REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE TO VISIT THE STATE REFORM SCHOOL.

To the House of Representatives now in session :

The Committee on the Reform School respectfully report that they visited that institution on Saturday, the 14th instant, and made such examination of the same as they deemed necessary.

During the past year a substantial brick building, of two stories, has been erected, the first story of which is used as a shop or work-room for the boys, and the second for a school-room. The old school-room is being fitted up for a dormitory. An ice-house and tool-room have been finished, the yard enclosed with a suitable fence, and considerable grading been done thereon, and about the buildings-the whole making very desirable improvements to the situation.

There are at the present time sixty-two boys at the school, and the number is steadily increasing. The present buildings furnish very comfortable accommodations for the school at this time but are not extensive enough for any considerable increase of numbers.

We found some of the boys at work on the farm, others attending to various duties about the house, in the kitchen, dormitories, etc., but the majority of them in the shop, engaged in bottoming chairs, under the direction of Mr. Frink, the assistant superintendent.

We visited the school-room, and listened to the recitations of the boys, under the instruction of their accomplished teacher, Miss Burnham. These exercises were very agreeable and satisfactory; perfect order was observed; a good degree of progress on the part of the pupils noted, and an interest manifested creditable alike to teacher and scholars. Miss Burnham appears to engage with her whole heart in her laudable and arduous work, and to meet with that response which is the greatest reward of honest and earnest effort.

We find that in all the arrangements of the school, as regards the physical health and comfort of the boys, and their mental and moral culture, every thing possible seems to have been done for their welfare, and we believe the institution has commenced a great work of reform; that it fills a void that has long been felt in the State, and that it is worthy of and should receive our generous aid. We further find that the farm is well managed by Mr. Hatch, the farmer, a gentleman who is perfectly familiar with his business, intelligent and thoroughly practical. We coincide with him in the opinion that the labor of the boys could be more profitably employed in working land than in any other employment. The present location, however, seems a bar to any extensive attempt in that direction, as only a small part of the farm is feasible for meadow or tillage. The committee are of the opinion that in order to make the institution a success, more land is necessary, and if the proper amount of land cannot be obtained adjoining the present site and at reasonable prices, then the committee suggest that the trustees be instructed to inquire and report to the Legislature at its next session whether the present site can be disposed of upon advantageous terms to

the State, and whether another and more desirable site, to meet the growing want of the institution, can be purchased at a fair price.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ELECTIONS,

ON THE PETITION AND REMONSTRANCE OF JOHN C. CARLTON.

To the House of Representatives;

The Committee on Elections, to whom was referred the petition and remonstrance of John C. Carlton, against the election of Rufus Blanchard, as a member of the House of Representatives from the town of Vershire, make the following report, viz:

At the hearing before the committee, the counsel for the returned member objected to the reception and examination of the depositions offered on the part of the contestant, on the ground that there was no proper evidence in the case, showing that the said Carlton had given notice of his intention to contest the election of the said Blanchard. The committee, however, are of the opinion that there was sufficient evidence of notice, and received and examined the depositions, and therein find the following facts, viz:

That at the last freemen's meeting in the town of Vershire, Rufus Blanchard was declared elected town representative from said town, by a majority of three votes. The whole number of votes cast was 219. Rufus Blanchard had 111 votes, John C. Carlton had 107, and - Cross 1. One of the votes counted for said Blanchard was found in the justice box; and said Blanchard was a candidate for and received votes for justice of the peace. There was nothing upon the vote to indicate whether it was cast for town representative or justice of the peace. There were two votes found in the Congress box which read as follows: "For town representative, John C. Carlton." The committee are of the opinion that the vote found in the justice box for said Blanchard should not have been counted with the votes for town representative, and that the two votes found in the Congress box were properly counted for said Carlton. It was conceded that Michael Maloy, who voted for the returned member, was not a legal voter.

James Quinne voted for the returned member. He had resided in the State of New York for about four years. In the month of May, A. D. 1867, he sent his family to Vershire to reside, and he remained in New York till the last of September in the same year, when he removed to Vershire, where he has since resided. It is claimed by the contestant that said Quinne was not a legal voter at said election, for the reason that he had not resided within the State one year next preceding said election, and had not taken the oath of allegiance to this State, the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and the freeman's oath, as required by law.

George A. Church voted at said election for John C. Carlton. His vote is objected to on the ground that he is a deserter. Said Church was drafted during the war, was examined and accepted, had a furlough for two days to return home and see his family, and did not return to his post, but went to Canada, and did not return to the United States till after the close of the war.

Amos W. Boardman, Harrison Grout, Thomas Pascoe, Joseph Fuller and Joseph Harvey voted at said election for John C. Carlton, and had never taken the freeman's oath.

Erastus Bugbee voted at said election for said Carlton. Said Bugbee had resided out of the State for more than one year, and had not taken the freeman's oath and oath of allegiance, after his return to the State.

The committee are of the opinion that the votes of the nine above named persons ought not to be counted, and that the vote found in the justice box for said Blanchard ought not to be counted with the votes for town representative. Throwing out these votes the result is as follows: Votes for Rufus Blanchard, 108; votes for John C. Carlton, 100; Cross, 1. There were several others who voted for said Carlton, who, as is claimed by the returned member, never took the freeman's oath. To your committee, however, the proof is not conclusive as to that fact.

Henry McArthur offered a vote for said Carlton, but it was properly refused, for the reason that he had not resided in Vershire for three months next preceding the election.

The committee are of the opinion that Franklin Godfrey and Patrick McMannus were residents of the town of Vershire, and were legal voters at said election. They voted for the returned member. lt is claimed by the contestant that George Thomas, who voted for said Blanchard, was not a voter. Thomas was a foreigner; his vote was challenged at the election; he went before the board of authority, and stated that he had his naturalization papers-had voted at previous elections. It was in evidence before the board that he had produced his papers at a previous election, and had been allowed to vote. It is claimed also that Charles W. Jones, who voted for said Blanchard, was not a voter, for the reason that he was a deserter and had not been pardoned under the President's proclamation. It appears that said Jones deserted from the U. S. service, went to Canada, returned to his post under the President's proclamation of March 11th, 1865, and was dishonorably discharged under a general order, before the expiration of his original term of service. The committee are of the opinion that the votes of said George Thomas and Charles W. Jones were legal votes..

Depositions were offered as rebutting evidence by the contestant, but objected to by the returned member, for the reason that the evidence offered was not rebutting, but was direct testimony in the case, which should have been taken within fourteen days after the election, as provided by the statute. It was conceded by the contestant that the evi

dence related to entire new cases of illegal voting, and the depositions were excluded from the hearing before the committee.

In view of all the foregoing facts in relation to said election, your committee are of opinion that Rufus Blanchard was duly elected and is entitled to a seat on the floor of this House; and further report and recommend the adoption of the following resolution:

Resolved, That Rufus Blanchard, the returned member from the town of Vershire, was duly elected by the freemen of Vershire, and is entitled to a seat in this House.

All which is respectfully submitted,

Montpelier, November 18, 1868.

C. A. WEBBER, for Committee.

COMMUNICATION RELATIVE TO THE TRANSFER AND SUPERVISION OF THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AT GETTYSBURG.

WASHINGTON, D. C., January 20, 1868.

To his Excellency, JOHN B. PAGE,

Governor of Vermont:

SIR: At the last annual meeting of the Board of Commissioners, having charge of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pa., held in this city on the fourth day of December last, the following resolution was adopted, and the undersigned were appointed a committee to carry out its provisions :

Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to take such steps or proceedings as may be deemed necessary by them to secure the transfer of and supervision of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pa., upon its completion, to the United States government.

The reasons for the action of the Board of Commissioners, as above set forth, are, that as the general government has established a large number of national cemeteries in various parts of the country for the burial of the remains of the soldiers belonging to the armies of the United States who were killed in battle, or died of wounds or disease during the late rebellion, and have collected and buried the remains of tho soldiers therein, and that Congress by an act entitled "An act to establish and to protect national cemeteries," which was "approved February 22d, 1867," has made provisions for the superintendence, care and maintenance of the various national cemeteries established and to be established throughout the country; that it would best serve the interests and care of the cemetery by having the title to it now vested in the state of Pennsylvania as trustee, together with the care and supervision thereof transferred to the general government, and placed under the charge of the Secretary of War, to be managed in accordance with the provisions as set forth in the act of Congress before mentioned.