The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-03
DEATH PENALTY
FOR WAR PLOT
Vermont House Adopts the
Drastic Proposal in Es-
pionage Bill
SENATE DEBATES
THE COURT BILL
The Measure Was Pending
When Noon Recess ,
Was Taken

The Vermont Senate spent a greater
part of the forenoon to-day debating the
Senate bill to establish district courts,
abolish municipal courts and relating to
justices Of the peace. while the House
adopted the report OF the Joint special
committee to investigate the Brattleboro
retreat and adopted an amendment to
the espionage bill, as presented by Mr.
Moore Of Ludlow.
Mr.. Moore's amendment TO the espion
age bill was as follows:
IF three or more persons. acting in
concert with force and violence, attempt
TO kill, MAIN or wound any person. or to
rob person, corporation or community
OF money or other property, or to burn,
blow up or otherwise destroy a bank
building. store. factory, dwelling house,
or other building or depository of prop
erty, craft, finished or unfinished. for use
in navigable waters, or property OF
corporation subject to the supervision OF
the public service commission. each per
son 50 offending shall suffer the penalty
OF death The provisions OF this section
shall be in force only while the United
States Is at war or threatened with war"
When the judiciary bill came up in
the Senate, Senator Morse moved
slight amendment in transposing words
and then. after the amendment had been
accepted explained in some detail what
the bill seeks to accomplish. He said
the bill does not radically change the
system of municipal courts but makes
uniform the system cutting the number
from 10 to l3. The bill, he declared, at
tempts to reduce the expense of certain
courts. He believed that anybody in
favor of the municipal court should vote
for the bill. Senator Morse declared that
the district courts compare very favor
ably with the county courts as to the
quality Of Justice administered and he
submitted figures to show that the cost
in district court TO try small suit is
much smaller.
Senator Peck opposed the bill. con-
tending that instead of saving money for
the state by merging three counties with
the remaining districts the expense would
be greater. He insisted that the district
courts would be flooded with petty Grim
inal cases because the bill removes the
right OF justice to try any criminal
case. He was of the opinion that the
bill deprives the poor man of the right
TO obtain Justice. At this point the Sen
ate took a recess for dinner.
Bills Passed by House and Senate.
The House yesterday afternoon reject
ed the bill providing for the uniform APP
praisal and taxation of property owned
or operated for the generation, sale or
transmission of electrical energy. 1t
passed bills relating to the formation of
religious corporations, relating to the
salary and expenses of the adjutant and
inspector general and relating to the in
corporation of the village of Derby Line
The Senate last evening passed the
following bills: Relating TO the state
library; relating to a widows interest IN
her husbands real estate, relating to the
summoning of petit jurors; relating tol
interest in his deceased wites
real estate: amending the charter of the
city of Rutland: amending charter and
bylaws of Lyndon; authorizing town OF
to issue bonds; enabling the
town OF Shrewsbury to dispose of its
cemetery property: authorizing village OF
Barton to issue bonds; extending the
boundaries of the village of Fair Haven;
and merging the Brattle-
boro graded school district and the vii |
lage of Brattleboro with the town of /
The following bills were introduced in
the Senate:
An act providing for the filling of
vacancy in the office of clerk of an incor-
norated school district School directors
shall fill vacancy occurring in the office
Of clerk Of an incorporated school dis
trict caused by death. resignation or
otherwise within ten days after such
vacancy occurs.
An act to reorganize the state board
Of health provides for the appoint
ment by the governor Of two members Of
the board. the third member TO be APP
pointed by the governor and two mem
bers. Third member to be a reputable
physician and shall act as
secretary and executive ofiicer.l
: I4i. reported from the committee on