Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-02-06
Bases Return of Sterilization Bill
to Senate on Attorney-Gen-
eral S Opinion.
DETERMINATIONS ARE FOUND
Measure Also Abounds in Incon.
sistencies-Senate Passes 1t
Again by a Questioned
Majority.


Noripollcr. Ian =1-G,v,rror tr,,.h.r
..,, t,i .,....., ...,.. .. r.-,--
''''' NUN" lie returned TO the senate
Without his approval tho bill providing
for the sterilization Of imbocilcs and
others for re,s,,,, c,,,,toi,,,d f., a., ,,,t,,.
'''' Vt '''' 7'''''''N -S''''''' VINO" '''o'''-
panied the veto message.
There was no debate on Tin, matter. MI
Jobnenu. tho irtr,lu,.r ,f tho bu1 asked
,
'"' ''''''' NC "'7' ''''
I"cSu'N' nut When ihat appeared to ne
Inpracticahle vote was Immediately
taken. Senators Barler. Bigvood croft
n,,i1. t,,.,. ,, Wallace. ,,,... - r,,.io,.1
E''"'' 'le''I'' I'o'S'' '"""So"' N"N'
IIinlau and SAcrUin voted in favor Of
Passing the measure over the Governors
veto. and those who voted to sustain the
veto were Senators Babbitt Batchelder.
Blanchard of Windsor. Chaffce, Dale,
Darling of Orau@e. Laird. Madison, Nc
cuou, Pollard. This made the vote IS to
~ Id ,hc lieutcnaut-eovcrnor declared
the bin passed MISUNDERSTANDING the OBJ
.tct3u- of The Governor.
question IS now raised whether the
jill. was actually SO passed and the House
may refuse to consider the measure when
~ is sent to them. on the ground that il
has not IN fact been passed by tho Seuate
over the veto of the Governor Thr COM
-titution Of tho state provides That when
lu is returned hy the Governor. with
his objections in writing to the House in
- p .,
the House shall pass the Rim" 1t shall he
sent To the other House
1t Is claimed that the words .a ma
ioritv Of the house" moan a majority
of the membership. not a majority of
those present and that AS only IA
votes were cast I'm favor of the ms
SAGE of the hill the veto of the Gov
ernor is sustained \ REGULAR thint,
I'm this connection is that though only
l3 senators voted to ovorrule the eX-
''"l'N" veto there were enough more
the building to have ma le the vote
H. n clear majority. of tho Senate
90 MA '''i'' >''''
The contention i'm regard 10 the con-
suuctlon of tho constitution IS prob.
ably of slight consequence. since the
bin passed the House by narrow
margin ana if that body recousidors
the measure it is very doubtful if its
vote will be in opposItiou 70 tba Gov.
rluOr High authorities i'm law and
parliamentary procedure insist that
the constitution must he iuternretcc
Nterallv in this case. and that a ma.
.oritv of the whole house is uecrssar,
IN PASS q bin over the veto
The opinion of Attoruov-Gonera1 f.
-. Brown, on which the Governor base,
MS objections is AS follows.
"Eeferring TO section of this act
Won will notice that the act annie,
only to those of the unfortunat,
classes named. who are unfortunat,
enough to be actually confined in tn,
hosuitaIs for the insane. state prison
reformatories and charta bic and pc
nal institutions i'm the state Thos
equally unfortunate except in the mat
ter Of actual confinement includin,
the criminals whose sentences hav
been completed. and all having great
or opportunity to perpetuate the evi
which this bill seeks to guard against
are immune from the operation o
mis- act.
I'm my judgment this is an unfair u
iuSt, unWdrTdnted ana incNcuSaDlc uls