Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-12-12
LIVE STATE TOPICS.
Political Points of Interest Gathered From
the Local Field.

the Local Field.
1t is too bad that few of the legis
lators at Montpelier cannot be quaran
tined legally. They have the foot ant
mouth disease-every time they opel
their mouth they put their foot in it
Rutland News.
So the Senate thought the bill re
quiring candidates for public Office t.
file sworn statement of their cam
paign expenses was a reflection upol
! the present state officials. Well, Their
is no doubt that somebody made sucl
measure necessary, so if the shoe fits
put it on, but leave it so that capital
lists may circulate their money in Yer
mont if they want to. The people vii
always have the right to vote the wa,
they want to. Barre Telegram
In passing bill to pay for barr
owned by Richmond parties and alleg-
ed to have been set on fire by an es.
capped lunatic, the legislature has
opened the way for lot of new claims
Legislators and with which they have
no business to NEEDLE. The legisla-
ture is not only assuming the preroga
tives of the courts more and more, but
is giving altogether too much time to
passing upon class of claims that
ought to end when refused by the state
auditor Mortified News.
The St. Adams Messenger makes this
very pointed observation "The house
of representatives has now placed itself
in the inconsistent attitude of alleging
in one bill: First, that the tuberculin
test is more or less of humbug and
Vermont farmers should not be com
PEELED by law to employ it; second,
that it would be dangerous to the flo ks
and herds of Vermont to admit cattle
from other states unless they had first
passed the tuberculin test. So the
tuberculn test is good for the other fell
lows cattle and not for ours, and Incl
dentally we will make him pay for
part of our protection. There's a
broad ground for you
Was the senate afraid to compel pc
litical candidates to file statements Of
their campaign expenses under oath:
How are we ever to secure any advance
at all along the line of the reform of
politics if the Solons shy at this first
and very important stepy Do the sen
ators wish to be understood as favor
ing the corrupt candidate and anxious
to shield him, or is there some ulter-
or purpose in their method: The state
has waited long and patiently for some
serious manifestation of an honest en-
deavor to keep the Republican plat
form pledge and pass an up to-date
caucus law. Let's have it, but don t
prevent its having a few
teeth One of those long wordy stat
utes that read with imposing sound
and don't actually inhict any serious
penalty on anybody for anything that
a real clever politician would be likely
to do, would just suit some of the
spoismen in this state and that is
what we are likely to get if the con
science of the representatives. of the
party at Montpelier is not
logged little now and then. st. Al
bans Messenger.
What on earth is the reason for inter
jecting partisanship into legislation as
so many have been doing in the discus
sion of the liquor law question: Here
We are being solemnly warned by news
that the Republican party
IiluSl npi dubpl WIS hlllu III d law VI
that kind of a referendum or this clause
in the bill because that is just what
Mr.. Clement favors or may be what the
Democrats advocate. What nonsense
What child's play. Vermont should
have the best law there is, no matter
who invents it or stands sponsor for it.
It's the idea, not the author, that the
state approves by adoption. What folly
to cut off ones nose to spite ones face
by refusing to profit by a good propo-
'ition because it happens to be Mr..
Clements or somebody's else. Let the
.hick and -thinners howl about Mr..
Clement all they will-if it had not
Deen for his backbone and grit we
should not have the opportunity to
fote on license law to-day. The Re /
party, left to the dictaton of .
is old Pharoahs, never would have /
,iven it to us. Mr.. Clement may not .
Re an ideal statesman or leader, but he .
las the courage of conviction, which .
las been decidedly lacking in some
would be leaders in Vermont for years
We want the best there is for old Yer
mont, and might even snatch it from
Id Mephisto himself if he offered ii
nd we had a fork long enough. st.
,lbans Messenger.