Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-01-14
THE MAcDoNouGu COMMISSION.


dollars to erect such monument.
commission was created, appointed by
the Governor, and they finally went In
with the State of New York and decided
to try and have 1t national affair, and
they succeeded in getting an appropria-
ton from the United states government
of $4,000 for monument to Macdonough.
| They Joined hands with the state of New
York. Then conditions differed 1t was up
to the state of Vermont to make credit
able demonstration and to invite New
York to come over and Join hands with
us But this appropriation of $1,000 was
specifically for the erection of a monu-
ment A number of philosophical Cltl-
zens In the city of Nergcnnes and as
well as all over the state of Vermont
Joined and raised a fund-no one sue
scribed more than s25 to tin order that
we might creditably invite our New York
friends over here l recommend to you
that n sufficient sum from the original
four thousand dollars be appropriated to
reimburse those who rose to the occasion
as a matter Of state pride. The national
appropriation of $4,000 and the remaining
portion of our state appropriation will
thoroughly accomplish the situation.
I recommend to you that the law be
abolished that provides that when the
side Judges cannot agree in deter mining
who shall be the license commissioners
In any particular community, the Gov
ernor shall he called in to determine who
shall be appointed It should not be the
province Of the executive Of Vermont
to 20 into any community and determine
who should drink whiskey and who
should not. II is absolutely demoralz-
ing and the executive of the state ought
to he relieved of any such responsibility.
REFORM IN STATUTES.
The last Legislature authorized the ex-
ccutive to appoint commission for tho
purpose of bringing the statutory laws
down to conform to the change in the
organic law and to recommend what
should be done and to present it In the
form of n BIZ. That commission have
performed their labors and they have
presented me With bill containing 9@7
pages for your consideration. Now that
I I take to he an omnibus bill and such
| n bill should receive your serious con-
sideraton and ought not to pass either
body until at least the session is well
along, because there may be other phases
and features that will develop in your
deliberations. which should be embodied
i'm that bill and possibly are not there
now.
COMPENSATION AND LIABILITY.
Eighth: To workmen's compensation
and employers liability. The commits
sion which the last Legislature created
to consider this subject will present a
bill for your consideration. AS a matter
Of State policy believe the principle Of
workmen's compensation and employers
liability should be adopted by you.
DIRECT PRIMARY.
Ninth: To the direct primary The
state is distinctly committed to a trial
of the principle involved in direct pri-
mary. and the element of good faith
should prevail.
Tenth: To the feeble-minded. It mas
been the policy OF the State to the pres
ent time to send her feeble minded chill
dren for education and control to the
state institutions OF other New England
states Vermont is now confronted by
the fact that the other New I,nyla nj
States find their Institutions no longer
able to receive our defective children;
therefore ii is absolutely ne 'essarY fcr
you to make provision for the erection
of buildings to house the feeol minded
upon the site provided for by the appro-
priation of the last Legislature. other
wise 1t will be necessary - transfer
these children to ct insane dsvluma
which should not be done und,r any cir
,cumstanCes o. cond lions = therefore
recommend direct &c, ion on YOUR part
The last LEGISLATURE appropriated tbs
sum of $1,000 as the initial step in This
direction, and commission was APP
pointed that now has the wNclc matter
in charge.
! CONSOLIDATED VARIOUS BOARDS
Eleventh: ] recommend that the board
for the feeble minded, the board for tbs
insane, and the penal board. and wei
the office of sergeant-at-arms. he con
solidated into one board, of which the
purchasing agent and the Governor shall
be ex-officio members. The requirements
for memberships on these various boards
being identical there is no valid reason
known to me why they should not be
consolidated and there are many reasons
why they should be. It has been sus-
gested that n further consolidation nigh,
be made by combining the public service
commission with these boards. This Is
impractical and neXpedient because the
qualifications for the public service COM
mission are entirely dissmilar to those
for the other boards, such further con
soldatior would not accomplish the
expoditng of the states business but
would furnish an indirect way for re-
moving from office one whose only crime
was having too zealously guarded the
interests of the people or a possible
resumption Of the stuffed club and
cushion methods
AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONERS
Next I advocate and recommend tC
you the combination of the office OF
commissioner of agriculture and cattle
commissioner The same reasons ap.
ply Identical in this case as in the
other
IRA ALLEN MEMORIAL.
/ recommend that you give particu.
lar attention to the proposed memoir
ial for Ira Allen. for which a commits.
sion headed by the late Horace w
Bailey was appointed to consider dur
ing the last session The Green Noun
tain boys declare that he was the
chief founder of the tate, and al.
though he died in poverty and Is bur-
led in an unknown grave. the State has
never yet established any token OF
remembrance. Close students of early
history declare there would have been
no Vermont had 1t not been for Ira
Allen,