St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-11-18
Sixth Week.
The Legislature Now Doing Good
Work. No Hope for Adjournment
Before the Middle of December.
Small POx Scare Sends Many Men,
berS Home.

! a busy one with honors about equally
divided between small pox, public COM
mittee hearings and actual law making.
The small pox matter has assumed quite
formidable proportions during the past
few days and the doctors offices have
been filled with anxious patients await
ing vaccination. The supply of virus
was soon exhausted and orders were
sent on to Burlington for more. Many
of the legislators are in doubt about the
matter of vaccination, some of them
thinking they had as soon take their
chances. If they have already been ex-
posed vaccination will not prevent the
disease but will have a tendency to make
it lighter The real scare came on Thurs
day when it was learned that a gentle
man from Landgrove had attended the
reunion of the legislature of 1906 which
was held at the Montpelier House on
Tuesday evening More than a hun
bred members were present from all
parts of the state and all were crowded
together in the dining room for several
hours during the banquet and speeches.
Wednesday evening the same man at
tended at largely attended farmers
meeting the State House and exposed
another hundred members there. Thurs
day it was discovered that he had a we'll
developed case of small pox which was
then three or four days old The men,
Der was sent home in box car and is
now confined in the pest house. The
disease was first discovered in Brattle-
boro where over 30 cases have been
guaranteed, among them a son of Sen
ator Gibson and a son of Attorney
General Fits. When the matter became
fully known at the State House there
came near being panic and many men,
bers wanted to adjourn Immediately
and go home Wiser counsel prevailed
however and nearly all remained and
worked More work was done in the
Senate of Saturday forenoon than at any
one session before this year. The cases
of small pox so far reported are very
light and the scare is gradually wearing
off.
Many bills have passed both houses
and been approved by the Governor, but
with the exception of two or three Of
them all have been special acts to amend
some charter or other matter not of gen
eneral interest. The bill appropriating
S25, 900 for the Lake Champlain celebra-
ton and one providing that persons con-
victed of misdemeanor and sentenced
for not more than one year shall be COM
mtted to the county jail instead Of the
House of Correction have both been
signed and have become law,
The House has passed bills of various
kinds of minor Importance. No bill OF
state Importance was passed except one
to establish a State Board of Eduea-
ton consisting of the Governor super
intendent of education and three mem
bers to be appointed by the governor.
The Board is vested with the powers OF
the Normal school commissioners and
has control over school buildings owned
bv the state, the division of school
money, etc.
The House has killed many bills
among them one to prevent the docking
of horses; providing for weekly pay
ments for cream and milk several pollu
tion of river bills; making a close season
on raccoons; appropriating money tol
the state geoiogist bill raising pay o
jurors; providing that the union labe
must be on all state printing creating {
new agricultural department and abol
ishing the state board. During tn,
week ending Saturday noon the Senate
had neither passed or killed any impor
tant measure. The Senate had beer
busy all the time and has turned out con
siderable work but it has been by way o
cleaning up to get down to the NOR,
important legislation relating to distric
courts taxation, education and election
laws.
There has been considerable excitemen
in the House of Representatives over tn
Sunday blue laws. The agriculture bill
again came in from the committee ant
was finally killed after a stormy debate
The farmers insisted that if they coulC
not have such bill as they wanted the,
would not have any. The bill that wa
killed provided for salary of $500 ant
the farmers claimed they did not wan
an $500 man. State House gossip say
that they killed the bill because the,
feared that Hitchcock, the author of tn
bill, would be appointed
The feature in the senate during tn
past week has been the debate of tn
trustee bill. The republican part,
through its platform had promised tina
1T would do something about the trus
tee process laws in favor of the working
man. Governor Proctor recommended
the passage of a law providing that onl,
such sum as was in excess Of $40 shout,
be held. There was quite debate on tn