the dark when a few
words of explanation would have set the
matter right in advance and saved much
time that has been wasted. The timidity
of the house, however, has been more ap-
parent than real and the members Of that
body have never hesitated to 60 on record
on any question when asked so to do.
The final sessions of the legislature this
week, ending this morning at O'Clock,
have been marked with deliberation in
marked contrast with the scramble of pre-
vious sessions, and had not the senatorial
tendency to talk without limit delayed the
work of the legislature would have been
completed not later than midnight last
night instead of dragging along until after
daylight this morning, as was the case.
The expiring hours of the session had
two features of almost spectacular interest.
The first of these was the governors veto
Of the bill to enable the claimants against
the Central Vermont railway company on
account of the elevator fire at Ogdensburg
ten years ago to test their claims in court
by giving them point on which to hinge
their action, while the second was the bril-
liant debate in the house over the bill to
abolish capital punishment, and over the
accompanying debate in both houses on
the bill to commute the sentence Of Charles
Doherty from death to imprisonment for
life.
The Central Vermont claims bill passed
both houses after 8 sharp fight and was re-
turned to the house in the early hours this
morning with the governors veto, and an
accompanying statement thai he consider
ed the bill unjust and unconstitutional.
Both houses arose in their might to re-
buke the governor, and the bill was passed
in the house over his veto by vote of 166
to 8, and in the senate by a vote of % to 4.
The bill TO abolish capital punishment
which passed the senate several days ago
came up in the house early last evening,
when the galleries were packed and when
the ambitious orators had their best chance
of the session to be heard. Emery of Chel-
sea, Fleetwood of Morristown, Graham of
Craftsbury, and McFeeters Of EnOsburg
made brilliant set speeches In favor of the
bill 1t was opposed none the less ably by
Smith of Halifax, Stewart of Bakersfield,
and Taylor of Hardwick, and was refused
a third reading by vote of 115 to 10S.
An attempt to reconsider later failed.
The two houses reversed their positions
on capital punishment when applied to
specific case. The bill to commute the
sentence of Charles Doherty, under SEN
tence of death for the shooting of Fred
Murphy at Waterbury a year ago last
February, was passed by the house by a
vote of lit to 90 aud went to the senate,
where it failed by vote of 10 to 12. AS
the result Doherty will be hanged at Wind
sor on the first Friday in March next,
unless he dies before that time.
The bill making appropriations for the
support of government and levying . state
tax as usual attracted good deal of at
tentlOn. The appropriation bill as 1t came
from the committee ON ways and means
carried 81 $4,000 for the coming biennial
term and it passed the house in that