The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-10-05
eOvernOr's RetIrlna MESSAGE.

GON. JOHu ADHeT Mtdu mas duuIcSo
ed the Senate and House of Represen
tatives in a retiring message which
in It's way is a model of conciseness
and vigor He has dealt with is
subjects of vast Importance in the
| state of Vermont in a modest pam
pnlet of 80 pages.
| Possibly no one who has not real
lied the responsibilities of the chief
! executive Of such a commonwealth as
! Vermont can say with any degree OF
understanding just what these respon
| siblities of the Office entail. Quite
naturally, therefore there might arise
here and there, this, that or the 9th
er critic whose basis of criticism is
unwarranted by reason of lack Of
knowledge.
Gov Mead begins very sensibly and
! logically win the matter of educa-
ton. He reviews the advance of Yer
mont in the matter of legalized in
struction, adyerting to the raise of
the school age TO l6 years, the streng
thening of the child labor law, school
| attendance, etc; he refers tavorably
to those acts permitting pensions to
teachers, providing for medical in
spection of school children, and au-
thorizing the state board of education
TO purchase the normal school proper
~ at Castleton.
After recapltulating four measures
of the last Assembly appearing else
where in these columns. and speaking
Of them as "unassailable evidence 10
the progressiveness" of that body, the
governor takes up the subject OF FIRE
insurance upon state property and
fire protection generally. With re-
spect to the first subject, the COVER
nor has made it clear that he omitted
nothing in a careful investigation as
to how the property of the state was
insured. He discovered what great
many people might fail to consider -
that the rates and forms of policies
vary so far in material respects as
that any possible fire would have
developed conditions embarrassing
and unbusinesslike."
In common with executives of 9th
er commonwealth throughout the
country. Gov. Mead has given pecul-
lar attention TO the matter of fire
protection as a measure of executive
policy. He tells us that the losses by
fire in 1901 in the state of Vermont,
actually paid, were SAFE, $685.. In 10
years there is an increase of nearly
double that sum- exclusive of unin-
sured or partially insured property
OF S916.12277 Our population of
about 100000 gives us a per capita
loss of 1896. while reh per capita loss
in the nation for 1910 amounts to
something like $233, showing that
our average is 25 per cent higher
than that of the nation.
Degeneracy comes in for a whole
some and sensible discussion. II is
fortunate that the retiring executive
should have been able to give of his
scientific knowledge and professional
skill peculiar consideration 10 a sub
ject too often disregarded. Realizing
as he does. the unpleasant subject
matter, Gov Mead deals with II
judiciously and carefully. The gov
errors efforts at bringing about
an amelioration of our town, county
and state charges should appeal to
this and coming Legislatures.
1t would not be surprising for a
| Ia y 81 " O ndHItlfu W ht Aut AZ
cutive OF a state like Vermont to in
terest himself particularly in the mat
| ter of uniform state laws. Gov.
Mead. a physician and business man.
during his incumbency, was alive to
such progress as is being made
throughout the country. II is well
known that our states have sought for
years to preserve independence in the
matter OF legal procedure: Il is
equally well known that this very
independence has been the source
of considerable embarrassment. not
only TO litigants, but TO the bar and
bench. As far back as 1889 the Am
erican Bar association appointed
| special committee which recommend
ed that a committee of one from each
state should meet from time to time
and consider the laws of the different
states and take into account especial
| ly the possibility of uniformity in
statutes relating TO marriage and d.
vorce. descent and distribution of
property. acknowledgement OF deeds
! and probate of wills. For the purposes
of this writing it would be unneccs-
saTy to detail the efforts in this be
| hdii ihdue bA Ndiious Stdte odi dsSOcl-
atoms and the national association
referred to; suffice il to say, Gov.
Mead appointed a commission to at
tend a conference held at Milwaukee
just prior to the annual meeting Of
the American Bar association aud has
received in consequence suggest Gus
Of value which may . commented up
on in these columns at greater length.
Other subjects discussed by Gov
| Nod in his Iatlrlnm nIna -ann nrn