The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-01-28
House on Record Against
Changing Present Form
of Ballot
ATTY. GEN. BARBER
AGAINST WARE BILL
Thinks District Court Measure Would
Cost the State Money Windham
County Jail Bill Held Up to Await
Word from Sheriff.
Especial to- The Reforncr.)
MONTPELIER. ian .


Especial to The Reformcr.)
MONTPELIER, Jan. IS.
The house this morning. after much
debate ending with the calling of the
roll, Killed the Hapgood bill relating
to the marking Of ballots by vote of
ll6 to l01. The measure contemplated
doing away with the square ut the head
of each party column. 4 great deal of
talk was INDUCED in previous to the vote.
those opposing he'biH doing 50 largely
on the ground that the present ballot
law was working in a satisfactory man
ner and that the Hapgood bin would
not simplify, but rather compicate
matters. Mr.. Morse OF of Hardvick re-
marked sarcastically that if it was de-
sired to have the voters of Vermont
thoroughly understand law it would
be advisable to change it every
session. The bin would make it neees-
sary to mark a cross opposite the name
OF every candidate voted for
The governor has signed the act re-
latlng to the election Of representatives.
to the general assembly. This provides
for election by plurality on the third
ballot and clears up the present elec-
tlon law under which there has been
much dispute as to whether four ballots
had to be taken. At one time contests
We're expected in the present house as
an outcome of this ambiguity.
The house today passed SIX bills of
no general interest. -Four new bills
were introduced, but the expected ed
neational bill has not made its appear
ance to date. Mr.. Black fof Burling-
ton wants n law providing that the
penalty for being found intoxicated
| may be reduced from 50 to So, or from
20 days to three days III jail. The Ingra-
ham act relating to peddlers' licenses
and which removed peaches from the
list of commodities for the sale of
which it Is necessary to secure Il license
was passed this morning.
The senate had very short session
The bin raising the pay Of county road
commissioners from - to X per day
was killed because, rs Senator Simonds
pointed out it was simply hin t.
raise salaries, which ism popular il
this Legislature just now.
Considerable business having been
| transacted at the morning session YES
!
| easily in the afternoon. An act to re
pair the highway at Sunderland Hollow
in the town of Colchester at a cost OF
$4,000, two game law bills and an act
to establish a inform system of ac
counting in towns and villages were
introduced. The house killed a similar
uniform accounting measure recently
On motion of Mr. Moore Of Ludlow
the rules were suspended aud the hous,
took up the Joint resolution regarding
the investigation of the offer by Theo
dore \. Vail to give to the state TIA,
Lyndon agricultural school and Speed
well farms. The resolution was amend
ed to provide for a report by the com
mittee on the cost of maintenance anC
the question of the duplication of az
Iricultural schools. and was adopted.
meeting of the Windham count,
members appointed by the speaker a
a special committee to report on Mr.
Higgins's bin to provide for pawn:
the bills contracted by the sheriff o
Windham county to repair the count.
Jail at Newfane was held after ad
journment in the afternoon. The re
pairs We're made by order OF the boar
of Health, who, as Mr. Perry of Brat
tleboro expressed it, went to the ful
limit of their authority in the matter
The expense incurred was $4,000. Til
sentiment of the committee SCENE
to be that before acting upon the bi
1t would be best to have some informa
tion as to how the work had been ear
Ired out or some itemized statement o
expense. Mr.. Graham of Rockingham
suggested that Sheriff c. Z. Mann 0
Brattleboro be asked to appear befor
the committee and explain the stu;
! tion, so that it members of the con
m1ttee should be questioned later b
their constituents they would be in
position to explain their action on tn
\ bill Mr. Ware of ToWnshend, char
man of the committee, and Mr.. PER-
of Brattleboro favored Mr.. Graham
suggestion as did the other member
and it was agreed to omit action u
til Sheriff Mann had been consulted
Two important committee meeting
were held after adjournment in the a
ternoOn, the first on the so-called Wal
e district court bill and the second q
the primary bill introduced by M
Russell Of Kirby. Attorney Generi
:. Barber appeared ut the Ware bill hea
= ing and It was evident from his I
: marks that he feared the bill wou
result in much duplication of effe
and consequent increase rather ths
a decrease in the expense of the judiC
o airy. He estimated that the di