The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-01-07

convinced than ever of that fact and that
it should be stopped. That commissions
findings have been published and should
receive your earnest consideration. | call
your attention to certain salient facts
| therein contained First, that the state
| appropriates for education biennially near
! " $780, 900; second, that about S100,U
| of this goes to the common schools and /
about 100000 of it to the three instItu- t
| tions of higher education and that about |
90 per cent of the people of the state re |
ceive benefit from the 100000 and only |
about per cent from the S20O,OOO. The
state of Vermont appropriates for the
purposes of higher education nearly IL
times the per cent appropriated by Maine,
nearly three times the per cent appropriat-
ed by Connecticut, more than four times
the per cent appropriated by New lamp
shire, more than eight times the per cent
appropriated by Massachusetts, more than
nine times the per cent appropriated by
Rhode Island and more than thirty-four
times the per cent appropriated by New
York in 1928. 1t is for you to deter
mine whether the cardinal principle of
state policy of this state should be to legis-
late for the many or for the few. / am
impressed with the fact that the first
duty of the state is to her common schools
and that that duty is a paramount one;
but if you should find that the state has
, fsuficient means to go beyond the common
schools and you desire that it should do so,
then | believe the duplication of effort by
, state subsidy to various institutions should
r cease. If you are prepared to accept the
, University of Vermont as a state instItu-
+ ton, it then becomes your duty to the
: University as well as to the state to stop
q the duplication Should this be your con-
q clusion, | desire to repeat all that | said
| two years ago this subject relative to
! the agricultural department of this insti-
>. tuition. The spirit of the University of
= | Vermont manifested by its recent action
. in defining its position upon the subject
+ of education within this state, should com
h mend itself to all good citizens as the es-
! sence of good citizenship. / recommend
= that all moneys that the state may see fit
% to appropriate for education shall be sub
=. iect to the absolute control of the state
.. board of education.
. Eighth To Workmen's Compensation
and Employers Liability. The commits
: sion which the last legislature created tC
n. consider this subject will present a bill fol
IA your consideration. As a matter of state
L. policy, | believe the principle of Work
men 3 Compensation and Employers Liza
r. bility should be adopted by you.
r. Ninth TO the Direct Primary Tn.
-. state is distinctly committed to a trial o
10 the principle involved in direct primary
of and the element of good faith should pre-
nj vail.
20 Tenth To the Feeble Minded Tt ha
. been the policy of the state to the presen
ne time to send her feeble minded childrel
~ for education aud control TO tn state in
he Istitutions of other New England states
~ Vermont is now confronted by the fac
nj that the other New England states fin
no ah ~
nd our defective children, therefore it is al
be solutely necessary for you to make prov
nr sion for the erection of buildings to holls
as the feeble minded upon the site provide
\ for by the appropriation of the last legf
ion ature Otherwise it win be necessary {
he transfer these children TO our insane as,
as lums, which should not be done under an
The circumstances or conditions. | therefor
nd recommend direct action on your part.
nod / Eleventh: Il recommend that the Boar
mi for the Feeble Minded, the Board for II
sen tInsane, and the Penal Board and rs We
ion the office of Sergeant-at-A Arms be consoI
III. dated into one board of which the Pu
ere lchaslng Agent and the Governor shall
Eex-ofiicio members The requirements f
ms membership on these various boards BEN
an identical, there is no valid reason know
,aI,, to me why they should not be consolda
age led and there are many reasons why thu
not ishouid be. 1t has been suggested that
: a further consolidation might be made
combining the public Service CommisSi,
& a with these boards This is impractic
1loy anu iheAPenent hecause the quahheatlo
{ il for the Public Service Commission are {
tate .reiy dlssinliar to those Tor the 9th
nm boards. Such further consolidation Won
no not accomplish the expediting Of I
state 5 business, but would furnish an
om direct way for removing from Office q
tive whose only crime was having too geslogi
re- guarded the interests of the people or
he possible resumption of the stuffed 4
t;on and cushion methods
the TWELFTH direct your attention te /
Public Service Commission. During I
onal last session of the legislature, an attna,
of Tor the telephone company and other 9
pur- porate interests 1mportuned me TO uSo
upli- influence to obtain the repeal of the III
esul- ent Puhie Service Commission law up
state the ground that it was unconstitutional
arm some respects, without power in othe
COM and altogether possessed of too ma
teeth. lie submitted for my considerat
. ana approval perfectly toothless bill
- take the place of the present law, whiel
declined to advocate. Further | was
Ivlsed by one then in office that during
existence of the law, no attempt had b,
. made to regulate rates because of do
~ OF the COMMISSIONS power to do SO, VIII
#H was an admission that the law had b
VA more or less used a cushion or stuf
fTi club was further advised by those
II whose disnterestedness | had eonfider
n that the law was constitutional and
i Iprovlde for regulation, therefore under
81 provisions of the law the state attemp
IA to regulate and litigation resulted. :
~ principle involved is first The sta
right to regulate, and second what
n stitutes fair earning power for mo
n Invested. Any ATTEMPT to tanner Y
the present Public Service Commits
~ law, or to stop this litigation to estab
Sl the states right to regulate rates or
8sal failure to appeal from adverse decision
i a court of last resort, would be in