Litchfield enquirer., 1871-06-15
Legislative.

; The following bills, resolutions, etc., have been referred to the appropriate commit tees: Increasing the number of Superior Court judges to thirteen; giving bank com mlssiOners supervision of Trust Companies; establishing county courts in Holland and Windham counties; punishing cruelty to animals; punishing the adulteration of food or confectionery; paying Wm. H. Crossman of Litchfield fo: a painting of President Lincoln now in the New Haven Senate Chamber; giving the appointment of State Prison Directors to the Governor. Among other bills referred to the judiciary com mittee we find the following: ara Litchfeld county, as follows: First dis trict, Winchester, Barkhamstead, Cole. brook, New Hartford and Norfolk; second, Canaan, Cornwall, North Canaan, Bridge water, New Milford, Kent, Roxbury, Sails bury, Sharon, Warren and Washington.
 Ralph E.. Garfield of New Milford has been appointed County Commissioner of this county.
 A railroad has been chartered from Thompsonville to Hazardville, with privi. lege of consolidating (probably with Hart ford and New Haven R. R.
 Senator Curtiss of the 18th has been ap- pointed chairman of the committee for re- arranging Senatorial Districts.
 The report of tLe canvassers of the votes for Congressmen has been accepted.
 The Protestant Widows Society of Bridgeport report $46, ,O0O, assets.
 A claim presented for damages done by the prize fighters at the time of their raid on Charles Island has been rejected
 A bill providing a method for closing up joint stock companies has passed both Houses. cad tat 4I t
 The bill giving up the State representa-. tion in Yale College to alumni has passed both Houses. Al -1z
 The State Prison investigation has taken the form of 8 special commission of three to be appointed by the Governor. During the debate Dr. Miller of Enfield remarked ''that he knew it was the duty of the State Prison directors to examine its affairs; but they have not done so-and this he would not blink at. The acts of the directors have been little better than farce"
 A bill has passed both houses confirming the lay out of the Conn. Western R. R., and extending the time for payment of land damages, year.
 The bill protecting fish in Cream Hill Lake, (CornwalD passed.
 Bills have passed chartering railroads from Norwich to Colchester and from Portland to the State Line Some obiec- tion was made to the sections authorizing town subscriptions. MT. TurriIl of New Milford, chairman on the Railroad com mittee, opposing all such provisions. Sen ator Sumner took the same ground. In the debate on the former charter he Said he believed the principal was wrong, and legislation had been pronounced unconsti- tutional by the highest courts of the states What our Supreme Court judges would de- eide upon the question if brought before them he did not know. He was opposed to the principle, and he believed many towns that had made subscriptions of this kind heretofore would some time regret such action. Some of the towns on the Air Line that had subscribed in this way, had found that their subscriptions were vir- tually donation to the road. They had ty of the town with a heavy mortgage. the above charters.
 The House had lively discussion of educational matters, Thursday A resolu. ton was referred appointing a com. mission to revise existing laws and put
 
 was passed instructing the Board of Edu. cation to report uniform set of books for the use of schools. It was admitted on all hands that our present school laws were a muddle, but there was considerable obiec. tion to the project of forcing uniformity of school books throughout the State. It was feared such course would check improve ment and lead to publishing monopolies
 The capital question was to be taken up in the House on Wednesday.
 A bill amending the borough charter of Winsted so as to provide for an assessment in May instead of October and, for IS in- stead of three constables, has passed the Senate.
 The House passed resolution, Friday, releasing John Gra ly from jail.
 COMMITTEE HEARINGS AND REPORTS. The committee on New Towns has reported fa- vorably on the petition of&Beacon Falls.
 The Air Line R. R. is seeking authority for new issue of 2d mortgage bonds.
 A proposition for narrow guage rail- road from Hartford to Canton is under con- sideration. The estimated cost is only about one-third that of ordinary roads.
 On Wednesday and Thursday the com mittee on Temperance gave the petitions for State Constabulary hearing. Mir. Andrews of Litchfield presented proposi- ton for License law
 The Speaker then announced the mem- bers of the joint standing committee on retrenchment as follows -Messrs. Beers of Norwalk, Taylor of Haddam, Whittemors of Rocky Hill, Gallup of Voluntown, Brown of Barkhamsted, Doolittle of Chesh- fer, Main of Preston, Waldo of Willington. . <s->------------ ta.A ..g a News of the Week.