Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-01-29
NEW LIQUOR LAW IS VALID
SUPREME COURT DECIDES ON
CALEDONIA COUNTY CASE.

SUPREME COURT DECIDES ON
CALEDONIA COUNTY CASE.
Capture Of Adelbert Martin, Wanted
for Assault at Northfield-End Of
Bean Murder Trial-Dr. Grinnell
Wins $12,5OO Suit.
The January term of supreme
court opened at Montpelier Tuesday
morning, Jan. 20. The most important
case decided was state against G. Con-
stantne, from Caledonia county, in
volving the constitutionality OF the IL
cense law. The court sustained the
law. The respondent claimed 1t I'M
constitutional because II provided no
maximum penalty and fixed the mini
mum so large the court had no chance
to exercise discretion and thereby pro-
portion punishment to the offense. The
court said it could not properly ques-
ton the acts Of the Legislature unless
1t made the fine extortionate 1t did
not consider the minimum fine so large
as to justify the court in questioning
the act of the body which made the law
and established the penalty. Because
the legislature did not fix maximum
penalty was unimportant. The ques-
ton of imposing any fine above the
minimum was not before the court for
determination and no opinion was CIV
en-. The pro forma ruling against the
respondents demurrer in the lower
court was affirmed and cause remand
ed. The opinion was by Judge Roweii
The cider clause case and Burlington
chief of police case were not decided.
The Patch union case. from Rutland
county, was again continued on ac-
count of the serious illness Of ]. c.
Baker for the plaintiff, and because
the amended bill was not yet signed.
President Baker of the American An
IT, Saloon league will attend the state
convention Of the Vermont league at
Burlington, Jan. 81. 2s and 20.
The town of Lincoln has won In the
quarantine fight and Warren has been
notified to remove the smallpox quar-
antine on the road between the two
towns.
Gov. ]. G. Mccullough has given
$1,000 for an endowment fund OF ST
Johnsbury academy and $4,000 to the
centennial endowment fund of the uni
versity of Vermont.
Jacob Warren Truax, rs. known
widely as the patentee and proprietor
of grist mill machinery, died at Essex
junction Monday. He was prominently
Identified with the democratic party.
The canning factory at Essex juno
ton will pay SO instead of $3.50 for
corn in the husk the coming season. |
Between $50 and 900 acres are already
pledged and the advance in the price |
will mean at least $4,000 more money |
for the planters.
The Col. Gleason house and barn at |
Richmond, owned by d. j. Squires, was |
burned Saturday night. The horses and I
wagons were saved, but the clothing, |
furniture and hay were total loss. The
fire is thought to have originated in the |
cellar from the furnace. The loss Is
estimated at $4,000 and the property |
was insured at $4,000.
The Vermont Bird club elected these
officers at it's closing session Friday, |
Jan. 90: President, Prof. G. H. Perkins;
vice president, Carlton P. Howe Of Es-
sex Junction; secretary and treasurer,
G. H. Ross of Rutland The club pas
sed resolutions to appoint a committee
to confer with the Fish and Game
league as to better protection Of birds.
John Getty and Alvin Smith met a
lean and hungry wildcat or lynx be-
tween Mortified village and West hill
one day last week. The animal showed
fight and the men killed 1t with sled
stakes which they carried. 1t meas
ured feet from tip to tip and was very
thin, and it is thought that hunger
might have been the cause of the at
tack on the men. A bounty was paid.
The December number of the crop
reports, published by authority of the
secretary of agriculture, gives figures
showing the acreage, yield and cash
value of the principal agricultural pro-
ducts of Vermont. The figures show
the hay crop to be largely in excess of
any other crop. The next crops in
order of importance being potatoes
oats, corn. The total value of the ag-
ricultural products for the past year is
SIS, 563669.
Work in the Norcross- West marble
quarries at South Dorset is being push
ed in spite of the cold weather. A lay
err of fine white marble has been dis
covered 80 feet below the surface,
which is being used on the New York
library building. The grey marble
which is in layer above the white, is
to Boston and used in the con-
struction of five buildings for the Har-
yard Medical School. The buildings
will cost nearly 100000.
Relief came to Vermont farmers in
the rain and moderate temperature of
Friday and Saturday. Continuous cold
has frozen the small streams and the
ground so hard that it has been almost
impossible to get water for ordinary !
and farmers have been
obliged to drive cattle miles daily for ,
water in the intense cold, which has
naturally caused a decline in the milk
supply. No such water famine has ,
been experienced in Vermont in the
asst rs years ,
John Donah of Shoreham is held at
under $1,000 bonds for the I
Grand jury charged with trying to I