Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-03-12
legislative LETTER
Montpelier, March 8.
RESPECTED EDITOR

wen, lllOSC Oh UIl6 DunCH SuINlVeu
the festivities of town meeting and
were on hand here again Wednesday
morning and ready for any brand of
trouble that might present itself.
Three full days were had last
week, from Wednesday to Saturday
noon, when the outfit in both houses
had worked themselves out of a job
and adjourned to Monday afternoon.
The town meeting recess seemed to
have been used to good advantage,
as the members returned with sharp
ened faculties and jumped into the
middle Of the things with a broad
standing leap. AS soon as they re-
convened the taxation stunt was
promptly tackled, and with diligence
that the bill was passed to third
reading which was appointed for
Observation-Disclosures. To-day
the fate of the bill is in doubt, with
anything liable to happen. The re-
suit; however, will be announced to
you in time for this issue.
Although this commendable dill
fence the accumulation of business
n the way of bills in committee is
being steadily reduced and consider
able progress is being made, yet
there are many measures of the
largest importance yet to come and
these will necessitate considerable
time in their disposition. The Speak
er has met and consulted with the
chairman of the committees in an eff
fort to expedite matters, but the
best that can be said is that the
House on its part hopes to be able to
, adjourn this month. AS the date of
final adjournment is always some
Friday morning, this might mean
about the Goth, and this is now the
earliest date now mentioned as the
getaway date. Work in the Senate
is such that it can always be ready
on tWenty-four hours notice; and for
some time before the end will be in
session largely for the sole purpose
of dispOsing of those matters which
come to it from the House. There
fore, the most that can be said at
this time as to winding up the bust
dess and going home is that this may
happen anywhere from the Goth to
April 9th. The former date is a bare,
and the latter a fair possibility.
Although some important meas
ures have already been disposed of,
those which have been for some
time in the public eye are as yet for
the most part unsettled. The pro-
hibition referendum is likely to be
finally settled by it's passage in the
Senate Wednesday, which date. has
been assigned for its disposal by
special order. At this time it is
stated that sixteen Senators favor
and fourteen oppose the submission
of the measure to the people as con-
templated by the bill, a margin
which will assure it's success barring
accident. But the unexpected and
unseen is always more or less danger
Gus, and the friends of the bill will
not be supremacy happy until
Senate margin in their favor is def
nitely registered. However, the
probabilities now are that the bill
will become a law as written with
the referendum attachment.
One standing nuisance-the bien-
NAL fish and game mix-up is at last
definitely settled in most of it's
aspects, tho there yet remains the
proposition to provide for a combi-
nation hunting and fishing license at
a dollar, on which a public hearing
will be given by the committee later
in the week. If adopted, this will
not include women and children, and
it will continue to be optional to
purchase the single hunting license
at seventy-five cents, the present
law. 1t appears to be demonstrated
that the money that would be OBJ
tanned by the new combination
license would undoubtedly place the
department on a self-sustaining and
definite paying basis, and would
therefore an much improved condi-
tions. The salary of Commissioner
Titcomb is left at 81 800 for each of
the next two years, with the adj
dition of 81, 200 for a clerk and $500 |
for a stenographer, So, 300 salary ac-
count in all.
Lively fights will come this week
in the House over the propositions to
abolish the officers of Factory In
spector and Commissioner of Weights
and Measures, and the result in each |
case is beyond even guesswork. Any
thing is likely to happen. Both |
these abolition measures are COM
mittee bills, with practically unani- |
nous committee sentiment behind |
them, but the House has in many in
stances shown it's hearty disregard |
of whatever a committee may take |
it intoits head to recommend.
One bill of very large consequence
to Vermont interests seems likely to
become a law, and in a somewhat
peculiar way. Certain lobbyists
have been hanging around the CAPT.
toll for some time and finally cooked
up bill to allow banks to increase