Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-12-12
THE LEGISLATURE.
Final Enactment of the License
local-0ption Liquor Law.
A Week Of Busy Work to Clear the
Decks for Adjournment--tiearin on
Connecticut River Dam Charter.


Montpelier, Tuesday, Dec. 8.
The Legislature of Vermont has full
filled the wishes of an apparent ma
jority of the people of the state, and
the Republicans of that body have re-
deemed the pledge made by the Re-
publican state convention last June,
according to their Interpretation of
that pledge, by enacting a license
local-option liquor law The final
work in the legislature was done this
morning, when the House passed the
bill as amended, and it now only awaits
the governors signature to become a
law.
1t will be remembered that previous
to the Thanksgiving adjournment the
license bill had passed both houses,
but there were some minor differences
to be adjusted The points at issue
were amicably arranged by the joint
committee on temperance, as outlined
in The Phoenix last week. The Senate
took up the bill, with the proposed
amendments, last Friday morning, and
adopted the amendments with little
debate, suspended the rules, and pass
ed the bill as amended. The principal
discussion was on the amendment Civ
ing one-half the license fees and fines
to the state and one-half to the town
or city, instead of the division of one
fourth and three-fourths, as provided
in the original bill. The final passage
of the amended bill by the Senate was
by vote of 16 to 10.
This morning the House took up the
amended Senate bill, adopted the
amendments and passed the bill. The
principal discussion arose on the ques-
ton of dividing the license fees and
fines between the town and the state,
half and half The debate reached a
spicy stage at times, particularly be-
tween Mr.. McFeeters and Mr.. Dixon.
Mr.. McFeeters was inclined to twit the
prohibitionists of the House as profess
ing to consider the receipts from the
license system as ,''blood money" and
still wanting to get their share of that
blood money. Mr.. Dixon was on his
feet at once, saying: "a man may be
prohibitionist and not be fool. We
know good thing" The only yea and
nay vote taken during the discussion
was on this question of the division of
fees and fines, the amendment being
carried by vote of III to SO. Thirty
two members were on the "absent or
county members, Adams of Marlboro,
Bridges of Athens, Conland of Brat
tleboro. Gale of Guilford. Jones of
Dover, Robbins of Dummerston, Tudor
of Somerset, Waite of Londonderry
Wheeler Of Jamaica and Wheeler of
Rockingham voted yes, or in favor of
the half and half division. Dunklee of
Vernon, Eddy of Stratton. Kingsbury
of Windham, Osgood of Brookline
Robinson of Wardsboro, Wheeler OF
Nottingham, and Willard of Town
shend voted no. Goodhue of West
| minister, Hall of Grafton. Houghton OF
Putney, Jones of Halifax, Porter OF
| Wilmington, and the Speaker were
among those absent or not voting. The
| bill as finally enacted differs from the
| original bill in the following particu
| lars:
The distance of place for the pub
lie sale of liquor from churches and
| schools is reduced from 400 to zoe
| feet; the amount of fines and dues go
| ing to the state is reduced from three
| quarters to one-half, as is the share o.
the deficit to be paid by the state II
| cases of prosecutions by towns; say
ing clause relative to prosecutions un
der the present law is added; the dat
for the law to take effect in case of {
negative vote on the measure il
changed to 1906; the date for the sub
mission to the people of the referen
dunn Is changed to the first Tuesday II
February; the time for the canvas
of votes is set at 4S hours after tn
vote is taken, the secretary of state T.
canvass the votes February 10; tn
rules governing the March electio
are to apply to the meeting for the rel
erendum vote.