Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-12-11


Passes st. Louis Appropriation =
Towne Bros Claim Voted. --Barre
Charter Fight.
! MONTPELIER, Saturday.
/ 1t is now possible to answer, with exact
ness the question so often asked during
the past month, "When is the Legislature
gong to adjourn ?"
BY Joint resolution, which has passed
both houses, the date is definitely set as
Friday, Dec. II, at a. m.
The work of this week has been of i'm
portance. The finishing touches have been
given to many measures and careful atten-
tion has marked the course Of legislation.
Having stuck to it faithfully from Mon
day until Friday afternoon, the Senate
then adjourned over to Monday. The
House would have done likewise had not
the speaker neatly headed off the antieipa-
ted notion. AS il was, the House held
Saturday forenoon and afternoon and then
quit until Monday afternoon. 1t had then
cleared up everything to date.
Quite important changes were made in
the local option bill in the Senate, where
it was sent by the House, with some points
of difference from the Senate bill. Discus
sion had developed weaknesses, and there
was willingness on the part of the Ii
cense men TO concede something to the
prohibitionists, who laid down handsome
ly after their defeat in the House. The
joint temperance committee held a final
session and made these changes in the
House BILL
The date for voting on the acceptance
Of the act was changed from the first Tues
day in January to the first Tuesday in
February, which gives more time for con-
sideration same law is to govern voting as
atlMarch meeting the act, in case the'' Noe"
carry the vote, goes into effect the first OF
December, 1906, instead of 1904, which
gives an opportunity to two legislatures
to repeal il first ;the distance within which
saloons must be removed from churches
an schools is fixed at 200 feet instead Of
400; "saving" clause was added so that
prosecutions under the present law VIII
not be nuIlified in case license comes; the
license proceeds are to be divided half
and-half between the state and towns that
issue licenses.
This last amendment met with strong
opposition when the bill came up in the
Senate Friday, from those who wanted the
state TO have three quarters, but il passed,
as did all the amendments and the bilt it
self. The bill now goes back TO the House
for final concurrence. which Is antlcl-
pated without extended debate.
The Russell tuberculosis bill came up in
the House Thursday for final action.
Amendments were adopted giving the
cattle commission authority to quarantine
cattle in case of an epidemic like the pres
ent "foot and mouth disease" tbut special
~ excepting tuhercllosis); also preserib-
ing the tuberculin test for cattle brought
into the state; also providing that slaugh-
tered cattle should be examined, which is
necessary in order to procure government
tuberculin. Other attempts 70 amend
failed. The opponents Of the bill fought
to the. last but were beaten, 1877 to SO, and
the measure was sent back TO the Senate
with the amendments added.
The weekly payment bill, which passed
the House with bang, only eight votes
against ii, failed in the Senate Friday, the
history of two years ago being thus re-
peated. The corporations, after the House
action, brought their batteries to play on
the Senate, with complete success. The
Senate committee returned mixed report
on the bill. The upper chamber spent
nearly all the forenoon discussing the
measure, tbreshing the whole subject over.
1t was apparent that the sentiment of the
body was against the bill. Ii was loaded
down with amendments that took the
starch out of it and finally was killed, 2l
to 9. The labor agitators of the House were
wroth, but the average member cares lit
tie about it.
"Hedgehog legislation" was responsible
for the only conference committee named
thus far. The House passed bill fixing
bounty of 40c. on the prickly devastators
OF timber. The Senate knocked this out
and raised the 60c. bounty on foxes to S1.25
for the summer months. The House
wouldn't concur. A conference committee
from each house took up this momentous
subject and compromised by fixing Doc.
bounty on hedgehogs and 75c. on foxes
the year around. In this shape both
houses passed the bill and peace again
reigns.
The Senate tried to play bunco game
on the House Tuesday that all but worked.
A bill had passed the House prohibiting
seining IN Mallett's Bay. When it came
back from the Senate It had been
so as TO cover the whole of Lake
Champlain. Nobody noticed the sweep
ing change made and the House concurred.
Later, the trick was detected and the bill
was reconsidered. The members from the
Champlain section raised a big howl and
not a vote was registered for the amend
ment, the bill being sent back to the Sem
ate in disgrace. The Senate acknowledged
the corn and receded, leaving the bill as il
read.
Wednesday evening, in Representatives,
hall. the judiciary committees gave hear
ing in the case of Frank shaw, murderer,
" no wants his sentence committed. An
energetic effort is being made to save his
neck. His cause was pleaded by Nermont's
woman lawyer, Mrs. Jessie Bigwood OF
and q. A. Davis OF Windsor,
while Lawyers Stickney and Sargent rep
resented the state, urging that the due
process OF the law be left undisturbed.
The Hoffman shooting was reviewed,
shaw's advocates maintaining that the
deed was done on the spur Of the moment,
and so was not a premeditated murder, as
the statute defines. An attempt was made
TO show that Hoffman shot at Shaw first.
A number of witnesses were introduced.
The state held that TO let Shaw of would
be to discourage officers in discharge OF
their duty and might even provoke lynch
ing under certain conditions.
The House spent a couple of hours
Thursday wrestling over the claim Of
rowne Bros. OF Richmond Tor $500 from
the state as indemnity for loss sustained
through the burning of their barns, al
legged 10 have been done by an escaped
lunatic from the Waterbury asylum. The
Senate had already passed 1t. The COM
mittees in both houses reported adversely,
but, notwithstanding, the bill passed in
each house. There was considerable SYM
pathy for the losers and feeling that the
state was responsible for the safe-keeping
OF its asylum wards. On the other hand,
II was claimed that the connection OF the