St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-01-25
FIFTEEN MILES BILL.
Final Fight in the House this Morn.
ing.-No Adjournment Yet.


the only real sign of the final ad-
journment of the legislature which
had hoped to finish it's business at
eight O'Clock this morning. 1t has
not and no one seems to know
whether it will finish this week or
not. There will be very interest
ing session this morning on the bill
to Incorporate the Fifteen Miles
Falls Power Co. which was ordered
to a third reading by good majority
and comes upon its final passage at
10 o'clock today.
The senate refuses to reconsider
its vote killing the campaign publici-
ty bill. It also refused the invitation
of the Grand Trunk railway to make
a free trip to Brattleboro to inspect
fore granting a charter to the Bos-
ton & Maine to build it's road
through the yards there. The bill
granting the charter was passed by
the house and a great fight is now
in progress in the senate between the
Grand Trunk and the New York,
New Haven and Hartford railroad
companies.
The members from St. Johnsbury
and Barnet had quite lively dis
cussion last Friday evening when
the house was considering the char
ter of the Fifteen Mile Falls Power
Company.
Mr.. CalderWood had stated dur
ing the afternoon that Mr.. Roy did
MT represent any one but himself,
so far as he could learn, and he was
afraid he was going to be put out of
business. Mr.. Roy replied in the
evening that if the member from
st. Johnsbury, (Who is an under
taker) expected he was to be put
out of business he wanted to assure
him that he would be dealing with
a mighty lively corpse. Mr.. Calder
wood retorted that it was his opin-
ion that his brain matter was now
undergoing an embalming process.
The chair prevented the dis
cussion being carried any farther
on these lines. by requesting mem
bers to leave out personalities and
confine their arguments to the bill
The bill came in from the COM
mittee on corporations with a favor
able report from the majority Of the
committee signed by five members.
Three members signed a minority
report that the DIIl ought not to
pass, Messrs. Webster, Hunt and
Cory Joining for reasons given.
The majority report favored a sub
stitute bill, which the minority
members did not oppose if a charter
was to be granted, but they con-
tended that no charter should be
granted.
The minority of the committee
L Il
for these reasons:
First, it delegates power to said
corporation to take property by the
exercises of the right of eminent
domain for private and not public
use in violation of the constitution.
Second, because it permits what
might become a dangerous monopoly
of the water power of the state
Third, because it does not sufh-
GENTLY provide for the retention
and use of power without the State.
Fourth, because no equivalent is
offered or secured to the State for
franchise of exceedingly great value.
Fifth, because there is no guaran-
tee that the dam will be safely con-
structed.
Sixth, because it provides for a
monopoly of the stock.
Seventh, because there is no sat
isfactory provision for the COM
mencement and completion of the
project and for other sufficient rea-
sons
On the question, shall the bill be
read the third time, Mr.. Roy Of
Barnet opposed claiming that the
right of eminent domain should not
be given this company, which he did
not think was intended for the de-
velopment of Vermont
Mr.. Calderwood of st. Johnsbury
made a strong argument for the pas
sage of the bill. He had a petition
signed by 1913 in Barnet which was
as many as the votes credited to that
town in the last election urging the
passage of the bill The gentleman
from Barnet was not representing
his town and the only one he could
figure out that he was representing
was the gentleman from Barnet. He
characterized the outbursts of the
members from Barnet and New
Haven as brain storms. The opin-
ion of the attorney general was not
He recalled that a decis-
ion by one attorney general had been
upset by the supreme court. The
speaker also presented a petition
from the st. Johnsbury board of
trade praying for the passage of the
bill which he believed would mean
the Industrial building up of the east
side of the state. The bill provided
that as much power as was desired in
Vermont, should be sold here which
amply protected the State
Mr.. Roy, of Barnet, asked Mr.. !
to read the petitions in
his possession which he did, also
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