The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-27
SESSION RAPIDLY
DRAWING TO CLOSE
The Austine Bill Reaches the
Governor.
BOTH FAIR BILLS ARE SIGNED
House Compels State to Try Windham
.County's Early Open Season for
Trout Trustee Process Fight Likely
in Closing Hours.


in Closing Hours.
State House, Montpelier, Jan. 2I.
The Brattleboro railroad bill was one o
the first matters before the general assem-
/ bly, this week as well as one OF the last
+ In fact, Brattleboro has been very mucl
+ in evidence ON the legislative bill Of far
/ for the past week, with the railroad bill
! the Austine institution bill, and the agri
cultural fair Appropriation bill, IN all o
which that town has near interest.
1t was too early the first part OF th'
week to size up the railroad situation ac
curately. ii one listened to both sides, h'
would make no wages. Both parties wer'
claiming the election. The house passed
| the Vermont Valley charter by larg,
vote, as was expected, and it went to the
senate where II met a surprise party by
being referred to two committees, the rail
road and the judiciary. The railroad com
mittee was pro New Haven, without doubt
and the judiciary committee was sized NJ
as being in favor OF the Grand Trunk
When the legislature got back Monday
evening resolution TO visit BrattleborC
as guests OF the Boston x Maine was de
ieated by viva voce vote. Tuesday morn
ing, bright and early, another resolution
came in that made the senate go down al
the expense OF the state. The objection
raised Monday evening was that the sen
ate should not make the trip at the ex
pense of any railroad The second reso
luton was rejected q to g. Some good
friends of the Boston x Maine charter
voted against the passage OF this resolu'
tion, so that it could not be called test
vote. \ week ago il was expected that the
Boston x Maine was safe in the senate, but
Tuesday was a bear day for New Haven
stock, while Grand Trunk was bullish. II
looked like nip and tuck proposition
Everyone waited impatiently for the hear
ing slated for Wednesday afternoon before
the committees in the senate chamber. The
Judiciary committee was made the tail on
the railroad committees kite with the hope
that the tail would wag the kite. Some
legal questions, il was stated, would have
to be considered in the passage OF the bill.
The railroad committee includes Messrs.
Davis, Butler, Powell, Butterfield, Tuttle,
Scribner and Sheldon The judiciary com
mittee includes Messrs. Archibald, Gordon,
Clark, Dale, Porter, Edgerton and Powell.
Some one tried to do a little sleight.o
hand performance with the appropriation
bills and had the state fair, agricultural
fair bills, and the normal school bill re-
called in the senate, but Monday evening
they were sent coursing through the chan
nels they were supposed to pursue, with
no opposition. The senate declined to in
tervene.
The Austine bill was passed by the house
Tuesday. II carries a $4,000 appropria.
tion, $1,000 the first two years and $40.
600 year thereafter, until the sum OF
$4,000 is paid. This amendment was
made by Mr.. Stafford of Brattleboro and
accepted by the house. The attempt OF Mr..
Amey of Brighton, that idiotic children
of the bill, was rejected, the proposition
being opposed by Mr.. Stafford OF Brattle-
boro, DR.. Bryant of Ludlow and Mr. Mar
tin Of Brookline. Mr.. Ives OF Mt. Holly
declared that Brattleboro had an elephant
on its hands when Major Austine left this
money and wanted the state to help sup
port the elephant.
Speaker Howe was called on Tuesday for
the first time this session to cast the de-
Gliding vote such being necessary on the
homicide bill which was ordered to third
reading SS to 81. This bill provides life
imprisonment for murder cases unless the
jury specifies capital punishment. Both
branches passed similar bill earlier in the
session which the governor vetoed because
there was no saving clause. 1t was
principal speech in opposition and favored
the present law.
The long bank bill, with 3S typewriter
pages and 25 amendments, was advanced
to third reading Tuesday, all the amend
ments being adopted excepting No. %,
which got the skidoo. The senate refused
to reconsider its action II to 10, refusing
third reading to the measure providing
for the publicity of campaign expenses
another party plank gone to smash. The
platform now looks like a skinner. The
house members decided to ease up on
Mason Stone, state superintendent OF
education, after the senate killed the joint
resolution providing for an investigation OF
the department of education: The repre-
sentative who had the resolution calling
side and pulled in his horns.
The usual pages mock session was held
Tuesday evening, at which M. j. Hapgood
responded as message from the gov
ernor," and had few things to say about
broken pledges, campaign expenses and de.
layed conscience matters. Martin Howard
of Londonderry made up as Annette
Parmalee and hobnobbed with members,
and at the close of a. debate on woman
suffrage read poem that the real Annette
sent to Frank Cory of Montpelier on
which seven cents postage was due. The
real Annette was in the gallery during the
session taking notes. and Howard went up
into the gallery and shook hands with her
while the house also shook with laughter.
Howard's makeup was so real that he
when he saw the supposed
Annette approaching. The mock session
was success. CARL of Canaan was Speak
er and Gage of Weathersfield delivered a
speech on the advantage of assisting in the
of rattlesnakes in no-license
towns SO as to secure supply OF the
proverbial anti-toxin.
The house has gone on record as being
in favor of a uniform open season for trout
throughout the state, and has passed a
bill that opens the season everywhere IN
the state on April Is, to close on Aug. l,
so far as brooks are concerned, and from
May to Sept. / in ponds and lakes. The
change in Windham county two years, ago
caused Bennington county to come here
this season with similar request, with the
result that this bill was passed by the
house, and the chances are that the senate
will concur. The argument in favor of the
change is that when the season opens early
the over-anxious fishermen who swarm
them will not be able to skin the brooks
so much as if the weather was warm and
favorable, In some of the north counties
the ice will barely be out of the brooks
when the law goes off. Another law pass
ed by the house will give the fish and
game commissioner authority to close small
brooks for the purpose of propagating
trout.
Another salary bill got it in the neck
Wednesday. State Highway Commissioner
Gates has so much more work framed for
him this year under the new laws that he
will have to be on the jump all the time,
hence it was thought best by the commit