Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-24
Members Of the House Are Unus-
ually Slow in Presenting
Their Bills.
FEARS CONGESTION OF WORK
Adequate Room for Committees
May Be Opposed by Those
Who Would Have Capt.
tai Changed.

Montpelier Oct o3.-I1edgehogs still
occupied the attention of some legisla-
tors to-day. Mr.. Pollard introduced a bill
at the morning session Of tho Senate
providing for q reduction of the bounty
to 20 cents. In the House Mr. Cook OF
Lyndon at the morning session moved
, reconsideration of yesterdays vote re-
fusng q third reading to the bill repeal
ing the bounty law. but the motion fail
| ed. In the afternoon Mr.. Gage of Wealth
ersfeld offered a bill reducing the bounty
to Is cents.
Speaker Plumley this afternoon called
attention to House rule II which pro-
vides that no bill shall be introduced
| after the first Tuesday Of November eX-
| cept by unanimous consent. Members
have been unusually SLOW in presenting
| their bills. There are many new MEM
| bers in the House who seem not to un-
| derstand that they can have their bills
put in proper form by the committee
on revision and are waiting for advice
and information before attempting to put
their bills on paper.
/ II bills are in the hands OF the re-
vision committee before the date of ex-
piration of the rule. they considered
| to have been introduced and unanimous
consent is not required for their presen-
| tatIon to either House. The committees
of both Houses are working we'll on the
measures that have come before them,
but the number Of bills in either house
Is much smaller than is usual at this
time. An unusually large number Of bills
Is expected, but unless these make their
appearance within a short time there
will be an accumulation and congestion
of work that will impede the efforts Of
! the best intentioned members.
LACK OF ROOM HAMPERs WORK.
, Every day shows increasingly the i'm
mediate necessity for more room for the
transaction of State business. Not only
is 1t difficult to lind sufficient committee
rooms. but the State officers themselves
are crowded for accommodations. Mr..
Batchelder Of Bennington introduced a
joint resolution this morning, which has
been adopted by both houses. providing
for a special committee of two senators
and three representatives to investigate
the need for moro room and report to this
, Legislature.
There will be some opposition to any
move for making an addition to the
State House or the erection of anothe,
building for office purposes. Some officials
hold that the more uncomfortable cond!
tions are made here the more likely il
will become that the seat of government
= will he removed from Montpelier Still
others believe that II would be unwise Il
make any expensive additions to the pres
i cnt accommodations for the Legislator,
3 and State officers because sooner or late
the capital will be located in some othe
city and the State will then have to for
= felt all the property 1t may hold here.
o The plain fact remains. however. tina
more room is seriously needed and tn
States business suffers from the insufii
> cient accommodations provided Attempt
r have been made for a hundred years t
have tho location OF the capital change
but without success, and even IL such
r change were to be made it would proba bl
n be six years before buildings for the ac
2, commodation of the Legislature could b
located anywhere else. and the bushes
OF the State is growing to such an e1
It tent that If the State does not erect ne'
X buildings It will have to lease one c
l. more buildings here.
STRICT ELECTION Law.
-, Legislature II. Il. for the publication
q elections, which was introduced tn
:, morning by Mr.. Cook OF Lyndon, Is OF
IT, of those good measures which lose the
- force because II Is next to impossible,
% not quite beyond human power. to q
anything and not break some OF their r.
a. quirements. This bill aims to extend OF
80 present caucus law as to cover ele
Zoo. ttn
H. 1t is claimed that under our present ca'
of Gus law no person can hire nall. GiN
~, another a cigar. or bring a man 10 Il
-, voting place in hired carriage to he
49, toward his own or another's nominate
N | without laying himself open to fine
wa not more than 500 If H. Il should b
come a law none of these things could
legally done In an election fight All a
vertising. canvassing and other mea
of letting the public know who Is up f
Office would be banned under penalty
~ a heavy fine.
The joint committee on temperance III
8 hearing this afternoon ON two bills b
W fore II, Senate bill No. IL, state opt!'
~ measure, and s. 49, bill providing a
w, ditionaI druggists licenses. II had be
." anticipated that a good deal would
said before the committee III pch"h
the bill for State wide vote each yei
-" as to whether liquor should be sold win
N' our borders or It's sale forbidden. but on
~ one person appeared in it's behalf II
W. said to be disapproved among tempernr
u" advocates for fear the bin might Sol
e" time result in state wide license
-, HOwLErs INDUSTRIAL BILL.
all There is not much talk OF temperan
ost legislation this year, although SOME me
ted ton IL made OF possible measures
,la preyent the liquor traffic from becomi
welded to politics. A measure maxi
ow the person engaged In the liquor traf
lal. ineligible to any State or local office
&. not unlikely to be introduced.
Among the bills In the hands or I
revision committee Is one handed In
ad. Thomas |. Howley, representative fr'
Burungton. which embodies Qsacbca