The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-11-13
What the Solons Of This
Section Are Doing.
BARRIERS SUNDAY LAW
lie Makes a Noble Attemp, TO Get the
Obsolete Blue Statutes Amended
Martin and His Telephone Invessiga.
tioa-The Printing Scandal.

money or issued any subpoenas. but the
hasn't been much lack of evidence. III
ways Of the wicked New England oeiop,
wen exposed and screams III rage aro'
from the committee, Joe, who looks ;
deyilishly fene bu, is wally big hear
ed, benevolent chap. with his system ia
Of the crram II human charity. consider
his case strong hut allows that he vi
hear the party 81 the second part {,
night. IL won't matter much. perhaps
how yiriuons the telephone oppnssoi
seem 60 he. not dent will be made upo
the nickelsieel resolve of Joe Martin
The RELENTLESS Corsican Of Brookline wi
denouncc them IN Large and franti
voice, make no mistake about that, Not
withdrawing the frce booths aud the scr
tie demoisclle in the lobby who says witt
fine reserve. Nv. H.. Mr., Martin 10 spca
with his house in Brooklyn, Mass, o
something like that.
The farmers took and shook the pan
cr.as out 81 the admir- stfaiion al
Wednesday. Ii was on the question o.
reducing that humorous board 81 agri
culture from three expansive and ALSO
lutely inert molluscs u one active mem
Der at fair salary. Nothing Ia a.. The
minute that Village Pest from Spring
field got up and ,fcd cloud OF vague
heroism into the air Il was all on: The
farmers in whose behalf the whole bench
cent scheme was gotten up just naturally
embattled themselves in true Lexington
fashion and trimmed the whole PROPOSE
ton tor an invisible frazzle Nobody
knows rist what they want but the Al
mighty, and there are no divine iniorma'
ton bureaus at the state house. think
whit they want is a swift kick.
At was certainly a crude crack at the
Administration which has promised TO he
good and concentrate commissions, but
what can you do when the grangers rare
up" on their hindlcgs in wild desire TO
paw somebody with their front feet! ~
the way, as old Jed lIaskins puts II,
"they haint lit yet
Representative Barber led an uphill
fight on his bill TO revise the blue laws
so that local authorities can regulate the
selling of food, cigars and soda water. IN
their own towns. His strongest appeal
against the present law was quotation
from the famous blue laws OF Connecti-
cut. which he read as follows:
The blue laws of Connecticut were so
called because they were printed on blue
tinged paper. These are some of them:
No one shall be free man or have
vote unless he is converted and member
of one OF the churches allowed in the
dominion.
No dissenter from the essential worship
of this dominion shall be allowed to give
a vote for electing magistrates or any
other officer.
No food or shelter shall be offered
hereto.
No one shall cross the river on the
Sabbath but an authorized clergyman:
No one shall travel, cook victuas, make
beds, sweep houses, cut hair or shave on
the Sabbath day.
No one shall kiss his or her children
on the Sabbath or feasting day.
The Sabbath day shall begin at sunset
Saturday.
Whoever wears clothes trimmed with
gold, silver or bone lace above one shil |
ling yard shall be presented by the |
grand jurors and selectmen shall tax the |
estate 800 pounds.
Whoever brings cards or dice into the !
dominion shall be fined pounds.
No one shall eat mince pies, dance, play |
cards or play any instrument or music,
except the drum trumpet or jewsharp.
No man shall court a maid in person or
by letter without obtaining the consent
If her parents. Five pounds penalty for
he first offense, 10 pounds for the second
md for the third imprisonment during
he pleasure of the court.-Copied from
IN old New York Freeman dated 1892.
When these laws were in effect, claim
ID Barb, with a perfectly revolutionary
asst of countenance, the Vermont law
lnder which we now survive was
brought into being. If this law were
it would close the postoffices,
telephone Offices, telegraph offices, every
lrug store in the state, prohibit a man
rom taking a pleasure walk or drive,
orbid his calling on his neighbors or
laying the piano.
That large, benevolent statesman from
Tergennes, Frank L. Fish, who tells
french Canadian stories too cute for
nything, opposed the bill. So did Lock
in of Richford and Leary of Burlington.
he latter made speech that was a
lodel of sophistical argument. He ad.
nitted what the law could do, but said
he local authorities had enforced it with
iscretion and that the supreme court
ad upheld a liberal Interpretation of the
iw. He allowed this bill of 'Barb's' :
he roots, a proposition in which Beals
f Walden rang in the old testament and
aid not only was the Vermont law 1879 {
ears old but that it dated back still
1rther. Remember the Sabbath day to $
eep it holy" was what Beals said and t
he chimes on the Methodist church i
hanted Amen. q
The house was coming "Barb's" way,
evertheless. 1t refused to dismiss.
aeon withdrew weakening amend
lent Hitchcock withdrew motion to
e-submit and on the final advancement
, third reading, the vote stood ll3 to ,
}. 1t was really tribute to BARRIERS
strong defense of bill that |
ime in under an adverse report from
lie judiciary committee and went t
lestion-and then some.
The committee is still considering the
yestminster mixup. There are nine Y
embers and nine different opinions, S
it'll practically every member conceal
g second choice in case of compro- C
Use. The chances are there will not be +
1ything very. radical done to the law. t
A shrek materialized from marrow
uge'' sufferer when Wheeler of Jamaica 81
troduced H35O, which requires railroads
furnish cars within four days after re- Il
living a written request therefor or S
ffer the penalties of reciprocal demur- n
ge, fine, Imprisonment and keel-hauling d
ON Wardsboro to Winhall. IL
Gibson has two or three taxation bills, Il
son three or four committees, presides t,
the senate when DR.. Mead is off work. II
g up business for Howe scales and gets IL
ne to jump in on the floor of the SEN
e and squeeze the breath out of hasty de
yislation and Ed .Flinn-when Finn al
It looking. al
Mr.. Brown of Wilmington dabbles with al
e vexed question of taxation long fir
ough to propose the famous remedy of in
empting 31s per cent loans from taxa til
n. Walker of Dummerston has a bill
yulating the tuition of resident NJ
pills and Divoll of Rockingham wants r.
wers of posted lands to tell the town X
TX about it every year. Otherwise the M
.eep off the trout book" signs don't M
Mr.. Adams of Marlboro, one of the di