The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-10-24
BrattleborO Chapter, d. A.
r., Starts Movement for
Improvement
WILL APPEAL TO
STATE LEGISLATURE
Would Make it Obligatory Upon Town
Officials to Keep All Cemetery Fences
Repaired, Grass Cut and Surken
Graves Filled.

l
Repaired, Grass Cut and surken
Graves Filled.
J Much interest is being shown by the
/ Daughters of the American Revolution
III the project launched by Brattleboro
chapter to amend the state laws relative
to neglected bnrying grounds. The prof.
ect was approved by the state chapter
at its meeting few days ago, and thus
far 1t has had the approval of all who
have expressed themselves in regard to
it. A bill will be introduced at the
coming session of the legislature to in
sure better care of public burying
grounds and fixing a penalty for non
compliance
The old law, chapter $50, reads as
follows:
'ssec. 4l53. Neglected burying
grounds; Care; Expense.
When lots or walks in public
burying ground become from neglect
disfigured with weeds or by an un-
checked growth of grass, or unsightly
from any other cause, or when head
stones or monuments have become dis
placed and there is no person residing
Iin the town or vicinity whose duty il is
to care for such lots or walks, who is
of sufficient means to do so, the select
men or cemetery commissioners shall, on
written request of three taxpayers of
such town, and within ten days from
the time of such request, cause such
lots and walks to be cleared of weeds
and grass, the headstones or monuments
to be replaced or other disfgurements
removed and may draw orders ON the
town treasury for the expense incurred
The amount drawn from the treasury of
the town for such purpose in any ene
year shall not exceed fifty dollars.
See. 4l54. Penalty for neglect of duty
by officers.
A selectman, cemetery commission
er or trustee violating a provision of
this chapter or wilfully neglecting any
of the duties imposed by this chapter,
for which no other penalties are pro-
vided, shall be fined SO.
"Sec. 4155. Penalty for not keeping
!. fences in repair; Expenditure of fine
tWhen the selectmen neglect to
), keep in repair the fence around a pub
:, lie burying ground, the town may be in
dicted for such neglect by the grand
jury of the court, and fined not more
than one hundred dollars. nor less than
fifty dollars; and the fine shall be ex-
pended in repairing the fences around
such burial ground under the direction
of commissioner appointed by the
court
The amendment proposed by Brattie-
boro chapter, D. A. R., is as follows:
Sec. 1. 1t shall be the duty of the
mayor or selectmen of all cities or towns
in the state of Vermont to see that all
:, cemeteries in their respective cities or
towns are properly fenced, and to see
that the grass and all brush in same is
cut and removed twice each year, once
/, between the Goth and Both of May and
once between the 1st and 10th of Au-
gust.
5 "See. 2. Said mayor or selectmeR
! shall see that all headstones or monu-
: ments that have fallen down or are out
of position be put in place and
made as permanent as possible, also see
that any broken headstones or monu-
ments that can be repaired at rea-
. Isonable price and put in place be at
tended to and that all graves that have
sunken in so as to be Objectionable
shall be refilled.
! This act shall not apply to lots
: where there is provision made for
! perpetual care, but it shall be the duty
VI biC w VI oCIcCl1Htil WHoTc SUCH
care has been provided for to see that
: it is done.
! 1.-The penalty for any city or town
not complying with this law shall be
twenty five dollars and costs for each of
fense.
1t is well known that sentiment
among the large majority of town Of
ficials is not very pronounced when an
expense to the town is necessary in or
: der to back it up. Therefore not much
is done under the present law to keep
the cemeteries in good condition, espe-
n cially in the small places. Members of
i Brattleboro chapter in investigating
t this matter have found that in manv
t places citizens refrain from signing a
lpetition to the selectmen to have the
cemeteries improved, for fear they will
be criticized on account of the expense
involved, although such expense is real
ly very small In one place they found
s that the selectmen had been petitioned
three times, but that they paid no at
s tention to the petition, and the petition
iers did not care to invoke the law to
enforce their request. The proposed
n amendment eliminates the petition fea-
: ture and makes it incumbent upon a
town or city to keep its cemeteries in
s repair or pay a fine.