The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-20
HOUSE REJECTS
REFERENDUM BILL
Measure Contemplating Return
to Prohibition Killed.
LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE HELPED
Fight over Normal School Bill Results
in Defeat of Administration Plan and
Talk Of Investigation of the State
Superintendent of Education Office.
stnte Honse. Montnelier. Jan. 20.

State House, Montpelier, Jan. 90.
The legislative outfit, which has been
warming mp for a record breaking en-
durance session, expects to pull off the
4 final heat some day next week The
adjournment committee got an idea it
could be done Wednesday, but the house
had to be shown. and pending a physi-
| cal demonstration tabled the resolution
/ calling for an adjournment on that
! day. II NAV be accomplished on that
( day, but if it is members will have to
/ do something evenings besides playing
/ cards and billiards at the Apollo club.
/ The members who have stood the brunt
/ of the labor and worry of the session
are beginning to feel the strain.
| Speaker Howe looks tired, and ought to
! take a rest after getting the legislature
off his hands. II is not an unusual
/ sight to see chairmen of some of the
/ important committees nodding in their
/ seats during debates that would have
! filled them with ginger a month ago.
/ The house acts as though il is petering
/ ont on the talk question, and unless all
/ signs fail discussions for the rest of
the session will be along the lines of
''permissiOn to print.
sfhe state house addition measure
went to the bill graveyard early in the
!
are next to intolerable about the state
| house. but they are afraid to spend any
more money, even in the guise of bor-
rowing it from the permanent school
fund.
Uncle Joe Battell got his campaign
publicity bill through the house after
the direct primary subject was disposed
of. The senate handed him lemon on
his measure to close the road to Bread
Loaf Inn to automobiles, which is one
of the most decent exhibitions of hu-
man intelligence exhibited this season
by that branch. The senate failed to
reconsider the bill or suspend the rules
to have il done, although the honorable
Joseph came around with another prop
osition hidden up his sleeve. If he
wants to leave his property to Middle
bury college he must do it on the low
gear and without the assistance of the
state.
Former Lieut.. Gov. Charles H.
Stearns has demonstrated again that he
is still the champion heavyweight
member of the third house. Before
Christmas, the central normal school
fellows had him and his co-wOrkers for
the retention of the present normal
schools whipped TO a frothy cream, but
he came back at 'em so strong after
New Year S that there didn' seem to
be ANYBODY voting for the central nor
NAL school outside of the committee,
and the house went on record in favor
of taking over, retaining and contlnu-
ing -the present normal schools which
will be placed on par with similar
schools of other states. During the
preliminary voting on the measure, the
chair had to caution the galleries that
if voting in that section of the house
was not stopped he would have to order
the galleries cleared. He also reminded
the people in the space under the gal
leries that they would have to remain
seated as the clerks couldn t distinguish
them when standing from members.
Ferguson s prohibition referendum bill
went to a third reading Tuesday by one
majority. with everyone expecting that
it would be killed on Wednesday.
The row over normal schools left bit
ter feeling against Mason Stone, the
state. superintendent of education,
which cropped out Tuesday in two res
olutions calling for his report and an
inquiry why his report was stored in
the state library and not distributed
to members. Of course, the state
printing commissioner has charge of
the printing of his report, and the state
librarian the distribution of the docu.
ment. Representative Pittridge of
calling on the governor to request
Stones resignation "because his SER
vices were no longer required, but it
is doubtful if the house will care to
carry the normal school fight so far as
that. The normal school interests
blame Mason for gum-shoeing the Gen.
trail school plan.
State arbitration of labor disputes
was opposed by the labor unions of
D pt 1nt,l,,N u rnn
hearing in the senate, while downstairs
the Fifteen Mile Falls company was
having a session with the committee on
corporations. All abutting land own
ers are now agreed to favor the bill.
This will be duplication of the Brat
teboro dam if the plan is carried out.
The anti-saloon league proposition
for a statewide prohibitory law with a
referendum rider, much advertised dur
ing the past year, and urged through
campaign of petitions, was rejected
125 to 70. The bill had five votes less
than it had on the third reading while
the other side gained As votes. Messrs
Stafford of Brattleboro and Martin of
Brookline supported the present law:
Mr.. Stafford said he WASH inclined
towards it at first, but he had been
converted to the belief that the license
question was a local issue and could
be more effectively handled in that
way. Mr.. Martin was willing to take
the Judgment of the large towns on the
subject. since they knew better than
the small towns what had been suffered
under the old prohibitory law. Mr..
Whitney of Marlboro opposed the
BILL while Mr.. Wells of ,Wardsboro
made the principal speech for its pas
sage. The bill for central agency for
the distribution of liquors for medicinal
and mechanical purposes was aban-
doned, after an adverse report from
the Joint committee on temperance and
the substitution made of amendments
for only wholesalers and druggists Ii.
censes with a referendum to be voted
on at the March meeting. If majority
of votes were favorable the law should
take effect on March 20 next, and if
the majority was against the bill it
should take effect on December l, 1911,
by which time the next legislature, 1t
was argued, would repeal it.
The senate rejected another PROPOSE
ton to change the time lock on the
by reducing the number
of wears from ten to six when proposals
could be made and acted on. Thirteen
senators voted against it this time, the
number having increased three over
the vote taken on the proposal to, do
away with the paddock altogether.
Adams voted for the proposal and But
Ter against it. On the proposal to
amend the constitution in relation to