Year: 1866

MONTPELIER, NOV. IL.


We have seen the beginning Of the
end. Both houses yesterdaypassed
Joint resolution to adjourn on Tuesday
next at s a. IN. That will make u ses-
sion Of six weeks, lacking only two days.


As the END of the session draws near,
the members are naturally put upon in
ouiry as to the value of their services,
end q bill advancing the per diem to
three dollars. and reducing the milage
rom ten cents to four has been the occa-
SION of good deal of skirmishiDg in
the House for two or three days past.
II became evident very soon after the
subject began to be agitated that the
House was decidedly in favor of advanc-
.1g to per 9.e,a and as decidedly opposed
70 reducing The mileage. Mr. Ross
aoyed to amend by substituting ten for
our, urging the very substantial reason,
hat .our cents would not pay the actual
expenses OF members who were SO stu
ated that they were obliged To spend
nsrts of two days on the road. Mr..
Hubbard proposed to compromise by al
owing six cents per mile, but the house
was not in a compromising mood, and,
reiectieg his amendment, adopted Mr..
Ross. There came the tug of war on
:he per diem question, and all the con-
trivances that ingenuity could devise, as
well as all the argumedts that skillful
debaters could muster, were put in
requisition TO defeat the bill.


Major Rounds went at it pOint-blank
As Is mis- wont TO go at whatever he un-
dertakes, and boldly maintained that the
services of the member were not worth
more than two dollars day. That Is
doubtless true in regard to many OF the
days, but there are some days works OF
the present legislature, of which
thoughtful man would not dare to take
the responsibility for several times two
pollars. An amendment was proposed
making the act take effect next January
so that the present Legislature should
take no benefit by it. This was opposed
by Mr.. Ross who insisted that the services
Of this legislature were worth as much
as those Of the next were likely to be;
and by Mr.. Brigham, who in reply TO an
intimation that be wOuld die 4 yearling
i be went for this bin, said that II he
must die he preferred 10 die with money
enough in his pocket to buy coffin
The amendment was lost. 1t was then
proposed so limit the pay to the number
OF DAYS spent in actual service. To this
It was well answered by Mr. Bullard OF
New Haven, that the long adjournments
were frequently carried by mere MAORI
ties, and that many members OF the
minority remained in Montpelier during
the recesses anxious to work, but under
TO do so, whom would be unjust to de-
yrive of their pay. So this amendment
was lost, as was also another limiting
the pay to thirty days Of service, ana
the bill was ordered to third reading
by a majority Of twenty-five.


When the question came upon the
final passage, similar series Of per
sormances took place. Mr.. Hubbard
who introduced the bill and originally
spoke in favor Of it now appeared among
its active opponents, being more anxious
to defeat the mileage then to increase
The per diem. 1t was now proposed to
add section, submitting the bill to
vote Of the people at the next freeman's
meeting a ia Maine liquor law. This was
voted down. A motion was then made
TO reduce the mileage from ten cents TO
seven, and on this the yeas and nays
were taken. The vote was pretty close
and just as the speaker was about to de-
clare it, point of order was raised, that
the word "ten" having been inserted In
the bill by amendment, it was not in
order to amend it out by substituting
the word -four" The speaker decided
that the point was we'll taken and that
vote went for naught. Mr. Walker OF
Ludlow moved to include the officers of
the Legislature within the scope of the
dill which was agreed to and then the
resources Of the opposition being fully
exhausted, the final question was put
and the bill was passed by vote OF lis
to92. If it had not been for the yeas
and nays, there would hardly have beer
score of votes against the bill. The
Senate has not yet acted on the bill.


The rerort of the committee on claim:
usually Settles the fate of all claims thai
are laid before them, but, for rarity
two attempts have been made in single
day, to reverse their decisions, and il
one instance to reject a claim which
they had allowed, in the other to allow
claim which they had rejected. II
both instances there was signal failure
In the case OF Giles IL. Carpenter, it ap
peared that ne was member of ;
cavalry company in the Vermont service
and while 10 the performance Of his dutl