Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-10-25
FLOODING ON
AT MONTPELIER,
.AFew NEW LAWS ALREADY AND
MANY BILLS IN,


This is the Stage when Work Does
Not Show on the Surface, but Counts
ius, the Same. What is Being Done
in Principal Matters OF Legislation.
Formative Period is Reached State
omeers Elected,
While last weeks record Of the legis-
Iature was not Of the snowy kind, never
theIess much was done 10 advance the
work Of the session. MANY new bills
appeared, the committees got down 70
business and several measures were nnally
disposed Of. The total OF senate bills
reached 10 and OF House bills la, The
House thus far has proved the more pro"
lifie in proposed legislation.
Contested elections are taxing some
time, Editor Aud OF Burlington Is trying
10 Gust MIR. Grafton, Democrat, who secured
Is majority for representative OF that elty'
Mr.. Auld claims there were irregularities
in The polling, and that ballots were
counted for Grafton that should not have
been. The House elections committee Is
also considering the cases OF the half
dozen members alleged TO have been IN
igible when elected by reason OF being
post masters.
A more spirited contest is the Daley
Meagher states attorney scrap IN Ben
nington county, The joint committee 10
canvass votes for county officers under
took 10 send for the town clerks and
ballots of Bennington county, for the pnr-
pose Of going over the ballots themselves,
but there Is doubt about the authQgity OF
the committee 10 do this, The COMMITTEES
Is divided on the question, and The matter
comes up in the House this week for
decision, the Senate having alrea ~ passed
a resolution empowering the committee TO
call for the ballots.
Gen. Lewis 4. Grant, the veteran COM
mander of the old Vermont Brigade, will
visit Montpelier the week OF Nov. l, when
the Vermont Officers society meets there,
as the guest OF the state, The legislature
appropriated s2l0 TO cover his expenses,
Gen. Grant is in Strengthened ciTcumstan-
ces and could not come otherwise.
The joint assembly TO elect certain state
officers was held Thursday afternoon.
Usually The supreme court judges are
chosen at this time, but on account Of the
proposed reorganization Of the court this
was postponed until later, The elections
were all unanimous, as tollows:-StatC
superintendent Of education, Hon. Mason
;. Stone OF Montpelier; sergeant-at-arms,
{. ii. Ferrin OF Montpelier; adjutant-and-
inspector-gen5 RAJ, w, II. Gilmore of Fair
lee; Judge advocate general, n. q. Viii
liams Of Rockingham; trustees of L, V M.
Redteld Proctor OF Proctor, +. j. Ormsbee
OF Brandon, y. w. Fisk Of Isle La Mote.
All we're reflections. Mr.. Darling OF
Chelsea nominated Gen. Gilmore, and Mr..
| Hatch OF STAFFORD seconded Mr.. Stone.
| All the speeches were bright and crisp.
Mr.. Latham's proposition to have a
| special committee named to consider
| double taxation was revamped in the
Senate, and as finally adopted by both
| houses provides for a special committee
of three senators and five representatives,
| to whom shall be referred all bills relating
to equalization of taxation and double
taxation, who shall consider the same,
/ investigate the whole subject and report
| by bill! or otherwise. The committee has
not been named at this writing. very
earnest disposition to 'do something
in this direction is evidenced.
/ Principal matters Of legislation have
reached the following stages
Capital punishment aboliuon-Bills are
J in to substitute life imprisonment, also
one TO change the method of intiictine
the death penalty from hanging to cleo
trocution. The first hearing on thu.
matter was held in Representatives hal
Monday evening of this week, when the
question of giving women the right tC
vote in municipal elections was also
| heard. From expressions of members, il
seems rather unlikely that .ther change
proposed will be made. At present M
murderer is being held for execution
and the matter does not come up Will
the pressing force it would if such were
the case. However, favorable report OF
the abolition of capital punishment il
expected from the judiciary committee
in the House, and an interesting debate
will surely follow.
Automobile restr'ction-Bills to allow
towns local option as to closing theI
highways to the machines; also to clos
highways certain days of the week; alst
to put further restriction on the ma
chimes when teams are met, are now be
fore the general committees. AT hear
ing Thursday night the question wa
thoroughly threshed out. The rights o
the respective parties were all represented
by the several speakers, including Col
Joe" Battell. 1t was announced tina
the committee was awaiting an opInlol
from the attorney general as to the RICH
, Of the state, or Of any town, to close an,
of the highways to the automobile. Otne
} hearings will follow.
Court reorganization-The lawyers bill
to divide the court into two parts Of fiv
Judges each, one part supreme court AM
the other trial court, has much support
Mr.. Archibald of Manchester has bin t
keep the present form of the court, bu
, add two more judges, and this measur
finds considerable favor. Lawyers are b
no means agreed over the policy of dlvid
ing the court, and laymen follow suit
Weekly payments-A hearing was hel
Tuesday night that was largely attended
r Only friends of the Jackson bill spok,