Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-10-11
LEGISLATURE
ORGANIZED
SESSION OF 1906 STARTS ITS
WORK 6RisklT.

Business. New Rules Adopted
House Committees Named. Messa-
ses Of Ola and New Governors Read
Governors Reception. Bill No.
Passed on Hurry Cell.
A good start Was made last week By tbs
| Vermont legislature before its over-sun-
DAY recess. The Senate and House organ
ized, elected officers, adopted rules aud the
House standing committees wers named,
The Senate committees aud the joint
standing committees were left In process
OF filling. The new governor and other
state officers were inaugurated and one
bill passed both houses before adjourn
ment. On the social side, the reception
given by the outgoing 10 the incoming
governor formed the leading feature.
! Following the organization OF the two
Legislative branches came the question OF
rules to govern the bodies. IL has been
customary merely TO Adolf the rules OF
pr, ceding bodies, but this year the matter
came up In a different way. Two years
ago a special committee was appointed to
investigate and report a new set OF rules
better calculated To promote the business
OF the session. The report embodied
mostly the old rules, with such departures
as experience or the usage in other states
suggested. These rules as reported were
adopted without modification by the
| House, while the Seuate made few alter
atoms in them and then adopted them
The chief changes noted are:-rhe crea-
ton az three new committees, one on APP
propfiatie ms, one on street railways, while
the old committee on corpo atoms, always
overburdened, finds its task divided be-
tween two committees, one on public cor
porations and the other on private. There
Is also created a joint committee TO revise
bills before their introduction in either
house, whose royince II is to receive bills
and straighten out their wording, which
must be done within three days. Bills
will be presented to the houses through b
this committe. and read the first and Sec
ond time by title only, unless member
| requests otherwise, except that Senate
| bills OF public nature originating there
must be read in full the first time. Ii ID
thought these methods will save time and
produce better results. The rules COM
mission favored the appointment OF Sea ate
committees by the lieutenant governor
The old method was their selection by 9
nominating committee OF one from each
county. The proposed change created
considerable discussion. The COMMITTEES
on rules named by the Senate, Senators
Taylor, Stafford and Holden, modified
this so that committees In the Senate are
to be named by the lieutenant governor
the pre- itent pro TEN and one senator
elected from the floor. This compromise
was accepted by the Senate and Messrs
Prouty, Van Patten and Holden became
the nominating committee.
The House thought to economic by
purchasing the typewriters used by the
secretaries, but the Senate figured that II
would be cheaper to rent as heretofore,
and the House concurred.
Thursday was Inauguration day. At II
O'Clock the houses met in Joint assembly
and heard the retiring message OF Gov.
Bell, which was well received. After
wsrd, in the Senate, W. j. Van Patten,
president pro TEN. was sworn in.
In the afternoon, at another joint as
sembly, and before a hall packed with
people, Hon. Fletcher ID. Proctor received
the oath OF Office as governor and deliv-
cred his inaugural message. IL was long
and the reading occupied an hour, but 1t
was followed very closely by the menu
bers. The reference TO further restriction
in the use OF automobiles was warmly APP
plauded, as was Gov. Proctor himself,
both when he entered the hall and when
he had finished and retired. The canvass
OF the state vote showed that Proctor re-
ceived msjority over all other candi-
dates of 14,17l.
This Inauguration was followed by one
in the Senate chamber when Lieut. Cover
nor e'ect G. II. Prouty took the oath and
mace brief acceptance speech, receiving
the garal from his predecessor, Lieut-Gov.
c. II. 5tearns. At the same time the
other state officers elect qualified, the
only change being in the treasurer's Of
flee, where u. II. Deavitt succeeded j. L..
Bacon. The new state government thus
became living thing.
Joint resolutions were adopted by both
House and Senate providing for the ap-
pointment OF special joint c. mmittee on
revision Of the laws end one to examine
the auditors book keeping system.
Thursday evening Retiring Governor G.
j. Bell gave a reception in the executive
chamber to Governor Proctor, at which
some 1900 peol e we're J1esented to the re-
ceivir z line nr istiI & Of Governor and
Mrs. Bell of Walden, Governor and Mrs.
Fletcher ID. Proctor Of Proctor, Lieut.
Governor and Mrs. George III. Prouty OF
Newport, ex-Lieut Governor and Mrs. G.
II. Stearns Of johnson, United States
Senator Redfield Proctor Of Proctor, ex-
Governors Carroll S. Page OF Hyde Park
and j. G.. Mccullough of Bennington, ex-
Lieut. Governor 2. NJ. Mansur of Newport
and e2- Lieut. Governor and Mrs. n. w.
Fisk of Isle La Motto. The decorations OF
the executive chamber were decidedly
novel, beng an artistic arrangement of
NtTllOHt ihTlll anu lOTSeb piOuuCts' OuS
large set piece displayed the state coat Of
arms and cornucopia pouring forth real
treasures of plenty. Another piece bore a
bell cleverly gotten up, with the inscrip-
ton, ''Ring out the old ring in the new"
a very appropriate application of the
"Belp' emblem to the changing admins
tration.
Whittiers orchestra furnished music for
the reception, also for the ball given by
Co. II, V. n. g., at Armory hall immedi-
ately following, where the grand march
was led by Gov. and Mrs. Bell and Gov.
and Mrs. Proctor. Less than the usual
number attended, but the affair was very
pleasant.
At Friday mornings session, Speaker
Cheney announced the House standing
committt es. The chairmanshlps went as
follows: - Elections, Alexander of Geor-
gia; federal relations, Moultrop of East
Haven; ways and means, Porter Of Wilm-
ington military affairs, Heath OF Warren I;
judiciary, Darling of Chelsea; educational,
Hulburd of Hyde Park; claims, Kicker Of
Groton; railroads, Jackson Of Barre city;
street railways, Archibald Of Manchester:
highways and bridges, Carr Of st. Johns
bury; banks, Mead Of Rutland city; man
ufactures, FELTON, of Highgate; agricul-