St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-02-17
CarDegie,s Wealtb ProbIe,o

testimony before the federal COM
mission on industrial relations He
still has a fortune estimated at about
1925, 100000 and, despite his prince
ly benefactions, he cannot keep his
head above water-his fortune is
gaining on him. His ambition to die
a poor man will never be realized
literally. The task of the fictitious
Brewster who had to spend a mill
lion a year and who made such a
terrible row about it was the merest
child-play compared with the iron
masters self-imposed penance He
has been giving away money at the
rate of $40, 200 year for more
than a decade and still it piles up
faster than he can get rid of it.
Carnegie's testimony before the
investigators brought out in a very
interesting way the manner in which
he was launched on the road to for
tune. While superintendent of the
Pennsylvania railroad, he saw
wooden bridge burn up and tie up
a whole line for eight days. He
made up his mind then that there
was a future in steel bridges. The
chance to form little company came
along, and he and two others or
ganized a steel company with a cap
1Idl u OVO, NdIu6Sl0 U0-
ing borrowed from a Pittsburgh
grew the Edgard Thompson Steel
works, the Homestead works, the
Dequesne works, the blast furnaces
and locomotive works at Allegheny,
the Carnegie gas wells in West Vir-
ginia and the great ore fields bought
from Rock efeller.-Rutland News.
State Should Accept.
The Banner belives that the state
should accept Mr.. Wallis offer of the
Lyndon school and SpeedweH farms
for an agricultural school, knowing
that it will entail some burden on
the state but believing that it offers
a genuine aid in the development of
Vermont's greatest natural resource.
1t is essential if Vermont is to grow
and prosper that the state take hold
of its wealth of choice farm land and
make it an active agency in adding
to the business and income of the
people. An industry that does not
train apprentices is headed toward
decay and Vermont has failed in this
respect. We do not want to see all
Vermont boys remain in Vermont.
1t is creditable and honorable for
the state to send out a fair proper
ton of her young people to carry
the good name of Vermont to it's
neighbors, but we do not want to
see too many of them go and they
will not if we give them a working
knowledge of the splendid, field of
wealth, happiness and prosperity
that is available at home. Mr.. Wallis
gift should be accepted-Benning
ton Banner.
AZ to 1.
With the rejection by the house
of representatives of a measure fix
ing a definite salary for members,
the question naturally arises wheth-
err Vermont is going to continue in
the position as the only state in the
Union without either a definite leg
islative salary or a fixed time limit.
To repeat: Every state in the Union
except Vermont limits it's legislative
term.
The last session of the Vermont
legislature lasted 119 days, during
which time 845 bills were intro
duced, and the total cost of the
session was $195, 879.98. Vermont S
population is 355,956.
Here are four states for COMPARE
son, representatives of the New
England, Southern, Western and
Pacific coast states.
New Hampshire has salary limit
of 5000 a year, and the expense of
it's last biennial session, during which
500 bills were introduced, was $149,-
413.07. Her population is 43O,552.
Texas has a time limit of so days.
At the last biennial session 1897
bills were introduced and the cost
of the term was $155, 10000. The
LOT OF Sc Q QQR RAO
Kansas has a time limit of SO days.
The last legislature received 1,773
bills and cost the state $85, 447.2O.
The population of Kansas is $780,
949.
Oregon's last biennial legislative
session, limited to 40 days, received
gu bills and cost the state $751;
064,46. Oregon's population is
672,765.
Is there any reasonable answer to
the question why Vermont needs
from two to three times as many
days, with an expenditure of from
two to three times as much money
to perform it's legislative work, as
states having several times the popu-
lation and wealth?
Is there any substantial reason
why Vermont should persist as the
lone advocate of unlimited sessions
which every other state in the Union
has rejected in the interests of econ
omy and MISUNDERSTANDING Stan
dard.
Court Reform is Needed.
Gov. Gates has chosen three good
men to investigate the necessity and
wisdom of revising court procedure,
with a view, probably, to getting
cheaper and more direct route to JUS
tice. 1t is needed, as shown by a re-
cent case in the eastern part of the
state. During a freshet in March,
1913, a lot of logs which were being
foated down White river, carried
away a bridge at White River juno
tion The town sued the company
that owned the logs and after long
drawn-out litigation got a verdict of
$2O,738. Then the company want
ed to settle out of court, and the
town finally accepted SIS, 900, prob
ably to get rid of the matter. The
in reporting the case,
saws: eft is understood that some