News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1910-12-21
Montpelier Letter
A Holiday Vacation Commissioner
Of Weights and Measures Elected
Railroads at War With Each
Other -Woman's Rights and Nor
NAL Schools Get a Hearing.

, 0ther-Woman's Rights and Nor
NAL Schools Get a Hearing.
The Legislature has taken long rIess
without pay, but they have done enough
during the past week to earn good hoh-
day rest. While in actual results accom-
plished there has not been much of Great
public Importance passed or killed the
committees have been working until the
small hours every night. The mostinter-
esting events of the week have been in
the committee rooms. Early in the week
Col Battell's bill to exclude auto mobiles
from the SO called Texas road in Hancock
was passed by the House. Mr.. Battell
made clear his position in relation to Gifts
made to Middlebury and the Gift of
Cameps Hump to the state and won out
on his bill. Some of the members thought
that it was but fair to one who had done
SO much of public nature.
1t has been proven that Commissioner
Gates stands pretty well with the people
His bill, appropriating $150,O0O forhigh-
ways, has passed. the House and has
been ordered to third reading by the
Senate. This is called his bill because he
has been working consistently for it for
some time. The bill was introduced by
Mr.. Babbitt of Rockingham. A Snow
Road bill has also been put through COM
| pelling towns to eXpend their highway
money on dirt roads and either break
winter roads from the general fund or
make a separate appropriation. This bill
had bitter opposition but has finally
passed
| The Temperance Committee gave a
| public hearing on the Inn Keepers License
bill on Tuesday evening and a goodly
| representation of hotel keepers was pres
ent. The Hotel Mems Association of Yer
mont was represented by counsel who
made good showing for the Associat ton,
but the result or success of the inn keepers
efforts remains in doubt. There is a
strong feeling that something might well
be done to encourage the building and
maintaining of more good hotels in Yer
mont and it is possible that some sort of
license may be granted. 1t is a sss4sel5et.
however, that no bill will be passed that
will permit hotel to have license with
out vote of the town If anything is
done there will probably be chance for
towns to vote separately as to whether
the town will grant its hotel restricted
inn keepers license, The gathering of the
hotel men consisted of sucn men as Jerome
Hale of Wells River, Mr.. Hapgood from
Newport, Mr.. Rowen of Barton, Mr.
Healey of St. Johnsbury, Mr.. Kelley of
Richtord and Others whose hotels rank
among the best in the state. Their plea
is not tor license which permits them to
do liquor business, but one which per
mits them to furnish reasonable and
restricted Accommodations to the actual
bona fide guests.
On Wednesday evening there was a
long and holly contested hearing on the
granting of a charter to the Fifteen Mile
Power Co., which proposes to erect
several million dollar plant near Water
ford on the Connecticut river. This is
contested by the Van Dyke interests and
it is indeed refreshing sight to see two
great and powerful interests at war here
1t is a usual thing for some great COM
pany to be here asking for the right of
domain as against some poor |
farmer whose meadow is about to be |
flooded, but in this case it is hard to pick |
out the under dog. The Chace & Harmon |
Co. who built the great dam at Brattle- |
boro wish to erect similar plant at Wa |
terford and furnish power for St. Johns |
bury, and in fact for the whole of North
ern Vermont. They estimate that they |
will produce $4,000 horse power and |
that every bit of it, if necessary. may be
used in Northern Vermont. They also
are willing to come under the power of
the Public Service Commission as to rates
and service. If the charter is granted,
things will brighten up in Northern Yer
mont as they have alreadyiu Brattleboro.
The Weights and Measures bill was
waited back and forth between the House
and Senate several times during the week,
but has now been passed. The bill went
to the Governor in imperfect shape but
the Governor signed it upon a promise
that the slight clerical error would be
rernedied when the legislature meets again
early in January. The bill had been in
the hands of the Governor but a few
hours when it was followed by a resolu.
ton providing for a joint assembly to
elect a commissioner. The legislature
acted with undue haste in this matter as
the Governor might well have vetoed the
bill because gifts apparent detect but he
kindly signed the bill and the resolution
at the same time so that the legislature
could go on with its election. six candi
1ates presented themselves for the posi-
lion and four ballots were necessary
before the winner was declared The
lucky man is Hugh Henry, IT., of Chester.
Mr.. Henry is at present the Executive
Clerk in the Governors office and it is
pretty generally believed that he would
lave been appointed to the position if the
had been left with the Gov.
,rnor as intended in the original bill. The ,
'nly difference has been that it would
lave cost the state nothing if the Govern
" had appointed, but the election cost
he state more than $1,000. Other candi-
lates for the position were Carl Fletcher I
It Swanton, c. E. Hamblett of Barton, /
|. ]. Croft Of Enosburg, Mason OF Paw a
It, member of the House, and Senator I
lorton of Chittenden county. Ex-Sena- S
or Croft and Mr. Ha,,l,fot4 18th made 4