The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-10-29
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
Capitol Happenings. Facts of Leg
islation. Fads and FaIIacies
of Legislators.


appeared before the joint committee
on temperance on Monday evening and
spoke in advocacy of the Norwegian
system of liquor enactment.
The deficiency bill filled a "long
felt want, " so the House passed it Just
as it came from the Senate, without
wasting time on third reading or
reference. Both committees had
carefully discussed the matter and
approved the bill, so Mr. Dartt's
motion to suspend the rules and pass
the bill at once was agreed to without
question.
Representative Battell has brought
pair of his Morgans to this city and
II it will stop raining occasionally
proposes to give his friends an airing
behind some of the best horsehesh in
Addison county.
The special committee appointed
by Chairman Burton of the committee
on highways will report favorably up
on the request made by the town of
Middlesex for aid to repair flood dam
age.
Those sections of House bill SO and
Senate bill 90 relative to railroads
having the power to take undeveloped
water privileges for their use fur
nished a theme for discussion at the
meeting of the committee on railroads
on Monday evening. Those sections
will probably be reported unfavorably.
The Senate was no more friendly to
the bill reducing 'he legal rate of in
terest to five per cent than was the
House, and killed it by substantial
majority. Senator Jackson of La
noble said that the passage of bill
like this would result in the calling
in of great many mortgages, pro-
cedure which would not prove any
too convenient for some of the parties
concerned.
S. 81 went down with thud on
Monday afternoon. The House didn't
like the idea of increasing the num-
Der of defective ballots by declaring
that a mistake in marking any one
name knocked out the whole ballot.
The movement to kill the bill, after
a favorable report from the committee,
was led by the Democrats, and con-
Quoted solely by them. But the rest
of the membership was with 'em, and
when the vote was taken not single
Eyes" was heard.
Senator Phelps bill, introduced on
Monday afternoon, would compel
abutters to share in the expense of
laying out new roads and streets.
Very naturally the abutters will want
to abut, if there seems to be any pros
pect of the bill getting through.
The Battell bill was put under the
calcium of the temperance committee
on Monday night. Although only a
few sections were discussed a grow
ing sentiment is manifested in favor
of the bill.
Druggists have been invited to ap-
pear before the joint committee on
temperance and explain their needs
as regards the handling of liquor in
their business.
reign, thus far, in the joint commit.
certainly.
The week starts in rather moist but
the dampness isn't expected to impede
legislation.
That biennial query is heard again
at the State House: "Shall we be
able to get through by Thanksgiv
ing?" Surely, there isn't the least
excuse for any lingering beyond that
time, this year.
There were Just two aye votes in
the Senate in favor of changing the
legal rate of interest to five per cent,
and in spite of Senator Walbridge's
able argument that the change would
be beneficial to the farmers, the other
/ g., -
the force of lOgic-when there is "A
fallacy in one Of the premises of the
syllogism.
During the debate on the rate of
interest bill the Senate was temporar-
lily much observed body The House
had adjourned and visitors and Rep
resentatives focked in to see the up
per House in the throes OF conflict
which was pretty onesided, however
Legislative passengers on one of the
trains south during the intermis
sion' almost needed umbrellas to
shield them from the rain which found
its way through the top of one of the
cars.
tuberculosis" is genuine war
cry at this session. Not only is there
a strengthening of the movement to
eradicate that disease from among
cattle, but now comes the sounding
of an alarm against the encroachment
of tubperculosis in the human family
AS, for instance, the bill providing
for commission of five to watch and
ward off that ailment.
There is more or less demand for
such "A bracing up and Improvement of
the present prohibitory law as will
ensure something worth falling back
on if the referendum bill is rejected
by the people, There is always some
fire where there is smoke, and the
multitude of petitions put in for the
preservation of the present prohibitory
law" are not entirely without signifi-
cance.
Now let us see how nearly all in
the bills will be by November l.. The
total number at that date is like to
fall considerably below the usual fig
urc.