Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-02-27
EARL AVER REGA|NS
SEAT IN THE HOUSE
Representatives Refuse to Adopt
Committees Report That st.
George Election Was a Tie
Vote Is 143 to SO
SEVERAL HOURS DEBATE


to Inve~tignte state Expenses and
Passes Chiropractic MeasuFe-Bin
Appears Aboiishins Municipal Courts
Montpelier, Feb. H.-Earl Aver took
his seat in the House Of Representatives
this afternoon as the duly recognized
member Of that legislative body from
the town Of st. George, after the long
contest between him and Nat c. Parcher
for the ST. George seat. In seating Mr..
Aver, the House by vote Of 143 to SO
refused TO adopt the report Of the House
committee on suffrage and elections.
which found that the election vote in
the town was a tie, and there was. there
fore, no election. This result came this
afternoon. after the greater part OF the
morning session. and nearly an hour OF
the afternoon had been spent in debate
on the matter.
Another matter which took UP much
| time In the House this afternoon was
the Senate joint resolution providing for
the investigation OF state expenses. This
was on the calendar for a second read
ing. and when the question came as to
whether 1t should be advanced to third
| reading. debate was again in order. After
nearly an hour had been spent in
thrashing the matter over. Mr.. Williams
of Proctor called attention to the fact
that the House had voted In the morn
ing to adjourn from this afternoon until
Monday evening. and that the last train
north left in less than half an hour Mr..
Williams, therefore moved that this
resolution be ordered TO lie and made
a special order for next Tuesday morn
ing at 1880 o'clock. The motion carried.
as did Mr. Tracy's motion to adjourn
at 4:02.
CTIIROPRACTIC BILL PASSED
BY a vote Of 1888 to -. the House
this morning passed the chiropractic
bill. as amended by Mr.. Alexander OF
st. Adams city In the House yester-
day, and as further amended to q
slight degree by Mr. Belknap OF Rock
inghsm this morning. There was no
discussion. Mr.. Taylor OF Hardwick
called for the yeas and nays on the
question 'in order that every town
may know how it's representative stood
on this question"
NO RAISE FOR wINOOsKI JUDGE
Through the efforts Of Mr.. Aiken
of Putney. H. 81. increasing the salary
Of the municipal court of Winooski
met it's doom in the House this after
noon. the vote being 123 to -. The
bill was UP for third reading. Mr.
Aiken said that he thought the munich
pal judge should be able to get along
on his present salary. that the average
lawyer and judge makes more in day
than the average farmer does in three
or four days. He felt that. inasmucf
as the legislators had refused to in.
crease their own salaries. they could
well refuse to increase that Of a mu-
nicipal Judge.
Mr.. Miller Of Hartland said that the
work of the municipal judge Of Wi.
nooski had recently been increased and
he thought that this Judge ought to
!. have more pay. Mr. Wilson Of Rut.
,, land city opposed the bill.
: SUFFRAGE BILL RECOMMITTED
I The Senate this morning recommit.
ted 8. s, giving women presidential
Z suffrage, the bill vetoed by the Gov.
ernor yesterday. Senator Amey moved
r for the recommittal. Senator Carr OPP
I posed it, Senators Rowland, Kingsley
, Villas and Daniels favored recommittal
and the motion prevailed.
y NEW JUDICIARY BILL
An important new bill appeared il
y the Senate. S. II. introduced by Senator
Steele. 1t is a court bill and abolishe'
all municipal courts except those IL
n cities, creates three superior judges
e divides the State into nine judicial dis
tricts and provides for trial justices Il
take care of small cases. pleas o.
guilty. binding up. etc. with continu
! Gus court in the districts aforesaid
THE ST. GEORGE CONTEST
Mr.. White OF Woodstock for tn,
= committee on suffrage and elections
opened the debate on the st. Georg
y matter this morning. explained the re
, port and said that the committee ha,
q tried to be perfectly fair in its de
. cision.
Mr. Webster Of Swanton opposed tn
. acceptance OF the committee report. an
4 went into the st. George election a
= some length. interrogating Mr. White re
, garding the vote Of Frank Il. Hinsdaie
r the town clerk Of the town Of st. George
4 Mr.. Webster claimed that there wer
: only two ways Of looking at the PROPOSE
: ton, that II was necessary to eithe
4 throw out all the questionable votes
which would leave the vote ten to min
for Mr.. Aver. as the board Of civ
= authority in the town OF st. George ha
: reported. or else count all the rs vote
east, which would give Aver IA vote
and Parcher -. Mr.. Webster maintaine
e that. since the board of civil authorit
C of St. George had counted the vote O
10 Town Clerk Hinsdale, and the committc
= OF investigation had upheld the board /
II so doing. the committee could not no,
o claim that this vote was not valid.
u Mr.. Durham Of Brattleboro. for tn
u committee. answered Mr.. Webster, ex
o planning that the committee had consid
. cred that there were only IS votes whic
we're unquestionable. OF these. Aye
u had nine and Parcher nine. When
y came to the consideration OF the othe
" votes, 1t was found that there were oni
four other votes which could be consid
cred legal. Ona OF these was the vot
Of the town clerk, one had Ayers nam
on 1t. but no cross after the name, an
y two had a name with a line draw
through 1t. while Parcher's name wa
>, written In below and properly crossed
=, The committee unanimously agreed tbs
;. these should all be counted, and the a,
u, torney- general had placed his endors,
:. ment upon the decision Of the commi,
- tee. This would make the vote a III
= either way one wished to look at /
:. either nine to nine. or II to H.
, Mr.. Miner Of Sherburne. who had earle
= moved to have the report of the com
mittee ordered to lie. the motion havin