Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-11-02
FOUR MEMBERS FIRED
Being Fourth Class aPostmasters
We're Considered Ineligible
Speaker Cheney Leetured solons on Sub
Jeet Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Bill on
Court Reorganization.
Montpelier. Nov. 1.

Montpelier, Nov. l.
Speaker Cheney preached little sermon
to the House on Tuesday morning on the
subject of inactivity. After clearing up
what little business he found on his desk
he gave the members a glimpse of the sit
uation to date and urged the need of a
hustle on their part to do up the WORK of
the session and get home in good season.
Up to Monday night 275 bills had been in
troduced in the House, but 90 of which
had been reported back from the commit
tees; two of the latter had still in their
possession one-third OF all the bills in
troduced up to the date mentioned. II
was made pretty evident that the com
mittees were not turning out their grist
as rapidly as they might and of course
the general assembly is dependent on the
committees for material on which to
get busy.
The judiciary committee has presented
substitute bill on court reorganization
that is likely to evoke considerable dis
cuGsion. Its main features are the making
OF four supreme court judges and six
superior judges; the elimination OF referee
cases, special motions, auditors and COM
missions Except commissions to take
disclosures in trustee, highway and town
line cases) unless agreed to by parties
concerned and at their expense; and the
saving to the state thereby OF about
$4,000 for the biennial term; the salary OF
each OF the judges to be $4,000
The House found itself face to face with
a unanimous report OF the elections COM
mittee and the constitution on Tues
day afternoon and voted. 1913 to 70. to
adopt the committees resolution de-
claring Mr.. Slade OF Rutland town, Mr.
SpaulL.ng of Sherburne, Mr.. FELTON, OF
Highgate and Mr., Burnham OF Woodbury.
ineligible to membership and their seats
vacant. 1t wasn't a pleasant job. and
nobody enjoyed ii. Some doubt was
raised as to whether fourth class post
masters really got their pay di-
rectly from the United States treasury
and thus came under the ban OF the con-
sutution as regards election to the legis-
lature,l and some of the debaters urged
that the four gentlemen in question be
given the benefit of the doubt. But Mr..
Porter of Wilmington maintained thar
there was only one first-class postmaster
in the state, that the salaries OF all post
masters came, in point of fact from the
United states treasury, and there was no
chance for discrimination in the matter
Mr.. Hapgood of Peru insisted that the
pay of the fourth class postmaster came
from the pockets OF those to whom he
sold stamps, and not from the United
States treasury letter from Congressman
Haskins was read, Indicating that the
House had some ground for allowing these
men to remain. The case seemed fairly
clear, however, presented as 1t was after
painstaking investigation by the commit
tee, and the majority for unseating was
decisive. Later a joint resolution was
adopted, giving the gentlemen the usual
per diem to Oct 80.
The special commission on permanent
school fund.-. A. DeBoer c. H. Stearns
Justus Dart, N. w. Fisk, II. P. Simpson
and John A. Mead-have presented a
bill merging the $4,000 returned to the
state by the national government, the
Huntington fund and the United States
deposit moneys into one permanent pub
lie school fund, to be managed, invested
and its income distributed by a board OF
seven trustees, the governor lieutenant
governor, state treasurer and superin-
tendent of education to be ex-officio mem
bers OF said board, the other three to be
appointed.
AS an offset to the bill purposing to re-
peal the law prohibiting delinquent tax
payers from voting in town, city or vii
lage meeting Senator Van Patten has
introduced one providing that the tax
payer who hasn't settled 20 days before
the date of the meeting shall lose his
right to vote.
A bill that is free from the flavor OF
the chestnut" is one providing that the
tax collected from insurance companies
shall be distributed among the towns and
villages according to the amount OF prem
iums paid therein, and used for the benef
OF the fire departments.