The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-11-26
IL. a. SHADE
AN EVENING GF FUN.

AIN II ENlNG OG FUN.
The pages of the Legislature held
their mock session Thursday and it
proved the most successful for many
years. For over an hour the fun was
kept going and while everyone was
still laughing and before the proceed
ings became monotonous, the House
was summarily adjourned ON a motion
made, put, voted, and declared by the
speaker, who, all the evening, put Gar
Reed completely in the shade so far
as dictatorial procedure is concerned
Before eight O'Clock, the hour set
for the opening, Representatives Hall
was filled to overlooking, the crowd
of visitors exceeding that of the days
of the early sessions, though the regu-
lar members were largely absent.
On the pages stools-when they
were so fortunate as to have the OPP
portunity to sit down-were Senators
Backus and Russell, Representatives
White Of Woodstock, Gale of Gull
ford, and Bridges of Athens, and
Ben" Gates from the State library.
These pages proved to be more unruly
than the bright lads usually there,
frequently causing great commotion
in answering the calls of their youth
full masters, falling over chairs and
desks, jumping tables, and scrapping
among themselves. Page" Backus
was rather short of breath but he did
and to see Bridges and Russell and
the other pages racing to answer a
peremptory call was enough of itself
to keep the crowd convulsed with
laughter. Bridges was the star page,
entering into the sport with all of
his six feet Of body, and head and
"goatee. ~
Clerk Waterman of the committee
on revision of bills called the House
to order and as his gavel fell a sharp
report and some inspected fireworks
betrayed the fact that somebody had
carelessly (?)left some percussion caps
on the speaker desk In the absence
of Chaplain Bennett, devotional exer-
cises were dispensed with The Hon.
orable Colonel John H. Jack Mimms'
was unanimously elected speaker and
committee consisting of Simpson of
Sheffield and Colburn of Rutland noti-
fed him of his election and escorted
him to the chair He proceeded to
make speech full of wit and stories
and then turned the attention of the
House to business. AS speaker
Jack" was success, and If his code
of parliamentary rules was new and
ever changing, it fitted the occasion.
Jesse Harvey, Ed Mutt and Stanley
Wilson served as clerks and assistants.
Bills ime in thick and fast, being
introduced by the gentleman from
Hopsuash, Ubadam, Ticklenaked
Pond, Coney Island, South Africa and
other places in Vermont and elsewhere,
The subjects of the proposed laws
were many and varied
Here are some of them; To author
ize the State board of health to fur
nish fy-traps to catch tuberculosis
germs, and to catch the germs that are
communicating the water of Berlin
Pond.
To move the State House to the
breakwater in Burlington harbor.
This was referred to the committee on
| insane.
To move Lake Memphremagog to
the top of Killington Peak. Provides
coal cars to transport it in.
To grant relief to the member from
Middlebury (Mr. BattelD, Appropri-
ates twenty-five cents to defray eX-
penses of "A recent beautiful haircut.
Providing that any person found with
tuberculosis germs about him shall be
| fumigated.
To increase the speed of automo-
biles \ speed of less than fifty miles
an hour not to be tolerated.
Forbidding the sale of meat from
cats having tuberculosis and provid-
ing for application of tuberculine
tests to same. AS the member from
Coney Island (Wheeler)presented this
bill he added, land | ask that this eat
be tested" presenting n frightened
yellow pussy AS Page Bridges ran
for the clerks desk with the bill in
one hand and holding the cat by the
nape of its neck in the other the
| house roared.
An announcement of meeting of
the committee on education was MADE
which brought down the house.
Fun was rife from beginning to end
and when the speakers gayel fell an
nouncing adjournment, the audience
departed with new lease of life from
this evening with the boys.