VERMONT. 



T35 



WILLIAM W. STICKNEY, 

 GOVERNOR OF VERMONT. 



session, beginning with 1904. This was rejected. 

 Another was to change the time of holding the 

 State election from September to November, and 

 the date of meeting of the General Assembly from 

 October to January ; this also was defeated. A 

 third was to divide the State into 30 senatorial 

 districts, according to population, and this failed. 

 The fourth proposed amendment is to authorize 

 the Legislature to provide by law for filling vacan- 

 cies in the offices 

 of State Senator 

 and Representa- 

 tive. This was 

 passed; but to be- 

 come effective it 

 must pass the 

 Legislature of 11)02 

 and be adopted at 

 the polls. 



The important 

 question of the 

 year was that of 

 substituting high 

 license or local 

 option for the pro- 

 hibitory law. Nu- 

 merous petitions 

 for each side were 

 sent in and bills 

 were introduced. 

 It was proposed 

 to refer to the vote 

 of the electors the 



plan of substituting local option for the present 

 law, but this was defeated, and no changes were 

 made. The defeat of the bill is explained by a 

 newspaper favoring the license system in the fol- 

 lowing paragraph: 



" The truth is that the majority of our law- 

 makers were opposed to the license idea, and no 

 amount of burnishing would make it acceptable 

 to them. They looked on license as evil and un- 

 wise, and if necessary were willing to stand be- 

 tween it and the possible desires of a majority 

 of voters in favor of it." 



The appropriations provided for expenditures 

 amounting to $1,510,000. The salaries of members 

 amounted to $47,025. The State tax was fixed at 

 15 cents, and the State school tax at 10 cents. 



A bill amending the charter of the Vermont 

 Central Railway in regard to claims that the road 

 must pay, having the effect to include claims for 

 grain destroyed in the Ogdensburg elevator fire, 

 was vetoed by the Governor, but was passed again 

 by a vote of 163 to 5 in the House and 21 to 5 

 in the Senate. 



A bill to establish a forestry commission to take 

 charge of park lands that may be deeded to the 

 State was amended by authorizing the Governor 

 and the Secretary of State to take charge of such 

 lands. 



A proposal to grant municipal suffrage to tax- 

 paying women was lost in the Senate by a narrow 

 margin. 



An old statute requiring that any one running 

 a steam vehicle on a public road shall send a 

 messenger a half mile ahead to give warning of 

 its approach, in order to prevent accidents, was 

 repealed. 



The preceding Legislature made provision for 

 the appointment of a committee to investigate the 

 matter of double taxation, and its report was pre- 

 sented this year. It showed the negligence or 

 rllusion of appraisers in listing property for taxa- 

 m, and detailed some of the schemes resorted 

 for evading taxation. 

 A bill was passed to prevent fraudulent, conceal- 



ment of property from taxation, and another au- 

 thorizing the State Commissioner of Taxes to in- 

 vestigate the present system of taxing corporations 

 and report with recommendations to the next Leg- 

 islature. 



The Senate passed a bill to abolish capital pun- 

 ishment, but the House refused it a third reading 

 by a vote of 118 to 107. 



Among the measures were the following joint 

 resolutions: 



Asking Congress to take some recognition of 

 the distinguished services of Capt. Charles E. 

 Clark of the United States battle ship Oregon 

 during the Spanish-American War. 



Providing for a portrait of Capt. Clark for the 

 State. 



Providing that the week beginning with the 

 third Sunday in August each year be known as 

 " Old Home Week." 



Providing for a portrait of Gen. Emerson H. 

 Liscum to be placed in the State Capitol. 



A special committee was appointed on the erec- 

 tion of a memorial tablet marking the birthplace 

 of President Chester A. Arthur. 



Other measures were: 



Reorganizing the militia and consolidating the 

 offices of quartermaster general and adjutant 

 general. 



Prohibiting the selling or giving of cigarettes 

 to minors. 



To prevent imitations of dairy products. 



Providing for traveling libraries. 



To protect gray squirrels. 



Allowing women to act as notaries public. 



Permitting appointment of women to certain 

 town offices treasurer, superintendent, librarian. 



Giving physicians the right to quarantine in- 

 fectious diseases. 



Establishing a State laboratory. 



Providing for geological work. 



Appropriating $13,951 for repairs at Waterbury 

 Asylum and $4,000 for Brattleboro Retreat. 



Removing the words " or mentally " from the 

 act allowing a voter to be assisted if he is phys- 

 ically or mentally unfit to prepare his ballot. 



The Legislature elected Hamilton S. Peck Judge- 

 Advocate General and W. H. Gilmore for the 

 combined offices of Adjutant General and Quar- 

 termaster General, and the Senate confirmed the 

 Governor's nominations of J. O. Sanford to be- 

 State Highway Commissioner and Judson E. Cush- 

 man State Tax Commissioner. Dr. W. J. Hunting- 

 ton was made Surgeon General, and Charles J. 

 Bell, Ernest Hitchcock, and George Aitken were 

 made members of the Board of Agriculture. 



Political. The State election took place Sept. 

 4. Tickets were put out by 4 parties. 



The Republicans held two conventions, the 

 first, April 18, in Burlington, to choose delegates 

 to the national convention. They were not in- 

 structed for President McKinley, but his admin- 

 istration was approved. In regard to the island 

 possessions the resolutions said: "We unhesita- 

 tingly proclaim our conviction that from over no 

 inch of this newly acquired territory, where the 

 Stars and Stripes have floated, carrying their 

 promise of enlightenment and freedom, should 

 that flag be lowered or that promise be with- 

 drawn." 



The second Republican convention met in 

 Montpelier June 27, and named the following 

 candidates: For Governor. William W. Stickney; 

 Lieutenant Governor, Martin F. Allen; Treasurer, 

 John L. Bacon ; Secretary of State, Fred A. How- 

 land; Auditor of Accounts, Orion M. Barber; 

 Presidential Electors. Truman C. Fletcher, Horace 

 F. Graham, George E. Fisher, Fred G. Fleetwood. 



