The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-06
Bill Letting Women Vote on
License Did Not Pass.
REPRESENTATIVES, RECONSIDER
After Hearing of the Activity of Anti
Saloon Leagues superintendent
South Vernon Representative Is
Mentioned in Debate.

last Tuesday night, and is in hopes of
getting through in three weeks. IL
started on the low gear the first of the
week with hopes that before Saturday
night il would shift to the interme-
date at least, with fair chance that
by next week would be running on
the high. Both branches waded through
lot Of food wood Tuesday night and
Wednesday, without hitting any of the
important measures. The slj0,0O0
highway blu was held up in the sen
ate, ostensibly for the reason that one
or two senators were absent, but II
was very evident that the central nor
NAL school cohorts want a little physi-
cal demonstration of appreciation Ia
the support of their measure in the
house from the highway barons in re-
turn for services rendered
The house changed its mind on the
woman suffrage bill yesterday and
killed il after one of the warmest de-
bates of the session, in which Clarence
j. Ferguson, the legislative agent of
the Anti. Saloon league and its suOer-
intendent, as well, was roasted from
the floor for letter he sent out lust
before Christmas, after the bill was
ordered to a third reading. This bill
gave women taxpayers the right to
vote on the license question, and while
il was not thought out by the Anti
Saloon league for an issue, was gobbled
as soon as il gave demonstration of
having life enough TO pass the house.
The bill was prohibition by proxy.
Clarence : letter was used with telling
effect in the debate. One passage said
he had been told that there was. a
meeting of "the faithful which in.
cluded "Mr. Webster of Swanton and
the South Vernon saloon keeper short
" after adjournment of the house,
and that "the probability is that they
have decided upon and will enter into
campaign during the recess with a
view TO Kill the bill when il comes up
for passage. Another passage in the
letter refers to the ''slush fund of the
Liquor Dealers association to intiu.
encc the Legislators against the bill,
which, if attempted, he believed would
meet with failure. This letter gave
Amey of Brighton an opening and he
razooed Clarence, lauded the member
from Swanton, and vividly painted how
the good name of members of the house
had been scandalized. He declared the
letter showed that Clarence was trying
to sneak in the back way of the legis-
After working on amendments all day
and dropping the Ferguson bomb into
the discussion at the psychological mo.
ment. the bill was killed by vote OF
1873 to 81. 1t might have been killed
without the aid of Ferguson S letter.
His blunder, at any rate, weakened the
bill, which two weeks ago had a ma
iority of so votes in the house. This
bill and the passage of the house bill
for ii county fish and game wardens
and deputy wardens, but cutting out
the state warden, constituted the total
for the day in the lower branch.
Col Battell had his proposition to
close the road to Bread Loaf Inn from
East Middlebury to Hancock and Rip.
ton turned down fiat by the senate YES
terday afternoon after the senate lis
tened to him in a committee of the
whole. Members from Ripton and Han
cock said their people were opposed to
the bill. His much.advertised forestry
gift to Middlebury college, which was
contingent on the passage of the bill,
falls through, although the legislature
has increased the Middlebury college
appropriation establishing forestry
department.
Senator Seaver of Orange would get
around the talk of ''mileage graft - by
a bill he has introduced reducing the
mileage of members of the legislature
from 10 cents to 5 cents each way, TO
be computed by the most direct way in
stead of by the most convenient way.
The governor has signed the bill au-
thorizing the town of Brattleboro to
issue $4,000 in bonds for the elimina-
ton of the Bridge street crossing.
The railroad committee has postponed
the hearing on the Vermont Valley
,lrn,1 aborfar upti1 Ion IN The
committee on state schools has decided
to report the central normal school bill
favorably. The house committee on
proposals of amendment to the state
constitution considered them last even
ing. The committee on public build
inps will report a bill favoring new
building on the common adjoining the
state house near the Pavilion, for the
use of the state library and supreme
court room, and the turning over of the
quarters occupied by them as offices
for state officers and committee rooms
for the general assembly.
The next big fight in sight, will be
on the Anti-Saloon league referendum
bill, which will not come up until next
week, and perhaps not until the week
after.
The senate worked 10 minutes Tues
day night and 90 minutes Wednesday.
1t was marking time waiting. for the
house. The senate recalled from the
house the bill which had passed both
branches removing the right to double
the grand lists of persons who neglect
or refuse to make out an inventory. 1t
will be doctored so as not to apply to
the 1910 grand list and pending suits.
The house put in little time We'd
nesdav on the dog question and ad-
vanced to a third reading. a measure
that will raise the fee on female dogs
to $40, and let the male canine s reg
istration fee remain the same at 81.
The passage of this bill is hoped to
cut down the output of tramp dogs.
The senate bill giving the court au-
thority to assign counsel to represent
petitiOnees in divorce trials who make
no appearance by counsel at 50 per.
was killed after Martin of Brookline
suggested that if there was anything in
divorce case that required investiga-
tion the proper person. in his opinion,
to make such an investigation was the
states attorney. The direct primary
nomination bill for state and county
officers was advanced to a third read
ing without debate Wednesday. The
governor s veto has been sustained on
the homicide bill.
Mason S. Stone Justus Dartt, Ex
Lieut.. Gov. Stearns and Others spo Ike
before the farmers legislative associa-
tion Wednesday evening on the central
normal school matter, subject that
has all the ear-marks of being the
warmest proposition to come before