News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1910-12-21

cap. MIR. Croft ran MS campaign by
proxy and Mr.. Hamblett arrived only
| few hours before the election The field
| had been thoroughly canvassed and
while both polled respectable votes they
| were practically out of the running, Mr.,
| Fletcher is a popular member of the
press gang" at the State House, but
like the legislature of 1908 the one of
| 1910 doesn't like newspaper men.
The Central Normal School bill was
given a public hearing on Wednesday
evening and before the hearing was over
quite bit of dirty linen had been hung
out to dry. The Normal Schools were
represented in force and the things they
said about the present condition of things
| in the department of Education must
have had its effect upon the large number
| of members present. lhave been criticised
! some for reporting that there was
| fight on between the Normal Schools and
the Supt. of Education, but thought at
| the time that those were the facts.
| Now we know it. And we may rs well
report now that as far as the Normal
| Schools are concerned the fight is i'll the
open. There was no gum shoe work
about the attitude of the Normal Schools
last week and their attitude indicates
that they are after the scalp of the Supt.
| of Education. Unless the department of
Education changes its tactics somebody
will lose their scalp. Everybody else
| knew weeks ago that there was scheme
to abolish the present schools and estab-
sh one central school, but Mr.. Stone
stated at this public hearing that he did
that he knew ANYTHING about any bills to
- AT,- fro
admitted that such bills were in the
hands of the Committee on Education.
The friends of the Normal School there
upon jumped into the fray and the fur is
hying yet. All of which is for the best
interests of the state in that it arouses
the peoples interest in educational mat
tiers.
There was another hot fight on Thurs
day night between the Vermont Valley
r. r. and the New London & Northern
X. r. The fight is between these COM
panies in name only. The real battle is
between the Grand Trunk and the New
York, New Haven and Hartford rail
roads. They can both afford to fight
and the fight may result in showing New
England that certain parts of Vermont
at least are ON the map. 1t is another
Maine controls the Vermont Valley road
and is in turn controlled by the New Hav-
en- road and it wants the right to make
| the Central Vermont or Northern road,
| which is controlled by the Grand Trunk,
move over a little so that the lines can
parallel each other at Brattleboro. The
people of Brattleboro are hot for two
| lines of road through their city and are
pose The fight will probably result in
separate line for each company between
White River Junction and Vernon.
The Highway bills, the State fair bill,
| the board of Agriculture Bills, the Cattle
Commission Bill and some smaller appro-
priations bills are practically out of the
way. There is probability of State
tax and the idea is not meeting with as
much opposition as would naturally be
expected. Ofcourse the Governor is anx-
ious to have his administration keep
within the bounds of reason in the ex-
penditure of money but he is vitality in
terested in the SO called New Vermont"
State issues were discussed at the reunion
and banquet of the 1908 Legislature and
the prevailing opinion among such State
leaders as J. A. DeBoer, Gov. Mead, A.
M. TletCDeG ana non. L. L. WlllIdInS was
that this Legislature should first deter
mine what Vermont needed and then find
some way to provide the money for it.
Mr.. Fletcher, who, by the way is at the
head of the Ways and Means Committee
went SO far as to say that he thought it
advisable to levy a small State tax. He
thought it would provide the necessary
revenue and also stimulate the people to |
more interest in the affairs of the State. |
The entire revenues OF the State are DOW
raised by an indirect tax and no one per- |
son can say that the legislature is spend |
ing his own money. With a small tax |
directly on the grand list every tax pay
er would take more interest
When the Legislature comes back here
in January it will have to take up the
matter OF constitutional amendments, the
Referendum, the tax laws the Normal
School problem. these important charter
rights asked by the Chace & Harmon
Co and the railroad charters. 1t will
also have about two hundred other bills
to dissect.