VERMONT. 



823 



8th, Homer E. Royce was re-elected Chief- 

 Judge of the Supreme Court, and the following 

 were re-elected Assistant-Judges: T. P. Red- 

 field, Jonathan Ross, H. Henry Powers, Whee- 

 lock a. Veazy, Russell S. Taft, and John W. 

 Rowell. On the 28th, Wayne Bailey was re- 

 elected Railroad Commissioner. One hundred 

 and fourteen acts of a public character were 



The Hooker revenue bill is No. 1, followed 

 by the act revising, consolidating, and amend- 

 ing the laws relating to the grand list. Act 

 No. 3 reduces to $1,500 the aggregate amount 

 of savings-bank deposits which any resident of 

 the State may have free from taxation on the 

 grand list. The act provides forfeits and 

 penalties for evasions or attempts to evade the 

 provisions of this act. By No. 4 owners of 

 fowls to the value of more than twenty dollars 

 are subject to taxation on the excess. No. 6 

 provides for the taxation of the Vermont Cen- 

 tral Railway when any person or corporation 

 other than the original company, in any char- 

 acter or right, is operating that road. No. 12 

 establishes the outer bound of puppyhood at 

 eight weeks, and fixes the license-fee for every 

 male dog at one dollar and for every female 

 at four dollars. No. 13 contains the amend- 

 ments to the Judevine highway law amend- 

 ments which practically destroy the one fea- 

 ture of that measure which made it possible 

 for it to become a law two years before. The 

 cumbersome and practically prohibitory ma- 

 chinery of the law relating to complaints for 

 insufficiencies is retained; but the section 

 which limited the liability of towns to dam- 

 ages received on bridges exceeding eight feet 

 span is amended to include all bridges, culverts, 

 and sluice-ways. No. 18 gives tax-payers who 

 work out their taxes fifteen cents an hour for 

 their labor. No. 19 makes the text-books of 

 schools recommended by the text-book com- 

 mittee of 1879 the authorized books till No- 

 vember 1, 1889, and the use of any other 

 books except for reference is unlawful. No. 

 22 allows teachers while their schools are in 

 session to attend teachers' institutes or educa- 

 tional meetings held pursuant to law, for a 

 period not exceeding three days without losing 

 their time. No. 35 has reference to the or- 

 ganization of the Vermont Central Railway 

 Company, and is intended to facilitate the same. 

 Nos. 36 to 40 relate to railway matters of 

 general interest ; 41 to 46, to the liquor-traffic ; 

 and 47 to 49, to the care and custody of the 

 insane. Owners or keepers of public billiard 

 or pool tables or bowling-alleys will need to 

 read and heed No. 53. The penalty for allow- 

 ing any minor to play these games, in opposi- 

 tion to the written request of parent, guardian, 

 or school principal, is not less than ten dollars. 

 No. 54 forbids posting bills or painting pla- 

 cards or notices on bridges, trees, etc., without 

 the consent in writing of the selectmen of the 

 town. Individuals who indulge in smashing 

 street-lamps, or lamps in the grounds about 



public buildings, are liable under No. 55 to a 

 fine of not more than fifty dollars, or three 

 months' imprisonment. No. 70 provides for 

 suits by and against associations and joint-stock 

 companies, and obliges such organizations doing 

 business in the State to designate some person 

 in every county in which they are doing busi- 

 ness, upon whom legal process may be served. 

 If such designation is not made, legal process 

 may be served upon any "conductor," "mes- 

 senger," "express agent," "operator," "man- 

 ager," or any person or employe of a company 

 holding a position corresponding to the above. 

 No. 79 imposes wise restrictions against the 

 overcrowding of public halls and theatres. 

 All passage-ways must be kept clear of chairs. 

 No. 81 is aimed at "dead-beats" who try to de- 

 fraud hotel-keepers of food and lodgings. No. 

 82 dooms the murderous toy -pistol. No. 83 

 makes an attempt to poison food, drink, medi- 

 cine, or springs punishable with not more than 

 twenty years ;n the State-Prison. The twen- 

 ty-two constitutional amendments proposed 

 by the Senate to the House two years before, 

 and by that body reduced to six, were by their 

 Legislature cut down to two : the first provid- 

 ing for an additional oath which will, if finally 

 adopted by the people, keep postmasters and 

 other United States officers out of the Legisla- 

 ture ; the second making the officers of Auditor 

 and Secretary of State elective by the people. 

 The vote of the people on these amendments 

 is to be taken on the 6th of March, 1883. 



Act No. 1 contains the following important 

 provisions : 



ance, guarantee, express, telegraph, telephone, steam- 

 boat, car, and transportation, companies, savings- 

 banks, savings institutions, and trust companies, as 

 provided in this act, and shall be payable in money 

 to the State Treasurer for the use of the State. 



SEC. 2. The Governor, in the year 1882 and bienni- 

 ally thereafter, shall appoint, with the advice and 

 consent of the Senate, a Commissioner of State Taxes, 

 lie shall report biennially to the General Assembly. 



SEC. 11. Every corporation, person or persons own- 

 ing or operating a railroad in this State whether as 

 owner, lessee, receiver, trustee, or otherwise shall 

 pay a tax to tne State on the entire gross earnings of 

 such railroad, if such railroad is situated wholly within 

 the State. If such railroad is situated partly within 

 and partly without the State, the tax shall be upon 

 such proportion of the entire g^ross earnings of such 

 railroad as the mileage of trains run in this State 

 bears to the mileage of all the trains run on the en- 

 tire main line of the road. 



SEC. 12. The tax upon such earnings shall be rated 

 according to the earnings per mile of road in this 

 State, and is hereby assessed at the rate of two per 

 cent on the first two thousand dollars a mile, or total 

 earnings if less than that sum ; at the rate of three 

 per cent on the first thousand or part thereof above 

 two thousand dollars a mile ; at the rate of four per 

 cent on the first thousand or part thereof above three 

 thousand dollars a mile ; and when the earnings ex- 

 ceed four thousand dollars a mile, at the rate of five 

 per cent on all earnings above that sum. 



SEC. 14. When a railroad is operated in this State 

 by a corporation, person, or persons, by virtue of a 

 lease or other contract, the aforesaid tax shall be paid 



