The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-12-18
Legislature Makes Little
Progress With Question.
GUBERNATORIAL BOOM
One Started for Lieut. Gov. Mead OF
Ru,lAnd- Session Win BE the Longes,
In the History OF tho state-wili
Have 70 Work After Holidays.

The minute shppci away and engages
myself In the hilarious iivolily Of I
Shunrfs' hall, this legislature killed ih'
hill abolishing offsets, Dear, tender chil,
III administration Iarnls, hope and prld'
of a happy family, this poor young bll
perished overnight after having been
advanced 10 third reading with ring
sPinhcad domination" said the offset
ter, but wait. We have occasionally
handed the farmers some sanguinc conyer.
saiion about the way they iegislate, pu'
LEI ~. say that II wasn't the iarmer who
killei the offset hill. and II they did
don't blame them. The farmers voted Ia
abolish offsets as a general thing; II was
the members from the larger towns, bust
ness aud industrial ccnter, that voted the
other way aud this j. the reason;
| Abolishing offsets does not help the
poor debtor enough 10 bring him out even
with where he Is today. Putting all the
offset personal property into the list re-
duccs the tax rate, but II needs lower IN.
ter-t charges 90 give him real relief and
this can only be accomplished by low
tax on mortgages aud loaned money: And
the members who voted against abolish
| ing offset were informed that there was
/ 10 be serious opposition 10 the biil setting
a fiat rate ON iniangiblcs. In fact, II was
whispered that il could not pass, that
the entire banking influence OF the state
is against IL. so you can't blame any one
who voted against this pet taxation bill
without knowing where he was going 10
get off on the other one.
Gloom-deep, murky and jagged-has
settled down over the special Joint com
mittee on taxation. Frank Williams IN
troduced resolution TO put two men
| from each county, men who voted against
offset, on the committee, and there they
are, % OF them, sitting round and trad
iating triumph There is talk OF hitching
the two bills together and seeing II tney
can be reported, there Is talk OF limiting
offsets TO debts owing within the state,
talk of exemptlng mortgages from taxa
ton. but as q matter OF fact, taxation re-
form is right back where il was when the
legislature convened last fall-and that's
quite spell since.
The question of adjournment is up, and
a special Joint committee has been hgur'
ing ON when the assembly can finish work.
That will not be until next year. The
legislature will adjourn Saturday morning
until Dec. 2S, then come back and see
what il can do in the way OF reaching
undying fame. There will be at least two
and this will be the longest legislature
ever known in Vermont history.
| had it pretty near straight that the
governor would call special session II
this outfit failed to do something with |
taxation. He told the senate at Or. |
Mead's ball that the work of this legisla..
tnre was all before it and that it still had
its name to make as a constructive BODY.
lie and all those having authority, wear
a harassed and worried LOOK ana wen
they may with l30-odd bills still with the
and new ones coming in every
day.
Speaking of DR.. Mead, that banquet he
gave at the Pavilion to the senate was
credit to the host and to Tom Heaphy.
incidentally, 1t launched the Mead boom
for governor. In proposing the lieuten-
ant.governor's health, Senator jim Don
away OF Addison said: May you i've I'VE
long and prosper, may your family hve
long and prosper, and may you malch az
IN 1910" That was reasonably swift talk
and probably means business.
The railroads were vigorously. pounded
in two taxation bills, one raising the
ate on the appraised value, the. other
,aking away the option of paying on
rross earnings, both of which passed the
iouse, Barber joining the anvil chorus
With some very neat hammer-Work. Inc
mileage bill also passed,
|
,ortation within the state and naturally n
means that any one must lave as many
Mileage books to 60 anywhere IN YER
mont as he needs now. :.
The proposed deposit of the license ices
rom Yes towns in the permanent school ,
und was amended in the senate to place S
uch sums in the general fund OF the state +
nd the house refused to concur, Result: i
committee of conference. The same e
@a ba scandal
ills. The house and senate aren't what d
on might call especially harmonious. IT.
I think the house is on the verge OF
eryous prostration. 1t has got the swat C
abit. Everything that suggests a chance t
! bang someone in the eye appeals to IT. "
needs long rest and some home food; S
The automobile registration bill passed I
he house practically unamended but is a
ute likely to get into trouble IN the sen u
llary $1,000 year almost by accident. Fl
e started in to give him an expense ac- Il
,unt of $1,000 without any restriction on G;
ow he spent it; then amended it round te
, the bill gives the governor $25OO
ear and $1,000 for the expenses OF his p
An important bill came up Wednesday, t.
hieh appoints committee OF 70 to IN t(
,stigate the need of more room IN the b
ate-lOuSe anu IcpoIU vi Pi"'iS 10
clude more than $250,000 expense: The C
embers of the committee. include the Of
flowing: The governor, lieutenant-gov- gs
nor. speaker of the house of representa- a,
yes, chief Judge of the supreme court, of
cretary of state, state treasurer auditor ke
accounts, attorney general, state libra, tc
an. commissioner of state taxes, and
etcher D. Proctor, Frederick G. Fleet r
ood, John l.. Bacon, Orion NJ. Barber,
arke c.. Fits, Ernest W. Gibson, WI
I'M f. Walker, John L. Lewis, Allen NJ.
etcher James S. Donoway, Harland b. &C
owe. Charles d. Watson, John ii. Sen pl
r and Joseph A. DeBoer. .,. w
Cow consumption had its innings this m
eek for about five hours steady debate.
box of Dandy stod out for the abolition
the test and Marshall Of Burke, new
oses in the house, declared that the
nit should be taken off and dairyman
id all his cattle are worth The COM
ittee bill was finally passed, which sets ct
limit of $4,000 year expenditure, ar
yes the governor power to remove the at
tile commissioner, permits the dlspsl- ce
IN of carcasses to slaughter houses d.
here a government test is In force and
axes the test compulsory.
The town of Pawlet has cost the state
good deal of money with its desire to
divided. that is, one-half wants to be D.
vided and the other half wants to be m
alone. The factions are hopelessly di- -
ied and the west-siders made very tis