Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-24
From the State House.
BosroN. Thursday. March %. i

BosToN, Thursday, March %, 1871.
The hearing in regard to your railroad tracks
was continued to-day in committee rooms very
much to the sa abstraction of your citizens who
desire to remove them from the common and
certain streets in Worcester. Your city solicit
or, Mr.. Nelson, presented the case admirably
for the city, and evidently made an excellent
impression on the committee. The testimony
is given below. The hearing in the green room
for the benefit of the men who were very anx-
ious toprove the state constableS Il set of scamps
is very dreary, and the constablery are not likely
to suffer at all by the ordeal. The only new
points made to-day were that state constables
had given notice to the witnesses previous to
seizing their liquors; had allowed the witnesses
to put water in demijohns and barrels previous
to their being carried away; and that the officers
had been drunk when the seizures were made
In the house oday the hero of the hour was
Rev. George H. Vbbert, of Rockport, who made
one of the most forcble and eloquent temper
| ance speeches that has been heard there for
many day. Notwithstanding its length, it
commanded the closest attention until the close,
when the speaker was loudly appauded, COM
| plment which 10 other member has received
| this winter. The success of Mr.. Vibbert was
the more noticeable from the fact that he has
been rather unsuccessful in previous attempts
to influence legislation. He certainly made
good argument to-day, and held the attention
| of the house as few orators can; he ''intoxi-
| Gated" his audience, to use the language of the
friends of ''iberal legislation" who congratu-
| lated him as heartily as the rest on his success
| Rev. Mr. Richardson, of Sturbridge, also made
a speech in favor of stringent temperance legis-
| lation. The rules were suspended and MIR. Vib-
| bert's bill, which is in substance the old pro-
| hibitory law, substituted for the report of the
committee, who 1t it will be remembered asked
to be discharged as they could not agree.
| The house sustained the reports of commit
tees, against voting money for the horticultural
| school in Newton; against giving VIM. Denton
| aud others an act of Incorporation as the Amer
| lean liberal tract society; and against granting
| A. X. Iilden diploma. The bills passed to be
engrossed were, to supply Lynn with water and
to revive the charter of the Newburyport and
| Amesbury horse railroad.
An attempt was made by Messrs. Train and
| Davis of Boston and Colby of Newburvport to
| postpone action on the Lee and Hudson railroad
| bill, but Mr.. Sanford made clear and pointed
| reply, showing why the bill ought to pass. A
motion to adjourn, which was negatived So TO
| 13, before Mr. SantOrd's speech, was again made
as he concluded, and emphatically voted down,
81 to 1902. After several unsuccessful attempts
to adjourn, the bill was passed to a
third reading. Some matters OF minor inter-
est were advanced one stage, when another mo-
ton to adjourn was made andy voted down, ~ to
H. The yeas and nays were demanded at the
next trial, which was successful, "a to As, and
the house adjourned at quarter p3st five.
In the senate, the bill to authorize the county
commissioners of Middlesex county to build a
| a new Jail at Cambridge, was taken from the
| files of last year and referred to the committee
| on prisons. The bills to authorize the Massachu-
sets Central railroad company to extend its rail-
road; In relation to the Worcester southeast az
| ricultural society; and appOrtioning taxes TO
| the several counties, were severally ordered to
| be engrossed.
Committees reported to-day: A bill to'reyoke a
| license to maintain Ia floating boat-house in
| Charles river, at the foot of Mount Vernon
| street; bill Ito reimburse to the Vermont and
! Massachusetts rail- Dad company expenditures
made on the Troy and Greenfield railroad; a re
| solve appropriating $4,000 flor enlargement of
the Bridgewater normal school; and a bill to
| enable the Chelsea gas light company to extend
| its pipes into the town Of Everett.
A WORCESTER MATTER BEFORE THE RAILWAY
| COMMITTEE.
| The second hearing by the joint committee on
railways on the petition of the city of Worces-
| ter for the removal of certain railway tracks
took place this forenoon, very large and iniiu-
entail delegation of citizens, nearly all of whom
appeared to be in favor of the petition, filling
the committee room. Mayor Earle and large
number of the city council, also the lawyers and
railroad officers who attended the previous hear
| ing were present, also Mr.. Chaplin, president of
the Boston and Albany road, and Mr.. Smith,
| president of the Norwich road.
| In obedience to the direction of the commit
tee, Mr.. Nelson, representing the city govern
ment, submitted bill, which, although he said
was not designed as the one which the commit
tee might see fit to report yet it would accom-
push what the city desired, and would provide
for the accommodation of the railroad COM
| panies on their removal. Mr.. Nelson then read
a copy OF vote passed by the Worcester and
| Nashua railroad company on the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1870, wherein the company, in view of
| the urgent request of the people Of Worcester
| express their Willingness to move the Foster
street station provided they were properly COM
| pensated Tor the rights they had in that station,
| and also furnished with suitable provisions for
the dispatch of their freight. These conditions
he said had been provided for in the bill which
he had presented. He then read copy of coro-
ners inquests as filed in the clerk of courts
office, showing that within few wears seven
teen persons had been killed while crossing
streets over which the railroads run. He did
not offer this to show that the corporations had
been guilty of any carelessness, or had managed
the crossings without care for it was conceded
the number ofpersons who had been injured and
not killed. He further read an agreement be-
tween tine several corporations few weeks since
10 abandon the Foster street station in case they
could be permitted to transport their through
freight across the common and adjacent streets
The following is the bill submitted by Mr.
Nelson:
An act 70 provide more convenient railroad depot
and station accommodations in the city of Wor-
cester and for the removal of railroad tracks from
the public streets and thOroughfares of said CITY
Be IL enacted &C., as follows:
Section /. The Boston and ALBANY railroad com.
pany, the Norwich and Worcester railroad com.
pany, the Providence aud Worcester railroad COM
pany, and the Worcester aud Nashua railroad COM
pany are hereby authorized and required to unite
their passenger stations in the city OF Worcester in
one passenger house, convenient to and loca-
ton, for the accommodation of the passenger traffic
| Of all said railroads. The said passenger house
shall be erected and kept in repair at the sole
| pense of the Boston and Albany railroad company
upon its land in the vicinity of Washington square,
In said Worcester, and east Of Grafton street. SAID
passenger house shall be occupied jointly by all said
| railroad companies for the accommodation of the
passenger traffic of said railroads; said other rail-
road companies severally yielding and paying there
| for 70 the Boston and Albany railroad company a
reasonable rent for the use Of said passenger house
which, u not agreed upon by the parties, shall be
| determined by the railroad commissioners upon a
petition presented to them by either or any OF said
companies in determining the rent to be paid by
Just and equitable allowance shall be made for any
and all rights which said corporation has under ex.
sng contracts and leases use the present station
~ T, sae BOSTON and Albany railroad company
Sect. 2 The Norwich and worces.,r railroad COM
pany y hereby authorized and required within two
.he passage OF this act to remove all its
the old common, Park street, Myrtle street South.
bridge street and Madison street in said cftv and
% asGonnue an rs present location within said