The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-04-05
LEGALITY OF.
ACTS IN DOUBT
May Have to Call Special
Session of Legis-
lature
TO RE-ENACT 90
OF THE LATE BILLS
On Ground That the Bills
We're Taken to Gov. Hart
ness After Legal Time

Prominent attorneys in the state are
being consulted as to whether there is
need of a special session of the legis
lature to re-enact the 90 odd bills that
the House and Senate dumped into the
governors office the last three days Of
the session and some of which did not
reach his office until the day after the
legislature had adjourned.
In its hurry to get through at a
fixed time last week, /possibly the
House and Senate acteS too fast. Prob
ably the supreme court may be asked
for a decision in the matter. for the
secretary Of state has to certify that
these acts are the laws and he can
not do that until he has satisfied him
self that the acts were properly signed
and this matter, several attorneys
some OF whom are state officers, have
held that the governor had to sign
them before the legislature adjourned
while Others hold that he had rea-
sonable time.
At the governors office the latter
opinion prevails, while saSser attorneys
who are well versed in Constitutional
law, sustain his point in the matter,
II has been the custom of the gov
ernor to sign the bills on the day Of
final adjournment. H. F. Graham had
two left over, 5ut these were not i'm
portant matters Allen G. Fletcher
called the newspapermen into his office
the afternoon following adjournment
and told them that he had pocket We
toed one bill and hat he had signed
the rest Officers do not feel that they
can 90 ahead with matters until they
know whether the bills that have been
signed since the adjournment are le
gally signed. These include appropri
ations. one of which is the budget for
the biennial period. while two others
are for support OF government also.
There were also many other impor
tant acts. Conferences were held this
among different attorneys in
the matter Some OF the state officials |
talked with the executive department |
about the matter
One attorney. who has been offered |
, iudgeship, state dthis morning that
he provisions of the constitution which |
;ay that bills not signed within five |
lays shall become a law and in the /
anne provision in which il i express
v stated that if they are not signed
days. then they do not
,pcome a law. hold that this provision
pertains only to the governors act
While the legislature i in session and
hat it does not pertain to his sigma
ure of bills after the legisla ture has
diourned but that he has reasonable
ime in which TO sign them.
At the governors office il was stated
his morning that all OF the bills which
he governor would sign would be
igned before tonight There was in.
imation that some might not get his
ignature
Governor Hartness told the commit
ae on final adjournment that he was
ding TO veto the campaign expense
III and that they might remain until
0 -dav with that information before
hem He gave his reasons hut the
go branches decided to adjourn and il ,
as done so fast that the secretary Of
he Senate and clerk of the House were /
nable to get their last bills into the .
1vernors Office So that some did not
zach the office until the day following
Anyway there is quite
furry about the State House to-day
n the matter.