St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-02-24

Morse of Hardwick dissenting from
the majority report. The bill was
In 1876, introduced by George N.
Jones of Shrewsbury, which has been
lin the committee on judiciary for flve
weeks or more and it came into the
house without any preliminary an
Inouncement. Phelps of Fair Haven
lead it's defense on the floor. he
i said that the Office had been conduct
ed as an expensive luxury, that YER
mont was a small state and that the
states attorneys were perfectly COM
petent to do the work except in ex-
IRENE cases. and that the governor,
the courts or the states attorneys
themselves could secure additional
counsel when necessary. he cited
the cost of counsel under the old
law at an average of $270O a year,
whereas the Office of attorney general
had cost for salary and expenses
alone $4,000 a year, not including
detective expense. AS far as the ad-
vice to state officials was concerned,
; Mr.. Phelps said that their duties
were clearly defined by statute and
that the commissioner Of taxes, sec
rotary of state and the state auditor
were all lawyers and all good men.
Mr.. Putnam of Middlesex spoke for
the taxpayers and called attention to
the expense of the Office last year
} which was over $4,000.
Eugenics Bill.
On Friday last the house took up
the discussion of the bill restricting
the granting of marriage licenses in
troduced by Mr.. Eaton of Woodstock
. and freely discussed by the house
last week Tuesday Mr.. Moore of
Ludlow presented a substitute mea-
sure and on motion of Mr.. Morse of
Hardwick the substitute bill was
made a special order for this morn
ing at 1920. Mr.. Moore's substi-
tute reads:
Section $500. A town clerk shall
not issue a marriage license or GER
| tificate until the freedom of each OF
} the parties to the contemplated mar
riage from venereal disease shall be
! certified by a reputable licensed prac-
Y ticing physician within one month of
s the date of the application for such
license or certificate unless some re-
: putable physician certifies that the
contemplated marriage is necessary
in order to prevent the birth of an
illegitimate child (nor shall a town
clerk issue a marriage license or GER
tificate to a minor, without the con-
, sent in writing of the parent or guar
uldn OI SuCu Nl1nOl, IL LnOIC ID OAO
competent to act; nor when either
of the parties to the intended mar
riage is an idiot, non compos, lunatic
or distracted person, or under guar
dianship, without the written con-
sent of the guardian; nor in case of
a non compos person, not under guar
dianship, without the written consent
of the guardian; nor in case of a non
compos person, not under guardian
ship, without the written consent
u of the selectmen as hereinafter pro-
81 vided in case of town paupers; nor
81 in case of a town pauper without the
D written consent of the selectmen or
overseer of the poor of each of the
u towns where the parties reside, or
which are liable for their support;
and such written consent shall be at
tached to the original certificate.)
The state board of health shall fur
nish the necessary blanks for GER
tifying the physical condition of ap-
plicants for license to marry and
shall fix the fee to be paid the
physician for making the examina-
ton required which fee shall not ex-
coed the sum of five dollars. A town
clerk who knowingly violates a pro-
vision of this section shall be fined
not more than five hundred dollars.
A person who aids in procuring such
marriage license or certificate by
falsely pretending to be the parent
or guardian having authority to give
consent to the marriage of such mi
nors, shall be fined not more than
five hundred dollars. A physician
who knowingly makes a false certifi-
cate required by this act shall be
fined not more than five hundred dol
lars.
northumberland Bill.
On Friday the house passed the
+ Perry prohibition-referend bill by
II a vote of 1913 to 76 after a most de-
termined battle by its opponents to
kill it. On motion of Mr.. Stone OF
Waterford, the bill was amended so
the secretary of state will add to the
sample ballots the section of the act
describing the referendum. Mr..
Hapgood of Peru also secureS an
amendment which provides that if
a majority of the votes in the refe-
rendum to be taken at the March
meeting of 1915, is against the bill ii
shall not take effect until July /,
1927. AS it passed the house if the
referendum is in favor of the bill
it will take effect July 1, 1916, 9TH
erwise not until 1927. That dis
poses of the matter on the part OF
the house. There is a difference OF
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