News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-03-17
FROM THE STATE CAPITOL
Legislative Doin9s the Past
Week Graphically Reported
by Our Special Corre-
spondent ota
MONTPELIER, VT,
March Is, 1915.

Dear Editor:-
Here we are, after around ten weeks o.
session, away off up in the air and so fai
out of sight that we can't tell whether
there is land or water under us. Along
the middle of the past week select bunch
of what are known in the language of the
street as wise guys, sprung the happy
thought on the outfit that 'if we worked
hard" adjournment might be had some.
where about the Goth! Under all the
circumstances this was about as impetu.
Gus and erratic a proposition as could
well be conceived of. OF course an adj
| journment motion is alwaysin order, but
| if an Adjournment is had at any date this
month the leaders must simply cry havoc,
unloose the dogs of war and throw out
and overheard whatever happens to be
undispo.ed of. when the specified date
arrives. AS a plain matter ol4act, not
more than one-haIf Of the work of the
session is yet concluded. In fact nine
tenths of the really important construct
i've legislation is yet ahead. Two or
three measures to which there was an
unanimous public demand and no oppos-
ton have been worked through, but in
view of the masses ahead these don't
count OF course equal suffrage was dis
posed of in an unexpectedly brief time,
as was the prohibition referendum BILL
but these were only brief beginning to
the lot of measures cut out-in mind-at
the beginning OF the session. In respect
to the prospect or possibility of fairly
speedy naladjournment, too, the general
assembly has TO work against the con.
tinual habit of procrastination and post
ponement. 1t never does anything to-
day if it can possibly be sent over to to-
morrow or next week. Every time bill
comes up for a third reading and passage
changing the license number on a dogs
collar or allowing pickerel ten inches long
in Foggy Bottom Pond to be shot with a
twelve bore shotgun some statesman
with shining halo OF deathless immor-
tally on his brow pulls himself slowly
to his feet and moves that "the bill be
ordered to lie and made a special order
for next week Thursday at ten o'clock
and thirty minutes
Not only this, but bills are recommitted
to the committees for further action, new
bills from committees are continually
coming in, and seemingly for every step
in advance that either house makes, it
falls back two. Every little while the
gentleman of and from Proctor will rise
in the veritable semblance of his venerated
ancestor and with long list of appro-
priations asked for, will issue a solemn
warning as to the future condition of the
treasury after subtracting half million
dollars from twenty thousand and non.
to carry! Long and continued groans
from the back seats and audible enquiries
as 70 whittier are we driftingl A day or
two after, Mr.. Proctor will again sit in
grave council with the committee chair
man, resulting in another array Of stag
gering figures and-there you are! When
| insinuated at the beginning that this
legislature was up in the air, it really
didn't begin to tell the tale 1t is simply
out of sight.
Doing and then undong the same thing
stands in the way of making real head
way to- a large extent AS an illustra-
tion--During the week just past a con-
siderable amount of time was spent in
the discussion of an elaborate House bill
designed to obviate or control the de-
posting of sawdust and mill refuse in
brooks and streams. Seemingly finally
and in spite of all arguments to the con
trary-the bill was ordered to a third
reading by a good majority. The next
day when it come up for passage it was
killed almost SPONTANEOUSLY!
A family fight is now on among the
members from Bennington county as to
the proposition to abolish the twin shire
system of the county and instead of max
log large and regular tax levies to repair
and keep in order the county buildings
at both Manchester and Bennington, to
erect a creditable and permanent outfit
OF buildings Observation-Disclosures.
as being about the geographical center
of the county. All of the members of
the House are favorable to this idea ex.
cept the members from Bennington and
Manchester, naturally, and the member
from Woodford, as it now looks as if
something of the kind would certainly be
done at this session.
The bill passed the House adding habit
ual drunkenness to the present legal
causes for divorce was killed by the Senate
unfortunately, and the courts will be
obliged to continue to stretch point re-
garding habitual drunkenness as Gin
tolerable severity" which it certainly is
in theory if not in fact
The boys at the Industrial school at
Vergennes have an unusually fine band.