News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-03-24
FROM THE STATE CAPITOL
Interesting Events Depicted in
Detail By Our "Johnnie on
the Spot"-The End is
Drawing Near
M oNTPELIER, VT,
March %, 1915. I

Dear Editor:-
Amazing doings in the past week, and
it looks as if the worst was yet to come.
During the time the dust has settled a
little, but it is dry time here-excepting
among the Observation-Disclosures being
frequently seen, even pretty near the CAPT :
tol, that they are doing standing groom
only business, andevery body is expecting
the unusual and unexpected This is adj
nittedly a paradox, but such have be-
come common here. Therefore, don't be
surprised at anything you may hear from
the capitol during the coming week.
Although this has been a session of re-
considering, recommitting and reversing
all along the line, the great act of throw
ing double back-action summersault
was not thrown on the screen until the
middle of the past week. The introduc-
ton to this was the vote on the primary
bill Thursday, when in the face OF every
argument and good reason the bill was
killed by the House. This threw an all.
wool scare into the leaders, and the next
| twenty-four hours were filled with anx-
| ious moments. The next day series of
very brisk and informal conferences were
held with the place of assembly, usually
the Governors room, where various
prominent members of the party who
had proven themselves among the I'M
faithful were summoned and to whom
the articles of war were read by the Gov
ernor in no uncertain or obscure language.
The member of and from Proctor, who
with his entire coterie had opposed and
voted against the primary bill. was adj
monished, it is said, and Speaker Weeks
also added his strenuous if not piercing
accents to the discus sion. The upshot of
it all was the production of quick and
certain action in the House Friday, this
being inaugurated by special message
from the Governor bearing down hard on
the duty and obligation Of the party to
enact some sort OF primary law.
After the adoption of the amendment
of Brown of Lunenburg Thursday, which
wholly cut out the counties and towns
from the operation of the law-leaving
nothing except the state officers and
members of congress embraced in the bill
it was expected that whatever latent
opposition there was to the bill was OBJ
liberated, but as a matter of fact seven.
tenths of the House membership was and
is opposed to primary law of any sort
or form, and the more they chewed on
the matter the more determined they
were to smite it hip and thigh. Which |
same they did, even after it had been i
sterilized by the Brown amendment
To say that this action put mans |
the legislative leaders is putting it ex-
ceedingly mild. Something had to be
done to reverse such drastic action, and |
that at once. 1t would never do to re-
turn to the people with such record,
and so the message was fired in, Stan !
Wilson of Chelsea was primed with a
referendum amendment which he moved
as soon as the reconsideration vote was
moved and carried, the referendum was
duly welded on, vote on the whole
proposition of passage was had and the
bill as amended Ly Brown and Wilson
went through kiting. No vote has as yet
been taken on it by the Senate, but there
is no question gifts passage there
Thus endeth the second and last lesson
on the primary for sometime to come.
The Republican party has saved its face
by the enaction of good primary law,
and, il it is accepted and works satisfac.
torily in the matters which it covers the
next legislature can extend it TO counties {
and towns if so desired On the whole, | {
it is fairly satisfactory outcome to what
for little time promised TO be most
disastrous situation.
The workmen's compensation act, as
passed by the Senate does not seem to
please or displease anybody very much,
and it appears to be regarded with a con-
feeling of indifference. 1t is ex-
pected that the House will pass it with
out much difficulty-though with posi-
BILE few amendments, and the law will be
allowed to work out its salvation in f
practice. On the whole, although very S
liberal to employers, it seems to be very
fair arrangement for all concerned. /
The Simonds educational bill was hur- a
ried along Saturday by suspension of the
rules, and it is made q special order for a
Tuesday. 1t is not attracting much gen.
eral interest. even among members, and
not as much as its size and inn b
oortance warrants. The bill is very '
argely the work of Senator Smonds of S
st. Johnsbury, and in it he has certainly
'afeguarded the interests of all the 8
smaller and more neediul schools. These b
lave evidently been his first thought, and D
he uplift and impetus which the bill gives
he smaller schools all along the line
hould surely result in a very large I'M p
'rovement in conditions and quality of Il