Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-07-29

step, this obnoxious fee system is be-
ing eliminated, and today it's most OBJ
jectionable features have well nigh dis
appeared.
Vermont has for some time maintained
public library commission, through
whose efforts, by the aid of the state
money, the work of extension of libra
ries throughout the smaller towns has
already been carried to such point
that there are now comparatively few
communities in the state without the
benefit of such an institution. What can
"decadent" state be thinking of to
spend its money in this way?
Vermont has created the office of
state commissioner of weights and meas
ures, enacted a most exacting law for
his administration, and set about the
correction of long ignored frauds and
abuses in this field, with the most
hearty and responsive public sentiment
behind the movement. Mr.. Rossiter will
take notice that it does not require
much of a population quorum to be
honest.
Other Sweeps Of the Broom.
Among miscellaneous enactments of
the legislature tending to show a pro-
gressive social order may be cited laws
limiting municipal Indebtedness; punish
ing dealers in the so-called white
slave" traffic; promoting a geological
survey of the state; enlarglng the field
of usefulness of the state library; es-
tablishing a bureau of information and
publicity under the direction of the sec
rotary of state; institutlng a modern
system of accounting in the state audi
tors and state treasurer's offices; APP
propriatng several hundred thousand
dollars for additions to and improve
ments of the state prison, house of cor
rection, state Industrial school and state
hospital for the insane; empowering jul
ries in capital cases, upon conviction of
murder in the first degree, to specify
whether punishment shall be by death
or Imprisonment for life; remo,leling
the corporation law; a modern banking
law passed after the report of an expert
commission that examined the laws of
all the states; enlargement of the pow
ers of the commissioner of state taxes,
imposition of tax on collateral inherit
ances exemption of deposits in savings
banks from taxation, taxing Unrest
bearing deposits in national banks ana
more efficiently regulating taxes on cor
poratiuns. This certainly helps to make
up perhaps the gloomiest statistical
picture to be found at the present time
in the United States,~
Finally, the progressive spirit of lat
ter-day Nermonters has even dared at
tack the ancient cons titufinn and begin
the work of rcmodeling the time-hon
ored document to conform more neatly
to the demands of the age. The first
stages Of adoption have been success
fully passed by the following proposals
of amendment: giving the governor a
veto; Changing the biennial state cleo
ton from September Ia the federal cleo
ton date in November; converting the
legislature in the January following the
biennial election; taking from the legis-
Ia tI1ra hn tn tGtU tlNa unt,ta
ces of the courts in cases of conviction
of murder and felony; making members
of the Legislature Ineligible to election
to offices created by the legislature and
filled by its vote; providing that corpo-
rations shall be organized under gem
eral law with terms alike to each and
that no special charters shall be grant
cd. How morbidly gloomy" : a people
must be that thus seek to modernize
principles of government laid down by
worthy pioneering fathers 1874 years ago!
All this is but a hasty generalization
of some of the work done by the legs-
lature in Mr. Rossiter's decade of decay.
Nothing has been said of the high
standard of social order in the COM
munal units that sent these delegates
TO the legislature to an this work for
them. Whatever the census figures may
show as to tn. number of people in Yer
mont towns, the simple fact well
serving Vermonter is That conditions of
life ana living never before were on so
high a pane and never more promising
of future uplift There ape many states
In the Union that show a greater pop
ulaTion in proportion to area, but there
are compare lively few states thar can
shoE as high average of modern public
utilities that long have been matter of
fact commonplace in even the little
hamis,ts of Vermont, to say nothing of
the larger villages and cities. The Yer
monteT dwefis in rural negton. to he
sure, but he has modern conveniennes
and creature comforts that few ont
siders know anything about when they
form their opinion OF him And con-
ditions in this respect are improving |
every year. After all, 1t is not how |
many Vermonters there are that con-
Germs us nearly so much how happy |!
and contented each individual Vermont |
er Is. And in this latter line OF extra |
census statistics. Vermont can ''fisger"
all around any expert and have fig !
ures left over at that.
Vermont has no bonded debt except |
a small loan held by n state institution |
that was created especially for the pur-
pose of affording 1t an additional source
of revenue Vermont levies no state |
tax, but derives its revenue from cor
poration taxes. taxes on collateral in |
heritances, and in similar ways.
Vermonters at the Savings Bank.
The last report of the state commits
sioner of banking shows that for the
six months from July / to Dec. 81, the
deposits in the savings banks I'm the
state increased $1,6l5,S2l SO, or at the
rate of over 100000 a year, and the
next similar period is expected to show
even greater figures. For the previuos
fiscal year the increase was over $1,000
600 and this is about the ratio of gain
that has been maintained for years.
This Is more than 81 each for every
man, woman and child in the common
wealth! What other "retrograde" state
beats that? More than that, the COM
missioner says he has satisfied himself
from incidental inquiries made about the
state that large percentage of this ac-
emulation of savings is to the credit
of class of Vermonters that never have
Nnl hn1nra Al nd Ihn.n l..IIr..a Il l,aL