Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-11-18
SIXTH WEEK
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of state Importance was passed ex-
cept one to establish a state board of
education consisting of the governor.
superintendent of education and three
members to be appointed by the COVER
nor. The board is vested with the
powers of the normal school commits
sioners and has control over school
buildings owned by the state, the d.
visions of school money etc.
The house has killed many bills,
among them one to prevent the dock
ing Of horses; providing for weekly
payments for cream and milk several
pollution of river bills; making close
season on raccoons; appropriating mon
ey for the state geologist; bill
raising pay of jurors; providing that
the union label must be on all state
printing; creating a new agricultural
department and abolishing the state
board. During the week ending Satur-
day noon the senate had neither passed
I'LL AlllCu ally lIupOII o1I ulOdouI
The senate has been busy all the time
and has turned out considerable work
but it has been by way of cleaning up
to get down to the more important
legislation relating to district courts,
taxation, education and election laws.
There has been considerable excite
in fhn of 70
over the Sunday blue laws. The agri-
culture bill again came in from the
committee and was finally killed after
a stormy debate. The farmers insist
ed that if they could not have such
a bill as they wanted they would not
have any. The bill that was killed
provided for a salary of $500 and the
farmers claimed they did not want an
$500 man. State house gossip says
that they killed the bill because they
feared that Hitchcock, the author of
the bill, would be appointed.
One of the most interesting occasions
of the week was the debate on the
state printing bill. 1t appears that
the futile Co. of Rutland, the St. AL
bans Messenger Co. and the Burling-
ton Free Press association have not
received their pay for the state print
ing done by them. A bill had been in
troduced to give them their pay and
the bill had been favorably reported
by the committee on claims. When
the question was put regarding the
third reading, Mr.. Howe of Benning-
ton. a printer himself, asked why the
bill had not been paid in the regular
way. The members Immediately be-
gan to sit up and notice. The state
auditor was sent for and asked why
he did not pay the bill and he then
told a story which startled many of
those present. 1t appeared that some
one connected with the Vermont
Waterman Co. at Montpelier had died
and certain papers came into the hands
Of the administrator. One Of these
papers was an agreement between
several leading printers of the state
and showed up the fact that there was
| a conspiracy to get good prices from
| the. state for all printing done. It was
like the conspiracies between doctors
to charge certain prices, and the one
between BARRIERS for the same purpose.
This printing conspiracy differed in
that it was all agreed between the
parties just what kinds of work were
to be done by each and the prices
each was to charge, and on certain
class of work which by agreement was
to be done by a certain company there
the figure agreed upon. It was a
clever proposition and worked splendid
ly until one of the parties died and
the agreement was brought to light.
Such clever minds were certainly de-
serving of success. The legislature
will vote them their pay all right. but
not until after they have been kept in
suspense for few days. I heard one
old farmer saying 'Them newspaper
fellers have been hollerin' about
graft and tellin' US we'd got done and
go home SOS to save the expense to
the state. Now we've got them
where we want 'em and we're goin
to have some fun Of course these
three papers are not the only ones in
the conspiracy, but the rest of them
got their pay before the conspiracy
was discovered.
The feature in the senate during
the past week has been the debate of
the trustee bill. The republican party
through its platform has promised
that it would do something about the
trustee process laws in favor of the
working man. Governor Proctor rec
commended the passage of law pro-
viding that only such sum as was in
l a. n Il Z