The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-10-30
LEGISLATORS "ARRIvE"
House Humoris., Village Orator and
Distinguished Statesman Were Dc.
veloped by Tuesdays Battle for an
Over Election Adjournment.
From our Special cege.pondent,)

i rtntkhNilis W ANf fhilAi AfNrANu hNA W
| return To business, sOhcrer and wiser ~
the irivOiiy Just accomplished, 200
brought realization OF the fact that th
general assembly Is iully two weeks benin
IT. record. IL started a week late.
lost about a week getting IT. running tort
and here II j., within lew days of th
usual time limit on new bills aud n0thin
Of Importance done.
Then Speaker Tom Cheney got mad. III
was worried Monday morning annoye,
Monday afternoon aud by Tuesday he re
solved 10 leave the chair and lead ia,
tight against the determined resolve OF th,
members TO adjourn Friday afternoon anC
90 home Tor election until Wednesday. Tn
clash came on Tuesday morning. John l.
Bacon took the chair and the gentleman
from Morristown took his seat in th,
body Of the house.
When the debate opened, which was tn,
! iifst talk.icst of the session, the house
1 was plainly resolved TO run away, to go
I home ans vote, TO waste a week in elec-
| tiOn nonsense. Such a move was favored
| by as good men as Frank l.. Howe OF
| Bennington. Allen VI. Fletcher OF Caven.
dish and W. +. Walker of Dummerston.
Their argument was that the members
would 90 home anyway and the house
would be without quorum. 1t looked
like raCcaway for recess.
Then the speaker took the floor. He
told the new members that they didn't
know what they were up against. Less
than six bills, he claimed, had finally
been disposed of. Less than one'third of
the average number of new bills had been
introduced. The committees had done
practically nothing. Unless the members
made up their minds TO settle down to
business, they would be in Montpelier un.
til New Years. Already il was apparent
that they could not finish by Thanksgiv
ing. 1t would mean staying here in cold
weather a full week longer than neces-
sary, and he declared in closing that the
members had no right to permit the state
to pay them for their services Tor full
week and then work only two or three
days a week on an average.
The speaker was ably supported by +.
c. Williams of Newport, and the old fel.
low from South Burlington made most
effective little speech by saying that he
was town clerk, but he surmised they
could run the election without him and
calculated even after he was dead they
might get along somehow. Hitchcock OF
Pittsford, Leary OF Burlington and other
good men took the same stand.
1t turned the tide and the speakers
wishes were respected, the vote being l55
to II.
This debate was psychological 1t showed
the members that they could talk, that no
penalty was attached to free speech. The
wine of oratory entered their brains and
now it's all off. The house humorist has
been developed-he was a poor film, la
belled Jones of Sudbury. The village ora
tor has achieved distinction in his own
mind-he comes from Springfield and is |
known as ''the pest The distinguished |
statesman has loomed up-Fish of Yer
5ennes, who conceals congressional aspira-
lions about his six feet two of imposing |
personality.
They debate every chance they get now.
they amend and re.amend. It's hard
work for self-respecting bill to look its
,wn author in the face The house has
,ecome legislative zonophone and every
member is full of two-dolar records and
insists on playing them.
Outside of the perennial scrap on the
eer law, which is now amended to per-
nit the shooting of does, there was quite
little set-to on the question of electing
sters and selectmen for one, two and
hree years. 1t was sharp and decisive
nd the long tenure idea won ont. A bill
rom the committee on taxation, which
ought to do away with the discount for ;
ash payment of taxes, to impose II per
ant penalty for non-payment and require
Il towns to pay direct to their treasur- {
IS. was squashed with a loud thud. Only [
$ champion, Hitchcock of Pittsford, '
oted in its favor.
The measure for establishing district
,urts came from Williams of Newport I
nd is a sixdays' wonder among the law /
ers. 1t provides for court in every +
,unty to try causes up to $500 and the t
inor criminal cases, and would take care a
I h,,t Josapx,Ipr nj ot AZ , :
;pense not to exceed possibly $4,000 a a
ar An interesting measure, as against s.
lie Proctor bill for state license COM
ission, is that offered by George Tilden
Barre city, which provides for the elec-
on of license commissioners directly by !,
e people. I:
Messrs. Walker of Dummerston and II
lrber of Brattleboro found themselves q
opposite sides of the deer question, Mr.. u
lrber declaring that the does were too q q
merous and the deer were doing great y
mage, while Mr.. Walker couldn't see Y
Mr.. Barber made clear-cut speech q
the bill to exempt $40 from trustee II
ocess. He called attention to the large W
lount of property that the farmer could W
Id exempt, his homestead, COW, horse, &C
/. and farming tools, while the laboring NJ
IN could be stripped by the present law
every dollar The bill passed by an m n,
erwhelming vote, despite the efforts OF W
he pest" fromtSprngfeld to tie it up SO sl'
and his kind could still keep their w
nds on the workmans wages. Mr.. Mar pa
of Brookline also favored this bill and W!
d if he had his way he would exempt OF OF
10 instead of $40. IN
senator Gibson has not been here much lei
5 week, but he left bill before going OF
ay which would confine the right of off mi
for debts owing to those without the
te. Mr.. Goodhue of Westminster has
ill which repeals the law limiting the
hway appropriations in Incorporated Re
ages, and Mr. Divoll of Rockingham de- !
IS to establish a municipal court in Bel
s Falls, and would also permit officers
secret societies to take and hold real to
ate. Nh. Forester has a bill, Hl56, ev,
ich re-arranges the rate of taxation on =
tain real and personal property up to iic'
J, and Mr. Martin of Brookline has in col
luced bill to aid the town of ia Th
ca. The town of Jamaica is becoming b,,1
nancial habit. :, -"
rather radical measure is HISS, intro the
ed by Mr.. Barber, which limits the ate
7er of the assistant judges to the trial Ne
issues of fact. By the way, this Mr.. II
Der has made himself thus far some cor
1t factor in this legislature. He is {