News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1904-10-19
Montpelier Letter
From Our Regular Correspondent.
MONTPELIER, Oct. IS

MONTPELlER, OCl. 10.
The lawmakers have settled down
to business to an extent rather ahead
of the usual record for this date in
the session, and there is fair pros
pect that legislation will be expedi-
ted. Both Senate and House APP
pear to be built that way; the lead
ers in either branch are men of whom
such thing would naturally be ex-
pected. The corporations committee
has surprised itself and the House by
reporting favorably on two private
bills thus soon, and both were
promptly passed. The special COM
mittee on caucus bills and the Joint
standing committee on temperance
have been appointed, and it looks as
if each would have something to do.
The personnel of these two important
committees will be of interest to
News AND CITIZEN readers. The first
includes Messrs. Lewis of Troy, Proc
tor of Proctor, Downer of Sharon,
O'Sullivan of St. Adams, Fits of
Brattleboro, Waite of Hyde Park,
Archibald of Manchester, Billiard of
Burlington, Norton of Vergennes,
Ladd of Alburg, Mansur of Brighton,
Bickford of Bradford, Smith of Shelf
field, Bailey of Barre town. The
second: Senator's Slack of Caledonia,
Fletcher of Cavendish, Fowler of
Bennington and Lord of Washington
coanty, and Messrs. Graves of Ben
nington, Grout of Derby, Dartt of
Springfield, O'Sullivan of st. Adams,
Agan of Ludlow, Crane of Brookhel1,
Leavens of Cambridge. Quite a
number of the more important meas
nres are in early, thus ensuring time
enough for their consideration.
1t is barely possible that the action
of the Supreme court when it meets
late this month may give the present
Legislature little more to do with
the local option law than was X
pected when the session began. Some
of the lawyers are guessing that the
legality of section 81, which prohibits
unlicensed sales, will be denied by the
court on the ground of discrimina-
tion in favor of local manufacturers
of cider and native wines, against
interstate law. If these guesses
should prove correct and the court
declare any part OF the local option
measure unconstitutional, the way
would be opened for some radical
changes. Several bills amending that
famous No. 90 of the acts of 1902
are already in.
THE SORT OF LEGISLATION PROPOSED.
The gentleman from HYDE Park "
has bill in, making the amount of
Savings Bank deposit, exempt from
taxation, $500 instead of $4,000. He
admits that it is quite drop, and
while he hasn't much expectation of
the bills living to get through he is
sure there'll be cut down. Another
measure puts the limit at $1,000, and
a third calls for the payment of taxes
on all deposits by the banks.
The committee on elections have a
public hearing this Wednesday, eve
ming on the bills providing for
straight plurality verdict in the
choice oftown Representatives. There
are three of these, and if the smaller
towns don't object too strenuously
to giving up their long-orawn-out
election day entertainments, a plu-
rality bill is quite likely to pass.
Two more caucus bills have come
in, touching mainly on a springtime
declaration of the voters intention
to act with this or that party at
coming elections and the use of check
lists at caucuses made up from certi-
ficates signed by voters.
The Attorney General bill bids fair
to have lots OF friends in this Legis-
ture, as an economic measure. Itin-
wolves a salary of $4,000, but de-
mands in return the appointee's
whole time in assisting the Governor
and other State officers, the General |
Assembly and States Attorneys with |
such advice as they may need and SUI
pervising the more important crimi-
nal prosecutions.
Mr.. Start of Bakersfield has intro
dnced bill to abolish the railroad |
commission, and the doing away |
with capital punishment is also
preached once more. In this connec-
ton it may be said that the expected
has happened in the form of bill to
commute the death sentence of Mary
M. Rogers, convicted of murder at
Bennington.
The regulation of the automobile
and its Chauffeur is one of the live top
les. An attempt will be made to
secure the registry of all machines, to