Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-01-16
From the State House.
short session of the senaie-TaIlks about
Junkets and Free Railroad Passes i'm
the uouse-MOre Work for lhe Commit
fee ON Railways.
BosToN, Jan. IA 1872

BosToN, Jan. 10, 1872.
The first Saturday session of the senate was
exceedingly brief, but the house held together
for nearly an hour and a half. The senate pass
ed but one order, offered by Mr.. Wright of Read
Ing, which instructed the committee on Judiciary
to inquire whether any legislation is necessary
to disclose TO the public the names Of persons
doing business as express companies and other
unncorporated companies under general names.
One or two reports of committees were heard,
one of which was in favor of printing six thou
sand additional copies of the report on inland
fisheries. The first bill to be cngrossed was put
through to-day for the preservation of books
and other property belonging to public libraries.
The state treasurer sent in communication
showing the total amount of the Norwich and
Worcester railroad sinking fund to be $780,
69651
The house passed upon the amendments TO the
Joint rules and orders reported in the senate yes
terday, and lively debate occurred on the prop
osition 10 ike out the second rule, which makes
it duty of the committee on the Hoosac tunnel
and Troy and Greenfield railroad to visit the
tunnel every year. Mr.. Granger of Boston
wanted this rule retained. Col. A j. Wright
explained that the committee thought it wrong
to instruct this particular committee when all
the other committees were left unfettered Mr.
Kmball had the floor several times, and spoke
vigorously against providing for an annual
unket of this sort. Formerly, when the state
was carrying on the work under the charge of
its own officers, twas necessary for the commit
tee to visit the scene of operations in order to
make an intelligent report That necessity
ceased with the making of the contract with
the ShaRlyS. All the committee could do now
was to go up and to gaze into big, dark, damp,
uncanny hole in the mountain, and 20 in per-
haps with a candle in hand, and hear thud of
an explosion, and come out and go over tine
mountain, where they looked into another
hole and then brought up at the Wilson house.
After good deal of sensible talk of this sort
the house resolved not to formally provide for
any more useless visits of this sort. There
was another debate upon the question of rail-
road passes which was started by the senate
order looking to the abolition of the practice by
members of the legislature of taking passes from
the railroads. 1t was apparent that this rather
went against the grain of some of the members,
who had passes in their pockets, Mr.. Shaw of
Boston and the Reverend Wmslow of Newton
among others. The latter howlcd vrtuously
over the idea that members could be influenced
by such paltry consideration as a pass, and
moved 10 instruct the committee to inquire into
the eXpediency Of compelling the railroads TO
furnish passes to all the members, and the
house adopted the amendment.
Another subject was added to the load which
the railway committee are already carrying, on
motion of Mr.. Bannister, of Boston, to instruct
them TO report what legislation is necessary to
prevent unjust Determinations by railroads
ness
Mans rights" has an advocate in Mr. Mutt,
of Natick, upon whose motion the committee on
probate and chancery were instructed to con-
slider the expedency of giving men an interest
in the property of their deceased wives when no
issue has been born alive.
Among the petitions read by the speaker to-
day was that Of the Alessrs. Hey wood of Gard
ner, tOr a railroad 10 their factory; of the mayor
of Boston for leave TO construct sidewalks where
The owners of AUDITING property refuse to con
struct them, and to make them pay; and of the
treasurer of Berkshire county for more pay
The committee on elections were given au-
thority to send for persons and papers.
The school ship Hearing Before the
COMMITTEE on Charitable Ems:iIuiiOms
Matters in the senate and the House
-The Final Report of Ihe Commits