Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-10-03
MCCULLOUGH is GOVERNOR.
AND 1T is NOW SPEAKER JOHN H. MERRIFIELD
The Legislature Finished the State Election Short Order Wednes
dayDeta Of Proceedings License and Caucus Control Bills
Have Already Been introduced.

his retiring message. This evening Gov
/ ernor and Mrs. Stickney gave the GUS
tomary reception to Governor-eleok
and Mrs. Mccullough. Tomorrow
4 morning at 10 o'clock Governor Nc
Cullough is expected to take the oath
/ of office and read his inaugural. An
adjournment will then be taken to
Monday afternoon or Tuesday morn
| ing.
The two bills introduced cover two
of the important matters of discussion
OF the past campaign, providing for a
caucus law and license law. Both
came from Chittenden county The
caucus measure was introduced by
Senator Brownell and the license bill
by Senator Russell. The Senate COM
mittees are not yet appointed, so that
the bills will remain in the hands of
the secretary until committees shall
be ready to receive them. Senator
Brownells primary law is very long
and enters into every detail creating.
in the opinion of many, altogether too
much machinery for the MANAGEMENT
OF party caucuses. 1t provides for
the regulation of caucuses in cities and
towns for state and county officers,
town representatives. and also for
, holding caucuses to elect delegates to
state and county conventions.
The license bill introduced by Sena-
tor Russell is practically the Massa-
chusetts law. with such variations as
Senator Russell thinks will adapt it
TO the needs of Vermont. The select
men of towns and trustees of incorpo-
rated villages are made a licensing
hoard There fhrao o1accao ~
licenses: first class, hotels and dram
shops for the purpose of selling liquor
of any kind to be drunk on the prem
ises; second. wholesale dealers; third,
druggists and apothecaries. to sell liu-
uor of all kinds for medical. chemical
and mechanical purposes. The fee to
be. first class, $1,000; second, $500;
third. 500. Provision is made to prevent
selling to minors or to habitual drunk
ards, and making the owner of the
license the owner of the building and
the bondsmen responsible for damage
resulting from patrons of a licensed
place becoming intoxicated therein 1t
provides for referendum on the
second Tuesday of February, 1903, the
law to go into effect on the first We'd
nesday in March, 1908, if approved by
majority of the freemen, and IL not
approved to go into effect on the first
of December. 1904. after another ses-
sion of the legislature has interviewed.
The report of State Tax Commits
sioner ]. E. Cushman makes an unex-
pectedly good showing. There has
been an increase during the past two
years in the states receipts from cor
poration taxes of S169,395.28, and for
the first time in history the total re-
ceipts exceed a million dollars. The
increase is almost wholly from the in
creased earnings of the railroads,
though there is a considerable gain
from collateral inheritance taxes. At
the same time the state expenses have
not increased, and there is over $780,
600 in the state treasury, more than
is required to meet all bills. If there
is no INCREASE in appropriations tax
of six cents on a dollar for the coming
biennial term will be all that will be
required, or three cents per year. This
is against a 15-cent state tax assessed
two years ago, or 71a cents per year,
and is really one of the most import
ant and interesting items ever shown
in the reports of the state officers.
Clements private car, the Grand
Isle, with its owner aboard, left for
Rutland Thursday afternoon, but Mr..
Clement states that he will keep in
close touch with his friends in the leg
islature until they get a local option
bill embodying their ideas prepared
and properly looked after.