St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-02-14
CRETNA GREEN
PASSES AWAY
House Yesterday Passed Bill Which
Abolishes Bellows Falls As
Mecca For Elopers
DEFER JUDGE ELECTION
Members of LoWcrt Branch of Lcsis-
laturc Reconsider Their Action of
Yesterday to Increase tho
Amount OF Second Glass
License Fees ~
w. H. jeffrey, Special Correspondent


w. Fl. jeffrey, Special Correspondent
Montpelier, Feb. 13.-The House t
this afternoon after lively debate |
over the so-called "Gretna Green" /
bill, with Rep. Aiken of Putney put
ting UP q strong but losing fight, pass /
ed the measure 147 to 81. II
A motion under consideration to |
reconsider the bill designed to create
the Office of director Of state institu- |
tions brought out the strongest fight
of the session, and u regular field day
of oratorv. The fight for reconsid-
GRAFTON of the measure was headed by
Sen. Demeritt of Washington county.
Sen. Taylor of Windsor wished the
| measure thoroughly discussed, for he
/ did not believe one could do the work
satisfa ctoriy which is now being done
! by ten.
/ Sen. Morse of Caledonia favored the
measure, and urged the Senate to
/ stand by the proposal, which he be-
/ lieved would be of great benefit to
our Institutions.
Today there came before the
members of the Senate a measure
| that will attract more attention than
any other single measure of this ses-
sion. 1t will be known Us S. 90, and
was introduced by Senator Morse of
! HardWick.
It is u straight local option hiil with
an annual referendum. 1t means that
every March the voters of the state
will be called upon not only to deter
mine whether they will vote to have
! Intoxicating liquors sold in their re-
spective towns for the coming year,
& but. they will say whether it shall, for
Z that year be sold in the. state.
Should the majority of the state
slzYot te@-1rsz-anx Year il. does not mean
that we return to pfohibition with all
81 its attendent evils, but merely that
4 that year we are dry and that next
year we pass upon the question again.
In other words it is 4 live question
all the time and one to be passed
upon every spring.
This bill meets with instant favor
of the members and it is hard to see
where the advocate of either prOhlbl-
t ton or the open saloon has a single
leg of opposition to stand upon. Many
: members express the hope that the So
: called 'rummie' and temperance
crank will be conspicuous by their
absence while this bill is under con-
: sideration and let that great body of
conservative and safe people take care
: of the question.
The general provision of this bill
t are Us follows:
/ The warning of each annual town
: meeting shall contain an article pro-
viding for a vote upon the following
questions: Shall licenses be granted
Ia nf I'M 1lOf1Or
: Vermont; Shall license be granted for
t the sale of Intoxicating liquor in this
D town.; Shall licenses of the fifth class
: be granted in this town?
: The town clerk in each town shall
O within three days after the annual
q meeting, transmit to the secretary .ol
a state a certificate showing the num-
: Der of votes cast in his town. both
O ''yes'' and mo- upon the question
: "Shall licenses tbe granted for the salt
O of Intoxicating liquor in Fermpnt!
q The secretary Of state shalk within
r ten days after the annual town meet
% ing, canvass the certificates transmit
), ted to him and shall notify each toWI
clerk of the result. In the event tina
! a majority of such votes are "yeS,
i then license may ibe granted in tht
&c towns voting for the same; but in tint
n event that q majority OF the votes arr
mo-" then license shall not be grant
10 ed in any town in the state. To tenn
o. perance committee.
- There also came into the Senate to
day from the judiciary committee
c "a. which has for it's purpose tn
= Strengthening out Of the tanglc cause'
20 by the House bill which provided\fo
4 the election of superior judges mex
, Thursday. The new bill repeals tn
If prior act and provides that the Gen
eraI Assembly may this year elect su
,d perior judges at amy old time afte
we get final consideration on the VI.
rious court bills, and should we ia
either to do that or elect, then tn
Judges elected two years ago WI
serve until their successors are electe
or the law repealed.
X House 159, which was amended an
passed yesterday fixing second cla'
license fees, was this morning recoT
on sidered and made a special order tt
he morrow afternoon. The consideratic
lis of this bill with full attendance
ng members will develop one of the mo
70. interesting debates of the session, al
ed is likely to determine the eXa
q strength Of the temperance forces
ri the present House.
no 1t is understood that the tempe
1n, ance committees have been practica
nd " decided to report a substitute b
VI in place of the Hunt Five-Mile Bi
liz and submit the entire question to
referendum every March meeting
the The House passed House bill nur
ced Der 169 making more stringent t
DR. weights and measures law, and pr
cks viding for inspection Of gas. water a
re- electric meters. This bill was preps
1ey ed under the direction of the prese
it able commissioner of weights a
ccontlnueS on page fye.)