St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-03-12

Ferrin of Essex introduced a Joint
resolution providing that
| The stenographer in the Office Of
/ the State Library Commission. the
stenographers and engrossing clerk
in the office of the secretary of stat
and the stenographer and clerk in
the Office of the auditor of accounts
shall each receive the same per diem
and mileage as members of the Gen
eral Assembly.
What prompted Representativ.
Ferrin to introduce the resolution
and by what authority did he include
in it's provisions, for instance. The
stenographer to the State Library
Commission? Possibly the veteran
practitioner of medicine thought the
state treasury needed blood-letting
treatment. If that was his reason
for introducing the resolution, he
can certainly take to himself the
credit of performing the most ar
tistic job of financial surgery ever
| attempted on the treasury of Yer
mont.
Does DIR. Ferrin intend to have
his colleagues of the House of Rep
resentatives infer that the several
persons mentioned in his resolution
sought his assistance and urged this
deliberate attack upon the treasury
He would hardly care to do that, es
pecially in connection with the frs
employe he mentions in the resolu.
ton, for a no less responsible per-
son than the president of the State
Library Commission has written
this paper that the gratuity voted
the commissions Stenographer was
without the knowledge, request OF
consent of the commission" Presi-
dent Benton of the Commission
writes to The Herald concerning thii
matter, stating that the salary paio
the commission stenographer was
ADEQUATE Yet some thought it
ought to be raised.
While The Herald is propoundins
questions, let us know what line OF
reasoning prompted Representative
Ryder of Rockingham, Representa-
tive Billings of Woodstock, Repre-
sentative Adams of Chelsea and
others to so valiantly support the
resolution? Let the answer be "pol-
itics." Politics., pure and simple
and the state of Vermont paid the
bills.
Without thought of placing Rep
resentative Hapgood upon a pedestal
The Herald credits the member ZION
Peru with possessing, to a Taarked
degree, one of the characteristics OF
the men of Green Mountain fame
honesty. When the committee on
state and court expenses, consisting
of Mr.. Adams of Chelsea, Mr.. Eator
of Hancock, Mr.. Lathe of Craftsbury
Mr.. Thomas of Sheldon and Mr..
Ferrin of Essex reported the reso-
luton favorably the member from
Peru objected, but the eloquence OF
his colleagues from Rockingham
Chelsea, Woodstock and Essex
coupled with a deep-seated prejudice
against Mr.. Hapgood upon the part
of scores of his fellow members
made the appeal of the member
from Peru of little consequence
when the vote was taken.
On the following day Mr.. Hap
good aroused the ire of his col
leagues by introducing a resolution
requesting the encouragement to
serve an injunction upon the state
treasurer against paying any of the
employees of the House, Assembly o.
State House any per diem sum above
that already provided by the
statutes" The speaker ruled that
the resolution was out of order as il
could not be carried into effect. Mr.
Hapgood appealed from the speakers
ruling and demanded that a yea
and may vote be taken. 1t was
during his support of his resolution
| that he characterized his. colleagues
as thieves" if they supported the
resolution providing for the mileage
grab and salary steal
The members of the House of
Representatives who voted to pay
persons in no way connected with
the Legislature the same salary anC
mileage as paid members cannot
plead ignorance in the CASE Rut-
land Herald.