News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-02-17
FROM THE STATE CAPITOL
MONTPELIER, Vt.,(
Feb. Is. 1915. I

Esteemed Editor:-
We are vet alive and doing fairly well
though with livelier pulse and slightly
increased temperature. AS the days have
passed, the water has at last filled the
pond and is now flowing over the dam,
carrying with it all sorts OF hoodwood
from the accumulation above, fairly
good, hopelessly bad and everything in
grade from No. / to culs. Numbers of
sheep are being separated from the goats
every day, according to the judgment of
the peoples jury, although there is much
more than suspicion that some OF the
goats are being saved with the sheep.
Since the presentation of individual
bills to the revision committee was au o.
rnatically stopped by the rule week
ago the committee found itself loaded to
the muzzle with measures at the expira-
| ton of the time limit, and has ever since
been placing the finishing touches on
them, unloading a batch every day on
the two houses. At the close of business
last Saturday night around twenty more
bills yet remained to be sent in, and these
will go in today, and at the beginning
OF the days work tomorrow morning
the desks will be practically cleared for
he first time siuce the session began.
Thereafter the committee will handle
only committee bills, of which there will
be quite number, barring possibly a
personal bill that may get in by unani-
nous consent 1t is thought. however,
that these will be few and far between,
AS one objection will knock them out
there are few who would dare take the
chance of running the gauntlet. Scatter
the present accumulation of individual
bills in the hands of the committee are
disposed, OF any more legislation will be
on committee bills Nevertheless, there
are yet a large number in the hands OF
the various committees, and it will take
some little time to get them cleaned up.
As usual, the Senate adjourned from a
brief session Friday afternoon-just long |
enough to pass the equal suffrage bill
until the customary 7.3O p M. Monday. |
The House held a good pnmber more |
than a quorum Saturday forenoon and |
worked off a large quantity of business.
Among this latter was a bill fixing the !
ton of the Clerk of the House
and his assistants-the first at $l2 per
l., Il, II,
per day This looks like large compen-
sation, but when we stop to consider
and realize that the Clerk of the House is
the handspring and motive power OF the
whole outfit. with all the responsibility
for keeping the wheels moving, and for
absolutely correct results, it is far from
By few raps on his type
writer, or omissions, he could plunge
Vermont into chaos for the next quarter
century, from statutory point of view,
and therefore he is deserving of the pay
OF an expert and of d thoroughly reliable
official in a very large corporation.
Il costs the state around a thousand
dollars per day to pay the members and
1914 per day to keep them busy and make
their labors productive OF something. Not
50 bad. All this by way of real expla-
nation of the actual relationship of the
clerical force to the House. They are the
House, and for the time being all that
stands between Vermont and anarchy.
No 4Cr ah Ort |
he official educational bill. 1t is as
extinct as the diplodocus, the dodo or
he snow OF wear ago. 1t is as dead as
lay, and as tar from the possibility ofres-
direction. Another general public hear
ng will be h I'd Tuesday evening, but it
will only serve to afford time and place
or eulogizing the late deceased. Whether
t will be given formal burial. or thrown
,ut into the backyard or ignored entirely
S not yet decided, but another bill-pos-
IDLY as sort of compromise or as a real
homemade Vermont products on the
way and will soon show up.
1t is asserted by those who should know
hat this is the real thing as meeting the
tate's educational necessities at this
ime, and very likely it will be put into a
orm to fairly satisfy mos every body and
Inally be enacted. The public hearing
N the Normal school issue-having moth.
ng especially to do with the late educa-
ional bill-will come Friday evening to
scuss the rights and wrongs of these
Institutions, and Johnson and Castleton
nd all the country around about them
will be on hand and look after matters in
hat line.
The passage of the equal suffrage bill
" the Senate Friday afternoon is above