St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-01-17
COLD IN WASHINGTON

II GVGO 4AN wv EAO4AA4NO4VkN
Continued from page T.
was in town last week, and during
his visit to the senate Thursday af-
ternoon l was pleased to have a chat
with him "touchin' on an pertainin'
to" old times in ST. Johnsbury AS
is we'll known, Gov Plaisted is
graduate of St. Johnsbury Academy,
and his recollections Of his school
I days there are most interesting.
Certainly they were so to me, a
contemporary in point of time. The
/ governor recalled the names of
many old time residents, some pass
ed on and some yet alive, and
through the Caledonian sends his
cordiaI regards to all who may re-
member him. Only in his 46th year
the governor is yet a young man,
and is certain to exert powerful
influence in the politics of his state
for long time to come.
| Collector Emery of Newport drift
-literally-into town Saturday
morning, expecting to return to
Vermont tonight if the going is
good. Every Vermonter in Wash
| ington who can get glimpse of
him is always glad to welcome
Curt" and he always finds him
self among a host of friends here
He expresses no fear of being con-
solidated out of Office, and acquies-
ces in the opinion here that there is
very little danger of it.
Walter Husband President.
At the annual business meeting of
the local Washington Vermont asso-
citation, held at the rooms
of the Washington club last
Friday evtning the follow
| ing officers were elected for the
coming year: President, William
Walter Husband of ST. Johnsbury;
chief clerk of the immigration di-
vision of the bureau of commerce.
and labor. Vice presidents, Myron
T. Ferrin, Irving S. Woodruff and
M. G. Peabody; treasurer, Henry T.
Offterdinger; financial secretary, N
j. McCuen of Vergennes; CORES
Rutland; recording secretary, q. R.
Crandall; directors, D. S. Fletcher
of Middlebury; H. N. Taplin of
Montpelier and M. c. Hooker. The
association has a very large and
constantly increasing membership,
and starts off the new year in a
most prosperous condition.
Democrats and Pensions.
Look on that picture, and then on
this. A few weeks ago the demo- !
cratic majority in the house put !
through the so-called Sherwood gem
eraI pension bill, which they would
MT have done had they not rightly
believed that the senate would hold |
up a measure so raw and i'll con- |
structed. To indicate their real at
titude on the pension question l note
the fact that the house committee on |
pensions had approved of over 1900 |
private pension bills previous to the |
holiday recess, but has thus far re-
fused to report them out of commit
tee and place them on the house
calendar where they could be called |
up and acted upon Since the re-
cess the committee has been con-
stantly grinding out more, and to-
day there must be nearly 1000 bills
favorably acted on which the COM
mittee will not allow to come out in
to daylight. In most cases these
have been hanging for years, and
the applicants are suffering for
want of what the pensions would
bring them.
In respect to the democratic
Sherwood bill an emplOye of the
senate pension committee recently
said to me in the course of CONVEX
sation on the subject: 1.-THE depart
ment has figured out the approx
mate cost of this bill to begin with,
and finds that it would instantly
take from the treasury no less than
one hundred million dollars. This
would utterly clean out the treasury
and necessitate a bond issue. This
is something that could not be
thought of 46 years after the war
and in time of peace. We are now
drafting a bill on the lines of the
and McCumber bills of
last session, embracing both the age
and service features. This will be
reported into the senate as soon as
possible, and we hope and expect
that it will be substituted by vote for
the Sherwood bill 1t will take
about thirty millions, and in its
fairness and generosity we believe it
will meet with the cordial approval
of all those interested So much
for the pension status to date.
OIeomargarine Hearings.
The hearings on the bill to remove
the disabilities from oleOmargar1ne
and allow it to enter the butter class
by the payment of a small license
fee begin this week Wednesday and
may continue for some days. That
the bill will eventually be reported
favorably and pass the house is
quite probable, but it is not consid-
cred possible for it to get through |,
the senate at this session.
Last year at this time several of
the big appropriation bills had been
sent through the house and to the
senate, and much other important
legislation had also been acted on by
the former body. This year the first
of the appropriation bills is acted on
by the house today. However, others
with the wool tariff bill-are said