Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-30
HOUSE ESCAPES
A CALL Of ROLL
Works for an Hour with Less
Than a Quorum in At
tendance.
COOK SPRINGS A SURPRISE
Brings Up the Federal Income Tax
Amendment-Plans for Of
fee Building Please
the Committee.

Montpelier, Jan. 26.-There were III
members in their seats during the House
session yesterday morning, less than a
quorum, but fortunately for those who re-
maincd here no call of the House was
demanded. When q motion was made to
order a bill to lie Mr.. Cook of Lyndon
said that while he should regret to call
for the yeas and nays, no bill should
be ordered to lie without 1t. that the
record of the House should show progress
or the lack Of it, and not postponement
and delay. The House remained in ses-
sion a little more than an hour and dis
posed of Il considerable amount of unim-
portant business.
While there is a feeling among the
members, both of the House and Senate,
that adjournment should he taken az
early as possible, there is still no disposi-
ton to hurry matters, and a serious real
ization that the work on hand cannot be
disposed OF in any short time. The state
ment that there are 9f bills to be dis
posed of does not tell the whole story
for the bills that have been ordered to
lie are not included in his number.
There are ISL bills that nave not yet been
acted upon by the house in which they
ORIGINATED. New bills come in every day,
and the date Of final adjournment can
not be predicted now with any reasonable
accuracy.
MIR. Cook of Lyndon sprung a surprise
yesterday morning by calling up the toint
resolution relating to a federal income
tax amendment. Mr.. Cook said that ne
did this for a two-fold reason, that It
might appear that the House had worked
honestly and sincerely for an hour. and
that he might bring this matter before
the members for proper consideration.
BETTER TO TAX INCOMES.
Mr.. Cook believed in an income tax.
both by the United States and the State
of Vermont. He had tried to Induce the
members of the committee on wavs and
means to realize the desirability of such
action but they had not responded in the
manner he desired. They had considered
putting the knife into certain corpora-
tons in their effort to provide means for
raising the revenue the State would need.
but he believed It would be better to
Impose a tax on the income of men who
could well afford to pay one and let the
corporations alone for a little while.
Mr.. Miller OF Bethel did not think an
Income tax would be feasible in this
State, as 1t would tend to keep out the
wealthy men we desire to have come here.
lie referred 10 Mr.. Weeks, chairman Of
the ways and means committee, as the
spokesman OF the Republican party. He
remarked on the absence of M. Billings
|of Woodstock. the custodian of the
Republican party platform, and said that
whenever the member from Woodstock
quoted the platform the result was
|rnaeical. He referred to the new political
party which was ~anxiously watching the
leaders of the old parties in the hope that
they might make some bad mistakes and
play into the hands of the progressives,
and thought this was the time for the
old parties to act in the interests of the
people.
Mr.. Ryder of Rockingham denied that
there was any disposition on the part of
rnembers to play politics and thought
measures SHOULD be and were being con-
Isidered In the best interests of the State
and country. Adjournment was taken
without action.