Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-04-09
WORK
Lawmakers in Session 50 Days, a Month
Less Than 2 Years AgoMany
Important Changes Made
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD

In Lewis Carroll's Adventures of
Alice in Wonderland one will recall
that
The time has come, the Walrus
said,
To talk of many things;
Of ships and shoes and sealing wax
And cabbages and kings!"
Briefly, | must now refer to as
many subjects in a final legislative
review. After the rather stormy and
turbulent day and night of Friday
the end came peacefully at ten o.
clock Saturday forenoon. 1t was
about three o'clock Saturday morn
ing when the business of the session
was finally ended, after which a
recess was taken to ten to permit
the fall of the gavel in due and
ancient form. The business of the
last day and night was conducted
deliberately and without friction,
and look backward after the grand
finale appeared to give the member
ship fair amount of satisfaction.
Everybody had distinguished himself
in some little or larger way, accord
ing to his more or less vaulting am
bition, and could take a backward
look over the things which had been
accomplished and call it reasonably
good. Everybody had performed
some little or larger act of legislative
accomplishment, and returned to
his home with the feeling that a
very large amount of important
work had been fairly we'll done. Of
course most all of them could point
to few matters here and Sthere
which might have been improved if
the individual had had This own un-
restricted way, but on the whole
there was enough of excellent per-
formance to go round and then have
something to spare.
AS soon as it became definitely
known that the day and hour of ad-
journment had been finally fixed,
everybody got busy with will, and
there was not the least difficulty in
making a cleanup and with time to
i spare. In considering this fact |
have many times wondered why the
general assembly could not have
imbued itself with this spirit after
the first few weeks of the session?
If had been-or if such a mental
condition and ambition were possible
"a session of fifty working days
would be entirely sufficient in which
to transact all the work of a biennia
session thoroughly and efficiently
But, the first six weeks of a session
is very largely occupied in feeling
its way. 1t is like flock of sheep ir
: a strange pasture. Its environment
, is wholly strange, and-regardless Of
the fact that committees are named
and the members are given theil
work-yet they are largely occupied
in trying to familiarize themselve!
with their surroundings and explor
ing the lot, so to speak. They are
new to the place, to the building, t.
the work which is such a departure
from their usual avocations; they are
looking out of the corners of theil
eyes at each other, and are fol
weeks trying to get their feet under
them for the practical and sensible
conduct of the real valuable labor
q of the session. They are mostly oc
d cupied in sizing each other up, ant
t finding out what that contraption i
n in the washroom over the bowl
where the liquid soap is kept.
O. takes some time for herd of cattl
r in strange lot to sniff the new 10
r cation and reassure themselves tina
J it is safe and proper to get down t
r feeding contentedly, and in this re
: spect we are all alike.
10 AS | have said before, from an eS
perience of fifteen sessions | neve
IT knew one made up of better or NOR
'e servicable raw material, and man
a much its inferior in respect to,ater
ability and sound sense. 1t di