The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-06
WILL CUT LICENSE
DOWN TO HALF
DOLLAR
Debate Takes Up Forenoon
Session Of House
PICKEREL BILL IS A LAW
Governor Prouty Signs General Meas
ure and also That for Bennington
Court House

Montpelier, Jan. 6.-The house put
in the entire forenoon in debate over
the hunters license bill. An amend
ment making the license fee so cents
instead of one dollar was adopted and
the bill was then ordered to a third
reading.
The bill to create a state liquor IL
cense commissioner did not come up
today because of the absence of Rep
resentative Kinsley of Rutland, who
introduced the original bill. Mr. Kins-
ley has been called to Albany on bust
ness but the bill will be taken up i'm
mediately after his return to the cap
itol.
Representative Fish today introduce
ed a joint resolution fixing the date
of final adjournment at January 10.
The resolution was referred to the
committee on adjournment without
further action.
Governor Prouty has affixed his sig
nature to the general pickerel bill and
also to the bill providing for the build
ing of new court house and Jail at
Bennington.
Montpelier, Jan. 6.-After discus
sion lasting nearly all the afternoon,
yesterday, the House by vote of 1874
to So repudiated another of the plat
form pledges, made by both the Re-
publican and Democratic parties I'm
the last campaign, by refusing a third
reading to the employers liability
bill.
When the bill was reached Mr..
Balch of Lunenburgh moved an amend
ment which provided that all employ
ers of labor instead of simply corpor-
atoms should come under the provis-
! ions of the bill. This amendment was
opposed by Mr.. Jones of Sudbury and
was killed.
Mr.. Williams of Newport explained
the provisions Of the bill and argued
,, for its passage, both as a platform
pledge of both parties and as being
for the best interests of the state.
The most effective speech in oppos-
ition to the bill was made by Mr..
fBoyce of Proctor. He characterized
the bill as the worst example of class
legislation which has come before the
present legislature, inasmuch as only
II per cent of the employees of the
state would come under its provisions.
| Mr. Boyce said the trainers of the bill
well knew that if it had been drawn
to include all employers of labor 1t
would have had no chance of passage.
If this bill passes, small corporations
will be obliged to give up their char
tiers and discharge their careless or
1 innnnnnntanf Tho hill 20 ~ ha-
came law would drive the employers
and employees farther apart Mr..
Boyce suggested as a substitute for
this measure compulsory insurance.
Mr. Barber of Brattleboro answered
the arguments of Mr. Boyce and ar
gued in support of the bill. He said
other states have changed the harsh
rules of law taken from the feudal
laws of England, why should not the
| state of Vermont follow their example.
| Mr.. Martin of Brookline thought it
unfair to the corporations of the state
to pass such a bill when the House
had just refused to make 1t general
one under which farmers or mill own
ers should be liable.
Mr. Hitchcock of Pittsford offered an
amendment which eliminated the fell
low servant clause, left in the contrib
utory negligence clause and made the
bill apply to all Q ,ployers. On this
amendment Mr., owe of Bennington
demanded the TJas and nays and by
the remarkably close vote of 102 to
1O1, the amendment was adopted Mr..
Williams of Newport demanded the
yeas and nays on the question of tho
third reading of the bill with the fol-
lowing result: yeas, SO; nays, 1874.
The House this afternoon passed
without debate the act relating to fire
insurance policies, better known as
the valued policy BILL" which before
the holiday recess was ordered to a
third reading in face of an adverse re-
port from the committee on insurance