St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-07-08

ed dockets, with the result of heightened
terms and more than the average eX-
pense. Hereafter, it is said, the current
business will be performed with less ex-
pense than attended the work under the
former law However this may be,
there is a strong feeling that the cost of
our courts is excessive; and we should
carefully consider wherein we may pro-
htably reduce their expense 1t may be
that investigation will reveal the neces-
sity OF restoring masters in chancery and
referees. We should carefully consider
the ACCESSIBILITY of doing away with our
ancient system of Justice courts, and sub
stituting therefor either a system of
town or district courts with a special
jurisdiction, and giving the right of
direct appeal to the supreme court on
questions OF law. This, in the Judgment
of many competent men, would be a
move in the right direction, and would
assist in the solution of this most vexa-
tious problem.
I'VE ought also, so far as is possible,
to abolish the pernicious fee system and
by so doing rid ourselves of some prac-
tees which, to say the least, come near
the line of petty grating.
The acts of the last legislature regu-
lating railroads, providing for the ulti-
mate elimination of all grade crossings,
and increasing the power and efficiency
of the railroad commission, have met
with such universal approval, and are Of
such manifest public benefit that we
should see to it that nothing is done to
impair their efficiency, and that such
further legislation be enacted as exper-
fence has shown TO be necessary further
to carry out the policy outlined by those
laws. In particular, the powers grant
ed by the last legislature to the railroad
commission should remain inviolate.
The added powers of that board have
enabled it already to accomplish much
tor the safety and convenience of the
public, and that public will Justly exact
from us that we use every effort to
strengthen the hands OF the commission
rather than to curtail its powers. Such
amendments and additions to existing
legislation on this subject as experience
shows to be needed should be made; but
nothing in any way abridging or cur
failing the powers already invested in
the board OF railroad commissioners
should be adopted.
There are other corporations besides
railroads that need state supervision and
regulation. refer more particularly
to telegraph and telephone companies.
The telegraph companies have practically
a monopoly, as in only few of the
larger towns is there any competition,
and in many cases sufficient attention is
not given to the rights of the public
! Arbitrary rates and rules are made and
no one can question them under present
| conditions. The state should exercise
supervision and control over these in
| order that better service at more reason
able rates may be maintained. In many
| parts of the state small independent
1 telephone companies have sprung up,
and these smaller companies coming in
competition with the larger ones have in
many cases been the means of providing
! better service at more reasonable rates
than before competition became effective.
! In other cases there is no competition,
and whether the companies be large or
| small rates are high and service is not
| good The tendency at the present time
is for consolidation, and without doubt
before many years we shall see many OF
these so called independent companies
merged with the larger ones. | believe
that under proper restrictions this will
be of real benefit to the community at
large, but only by state supervision
and regulation can the rights of the
public be properly guarded. Some
method for such supervision should be
provided tor at once, and l should
strongly urge that it be done at the
coming session.
Another OF the important matters to
come before the next legislature, perhaps
the most important one, is that of
taxation. We all know that the present
system is the cause of double taxation
in some instances and unequal taxation
in Others, and some solution of this
difficulty should be brought about.
During the last session of the legislature
a move was made towards the solution
of this problem by the appointment of
commission to thoroughly investigate
the question and report it's findings to
the governor together with such recon-
mendations as it saw fit to make. That
commission was composed of men
eminent for their ability and conserva-
tism. They have thoroughly investi-
gated the subject and have reached their