The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-08
HERMIT" ONCE
MORE BACK At
MONTPELIER
WOOdtOrd Representatives Let
ter From State Capital
STRUGGLE OVER DOE BILL
Mr.. 5owles Has An Idea That Pub
lie Utilities Bill Is Doomed to
Defeat.

Montpelier, VT Dec. 5. OS-It
seemed in sense like home when we
got back here for business this week.
Because of my brothers funeral, Mon
day, | could not be present at Mon
day evenings or Tuesdays sessions
Never before have been absent FIVE
minutes when the house was in SEES
sion during my two terms In the leg
islature.
When | came up Tuesday had to
wait 3h hours in Burlington, and as
the weather was fine | enjoyed look
ing over the varied industries and
large buildings OF the Queen City.
Just before arriving at Burlington,
and alongside the lake, a young man
at my side asked me what river II
was? When told him It was lake
that there was so large a stream OF
water in Vermont! He was an in
telligent young man, but thought
quickly that my school children
knew as much about geography as he.
He then told me that his home was
in Philadelphia and that his sister
had just died in the Mary Fletcher
hospital and that his mission to Yer
mont for the first time was sad
one.
or MY arrival at the capital Tues
day evening at $3.50, q delegation of
legislators headed by Representative
LeRay of Searsburg. was az the
Depot to meet me. The care and
courtesy extended me was deeply APP
preciated. and will not soon be for
gotten Nearly all the members had
heard OF my brothers death before
my arrival, and In the mails / have re-
ceived letters OF coincidence from
friends in Bennington and elsewhere.
Il would have pleased my friends
interested In the game question TO
have noticed the look of earnestness
and anxiety on the face Of Governor
Prouty during his two days holdup be
fore signing the doe bill. which he
finally did Thursday morning. Floods
of petitions from all over the state
had been received by his eAcelloncy
| importuning him to veto the bill.
Remarks were frequently made that
| the governor was between the devil
and the deep sea-" as all knew that
he was conscientious and DESTROYS OF
doing the right thing at the right
time
Under the circumstances. the COVER
nor couldn't do otherwise unless he
was looking for trouble with the
House and Senate Had he vetoed
the bill. It could be passed over the
veto bymajority action Of both bran
ches The vote Wednesday. when the
House refused to recall the bill from
the chief magistrate. proved conclus-
| lively that Il was up to him 10 say yes
OF no. II Il was a diplomatim dodge
ON the part OF the executive 10 try out
| the temper OF the House Il worked
/ successfully. Il placed the responsi-
bility directly on the House, a body
/ supposed to respond most readily 10
| popular will. NJ. J. Hapgood OF feru
rushed In to see the governor 10 per
suade him not to sign the bill. but was
too late. although the ink Of the gov
errors signature was not yet dry
when NJ. j arrived MIR Hapgood
/ felt aggrieved and almost wept aloud
Senator Orvis Of Manchester chair.
man OF the committee on fish ana
game was the heaviest factor In sup
port of the bill. and Il was largely
through his night and day work. com
bined with the efforts Of Representa-
tive Howe OF Bennington, that the
bill was passed
The cattle tuberculosis question
was before the House as a committee
of the whole Wednesday afternoon
| NiuNfNn Conn
missioner Wilson OF Arlington was
on the rack he was given seVeraii
arithmetiCal problems TO solve, ana
some In which logarithms were use
less. especially the one TN which nc
was asked hy Representative Martin
of Brooklno to tell how long the car
tie. I'm his opinion. would have lived
N they had not been killed told
MIR Wilson afterwards that hau
heard a good many witnesses eNamin
Cd and cross.uuestionCd In county
court. but for him TO be the target Tot
"a house full of 2ii members. To hurl
thpir injuries at him. some OF whom
evidently likened MIR Wilson to q
live squirrel In "a cats mouth, must
have made him feel quite uncomiort
able mt times. His reply was lhat u,
was not uneasy In the least Tor ne wa.
there TO tell the truth, and that Wha'
he did not know he would so state
Henry was on the floor standing near
IN ali the afternoon and came out OF
the ordeal unscathed and fresh as Z
Iune rosel Many OF his replies u,
sharp questions by those who wlshe,
20 down him. were such Us 10 ehcu
genuine applause. which the chairman
was Obliged to drop the gavel seVera
times 10 suppress.
ON Wednesday evening there was F.
publlc hearing ON the utility hlll'
Tbls hin embodies the power for on,
commission to control all the rail
road telephone, insurance and som'
other businesses Of the state undeI
one great big head, by management ZEN,
There was some hot arguments, ah'