The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-12-10
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.

iilO WOunSu VI NeInOub Will Wulb
awhile longer before they vote for a
President of the United States, for the
bill granting them suffrage to that
extent was quietly turned down in the
Senate on Wednesday.
Frank Wheeler of Burlington, page
in the Senate, has not yet returned to
his duties, owing to the sickness and
death of his mother. The sympathy
of the Senate goes out to the lad in
his affection.
Mr.. Darick of Castleton put up %
plucky fight for his bill holding rail-
road companies liable in cases of acct
dents through their negligence He
had very little help among the takers
of the House, but scored a victory in
spite of an attempt to have the bill
dismissed.
Hedgehog" legislation has caused
a deadlock. The Senate insists on its
amendments and asks for a committee
of conference on the disagreement be-
tween the two houses.
The emphatic manner in which the
House dismissed the requests of Ell
more, Andover and Jay for State aid
in the construction of damaged high
ways was simply consistent with its
settled policy-namely. not to open
the doors of the State treasury, indis-
criminately, to such appeals
The House is through with the
cattle commission bill, and as the SEN
ate will no doubt accept the amend
ments suggested by the lower branch,
this much discussed measures will be
disposed of for at least two years,
when the subject may confidently be
expected to loom up again and stir up
another protracted debate.
The first carload of State Capitol
material has not yet been shipped
from Montpelier to Burlington. The
member from the Queen City has a
large lot of shipping tags duly super
scribed, but they may not be need
ed this year.
During Senator Annis' speech on
Thursday against the weekly pay
ment bill, a supporter of the bill who
was spectator in the lobby became
rather excited and finally told the
Senator to "sit down. DOorkeeper
Herrick promptly told him to shut up
or he would be put out, and silence
was the rule after that. He appeared
to have imbibed little too much of
the ardent.
For the first time this session Presi-
dent Stanton had to cast his vote to
break tie. He voted against the
amendment to the weekly payment bill,
which would have had the effect of
destroying the intent of the bill by
putting it in the power of the en-
ployer to refuse to hire a man unless
he would sign contract for other
than weekly payments. President
Stanton said afterwards that he want
ed the bill passed in it's virgin pur.
ity and wished he had had chance
to vote for the measure.
The committee on corporations tC
which the Barre charter bill was re.
ferred is beginning to realize that
certain of the provisions relative tC
the taking of water may be an in.
fringement on the right of neighbor.
ing towns. The committee is likely tC
report some amendments that will
help the bill
John Hogan, New York railroad
employee, suffered his eighth acct
dent in twenty years service few
| days ago, and rejoiced because it re-
suited i'll nothing more than broken
| arm, whereas on some former occa
sions he had lost both feet and re.
| ceived several other really seriou.
! injuries. In many ways Mr.. Hogan'l
experience is parallel with that of the
weekly payment bill in the Vermont
Senate. This is particularly so il
that the last knock was not so disas
trous as some previous ones. But
there is this difference: Mr.. Hogan
must be growing weaker all the time
while the sentiment in favor of week
ly payment law is gaining strength
and some day, in the not very distant
future, it may knock at the door Of
| the executive chamber with the ap
proval of a Vermont Senate.
A certain State official who does
business on the first floor sat in hil
easy chair, smoking his pipe of clay,
the other day, when in walked a little
girl leading little boy, the pair evi
IDENTIFY intent on finding something
they had never seen before.
Quoth the girl, in a hesitating way
say mister, Will you tell u,
where we can find the animals?''
She was looking for the museum
section, of course. But this wicked
official, remembering that the legisla.
ture was then i'll session, promptly
replied
eyes, little girl, you'll find them
up stairs -
The weekly payment bill has trav.
eled its usual course-namely, lived
through its House experience and died
in the Senate. The upper branch said
/ no by vote of 81 to 8, after spending
considerable time endeavoring tC
amend it.
The Senators had good laugh
during the roll call on tine Brownell
ballot bill. When Senator Browns
name was called Senator Brownell