Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-01-26
BILL TO REFORM
COURTS Is READY
Will Be introduced in the House
by Mr.. Stearns of Burlington
Lively Hearings on the Primary and
Movie Measures-opposition to Ag-
ricultural Consolidation.
MONTPELIER, Jan. %.


mittee on suffrage and election made
an unfavorable report on the seating
Of Leslie H. Thornton of Barnet, it'll
being found that Mr.. Thornton was al
postmaster at the time of his election.
There was no evidence of lack of good
faith on the part of Mr.. Thornton and
the committee recommend that Mr.
Thornton receive pay for the time
spent in Montpelier.
The committee on banking and in
surance reported on Gov. Graham s.
bill providing for an insurance com
missioner taking over the duties of
the present insurance commissioner
and insurance inspector. The report
was favorable and Mr.. Rowland of
Barre city, the introducer of the bill.
spoke very strongly in favor of the
plan and the bill was ordered to a
third reading.
Tomorrow morning in the house Jo-
seph Stearns of Burlington will intro
duce Gov. Graham s judiciary bill.
This bill calls for the adjustment of
the superior court and increases the
number of judges on the supreme
bench to nine.
In the senate this morning. Senator
Villas of Chittenden county introduced
a bill relating to salaries of the judges
of probate in the districts of Addi-
son, Bennington, Orange, Rutland.
Windsor and Windham. In each of
flee of these districts he asked the
adjustment of one judge and the sal
aries for the remaining judges be as
follows: Addison 5000; Bennington
1850, Windsor 81 200, Windham $1,000,
Orange 5000, Rutland $1,000.
What is without question the most
timely bill before the 1917 session of
the Vermont legislature was presented
this morning by Rev. Fraser Metzger
of Randolph, the former candidate for
governor on the Progressive ticket.
Metzger's bill amends the statutes of
the state so that every female citizen
of 81 years or more having resided in
the state one year next preceding a
general election, shall have the same
rights as men in voting for presidential
electors.
This is the first step of any lawmaker
to agitate the cause of equal rights for
women and will doubtless be followed
by other bills, especially if this is
passed. There is no little sentiment
about the state house in favor of the
bill. A great many men feel that the
Vermont women should have a part in
determining presidential elections as
well as the women of the West. The
bill will first be considered by the com
mittee on suffrage and elections and
after that committee reports sTasms Of
oratory, both for and against. viii be
the order of the house.
The reception room in the capitol last
evening was the scene of the largest
committee hearing yet held. Some 200
men assembled to discuss, before the
joint senate and house committees on
suffrage and elections, the Williams bill
which would repeal the direct primary
law.
Daniel w. Steele of Highgate, the
first speaker, strongly opposed the
primary and sat down with tense
silence in the room. Edwin A. Cook
of Lyndon, Progressive leader in the
house during the 1912 session, promptly
took the floor and with a genuine old
fashioned spread-eagle speech cham
pioned the primary, finishing amidst
loud applause.
Senator Martin Villas spoke several
times in favor of the primary. The
primary was also commended by Sena-
tors Linus Leavens, +. +. Steele, Repre-
sentatives John B. Candon, NJ. Z. Bar
Der and by Rev. J. Hall Long of Pan
ton. The father of the bill, Mr. Viii
liams of Pawlet, was the only man to
condemn the primary with the excep-
tion of the first speaker.
NJ. Z. Barber of Wilmington suggest
ed that the funds spent by delegates to
conventions under the old system could
even exceed the cost of holding pri-
mary elections and made the point that
it was better for the electorate to bear
the trifing per capita cost rather than
allow the few to acquire power by
larger expenditures.
A visitor from Mount Holly arose and
said: s. In my town ! have known four
neighbors to meet and nominate the
town representative This terse state
ment was well received.
The whole affair is one-sided, all in.
dications foreshadow the absolute i'm
possibility of repeating the primary
law at this time.
The committee on highways and
bridges have introduced bill asserting
to the provisions of the federal road
act of July II, 1916. Under this law
Vermont can receive $22, 800 the first
year providing the state appropriates
like sum. This sum will be doubled ev-
cry two years.
Root of Bennington would have all
buildings erected after June !, 1917,
used and occupied exclusively as a home