The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-03-14
Senate Acted FavorabIy To-
day on Amended Dunham
Marriage Measure
DOG REGULATION
A BIG QUESTION
Five Bills Concerning CANNES Put into
Composite Bill-Dan Steele's Vic
tory on Customs Brokerage Great
Personal Success.
Especial to The Reformer.)
MONTPELIER. March II

Especial to The Reformer.)
MONTPELIER, March H.
The senate this morning by a vote of
y to l3 adopted the amendment to the
Dunham marriage bill proposed by the
committee. This amendment leaves the
marriage Law just as at present except
when the marriage is 10 be solcmnized
in town in which neither the bride nor
groom reside. In that case a five days'
notice Of intention 70 marry must be
given before the ceremony can be per-
formed
Senators Fairchild and Demerritt
spoke against the amendment and sought
to have the bill passed as il came from
the house After the amendment was
adopted by yea and nay yotc the bill
was ordered to third reading Il to H.
The house devoted much Of its time
this morning to consideration Of the in
crease in salaries and at the time OF adj
iournmcnt was considering increasing
the salary # thc tate bank commissions
er
BY small majority The house refused
to pass resolution making the pay OF
doorkeepers, the postmaster and his as
sistants and employees in the sergeant
alarms Office the same Is the pay Of
legislators
&. /. punhams bin providing for uni
form traffic regulations passed the house
this morning.
Those opposed 10 The granting of the
ballot to women scored something Of q
victory. 1T least gained in their point ill
play for time in The senate by asking
that the force that the Moore bill. which
passed the house last week and which
this morning was reported unanimously
from the senate committee on suffrage
and elections with recommendations that
II ought to pass. and on a vote be recon-
mitted to the committee. The vote in
favor of recommittal was II to o 1t
was stated that this move was made in
order to obtain public hearing on the
bill
The house passed the bill prohibiting
railroads from issuing free transporta
tion to the public service commission and
its employees. Throughout the afternoon
the house gave considerable attention to
the substitute bill which the general
committee reported in place Of five bills
having to do with the regulation of dogs
and recompensing sheep owners for dam
age done by dogs As many opinions as
there were members Of the house seemed
to prevail
On yea and nay vote yesterday us
men in the house voted in favor OF pass
ing Dan Steele's bin prohibiting the rail
roads from transaeting customs broker
age business and l0l voted against the
measure. Thereby hangs tale Of the
most interesting personal triumph that
this legislature has witnessed; interest
ing not alone to those personally partici-
pating in the sllirmish but to those along
the side lines
Dan Steele of IIighgate, genial law
yer, OF no mean reputation. came down
to the capital city girded for fight or
whatever he might meet in plotting his
favorite bin over stormy waters. in fact,
many understood that to him this was
the paramount issue Of the session The
opponents of the measure, the railroads.
their brilliant array OF legal advisers and
sympathizers III general, gave all to
understand that this was a mere per
sonal case between Steele. one Emery
and the railroads, yes, We're even anxious
that such knowledge should be speedily
and rapidly disseminated
The extensive work of railroad sup
porters seemed to take we'll for it WAS
next to impossible, in the early days OF
the session. to find a representative IA
voring the Steel bill. The public hearing
which lasted five hours caused the Icgis-
lators to notice the Steele arguments and
persistently through the efforts of Steele
said arguments took root and fiourished
For the vote to pass The bill, shows moth
| ing, if not the Willingness Of the Yer
mont legislature to weigh the arguments
for and against and decide conscientious
" upon measures submitted TO it.
| 1t will be said that hatred for corpora
! tions was the deciding factor, that the
legislators wished to even up" as il
were with the railroads, but not by an
impartial observer of this legislature
1t was a question new to most of the
members and open to conviction, they
listened to the arguments pro and con
The vote therefore is a direct compliment
to the debater from Highgate and a con
clusion that against the greatest odds
one man counts in the legislature.
To see one man with a supposedly
hopeless cause come along and by educa
tion and oratory win the day against
is not an every day occurrence. Steele
forcefully presented his case, showing
that the railroads have a monopoly OF
the business of advancing the duties or
shipments coming across the Canadian