Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-25
BosToN. March %. Is.

Boston, March %, 1872.
There was a group of disappointed men in the
house this morning-not only disappointed, but
deceived and sorrowlul. The "Heathen Chinee"
has joined our lobby, and the grieyed and un-
| fortunate members are his victims. Sometimes
members are willingly his victims. The Heathen
| Chinee is not one of your ordinary button
ho.ers, but he is far more dangerous to the I'M
| sophisticated legislator than they His favorte
mode of operation is to see the doorkeepers and
| call out members at critical moments, when
matters in which they are interested are about
to be called up. The slant-eyed seducer of I'M
suspectng members fascinates the victim until
the matter is safely fixed in the house, when he
| lets him go back to his seat and discover the
subject which interested him more than any
| entirely beyond his reach. Sometimes the in
| snuating adversary lures the unfortunate to the
smoking rooms Or to the distant promenades of
the basement the better to accomplish his sharp
| practice. Mr. Towne of Ftchburg was
sadly betrayed by this willy interview
er one afternoon not long ago. 1t was
when the question of reconsidering the IL
| IuOl Dll Neo eNlCu Oils 1uS SCitlClldl lIOu
| Fitchburg was a leading advocate of the motion,
| but during the discussion he was spirited away
to the readngroom and held as one entranced I'M
til the vote had been taken and the prohibition
lists failed in their purpose, for the lack OF his
one voice on the roll call. This was insidious,
but not worse than the games played yesterday
| on other unsuspectng members ofthe house. DIR.
| Packard of South Boston, a homeopathic gen
teman, and, of course, interested in the petition
in aid Of the Massachusetts homeopathic hospi-
tai wished to have the petition for that object re-
fered to the next general court instead of re-
ccving leave to withdraw as the committee on
public charitable institutions recommended
just before the matter came up, however, he was
lured to the lobby and so lost his chance More
melancholy, and perhaps more dabolcal was
the trick played by presumably the same adver-
sary in the lobby upon the venerable and indie
fatigable member from Fairhaven, who was sit
ting like sentinel in the house, waiting for an
opportunity to add an amendatory safe
guard to the resolve authorizing the
removal of the contract for state print
ing. In his breast pocket was speech,
and his soul was warm with an earnest
purpose to prevent the passage of what he be-
lieved to be loosely drawn resolve. 1t was
hard work for an honest member to be upset
just when he was about to render the state a
possibly priceless service. Words are barely ca
pable of expressing the dismay of the represent
tative of the thousand hard-hauded people of
| Fairhayen and Acushnet, when he found how
| the thing had worked. 1t seemed to him that
there was a cat in the meal, and he kept his
speech for another day. So you see to-day we
had motions for reconsiderations-plent of
them. DR.. Packard tried it first, and the house
did not see it. Then somebody wanted an
amendment made to the bill for the inspection
of leather on which the house concurred with
the senate yesterday. That didn't work either.
All this time Mr. Whitfield was awaiting his op-
portunity, and in the third half hour of the ses.
sion it came. He explained to the house the
heather game that was played on him yesterday
The house, having known all about it from the
first, humored him and allowed him reconsid-
Grafton. He wanted to protect the interests of
the state by providing that the lowest response
BILE bidder should have the job. 1t took some.
time to show that practically it was
not best to insert such provision, and although
Mr.. Whitfield did not make his speech, several
other members did nave their say. OF course
nothing was done and the halfho was wasted.
AT one o'clock the real business of the session
was begun. For the sake of saving time it is to
be hoped that this new dodge of the heather in
the lobby win not be repeated If the house
had been full there probably would not have
been so much delay, but when the seats of 11S
members are vacant during the first half hour
of the Saturday session, we ought not to expect
to accomplish much.
The falling off in the reports of the commit
tees, indicates that we are beginning to get out
Of the woods. There were only two or three re.
ports to-day, and these did not relate to impor-
tant matters. or the unbeatable matters to-
day, the house disposed of the bill relating to
sign boards at grade crossings of highways by
railroads, the bill to authorize the Hopkinton
railroad company TO mortgage its road, the bill
to incorporate the Melrose savings bank, and the
bill in relation TO the sale Of the Hoosac tunnel
all Of which were passed to third reading
The bill to incorporate the Wollaston land and
building company was rejected in accordance
with the recommendation of the committee on
mercantile affairs. The petition for the annexa
ton Of BroolIline to Boston, was referred ia
the next general court, and the report of the
committee on manufactures tinexpedienD on
the order relative to the prevention of accidents
from belts and machinery was passed.
In accordance with the instructions of The
senate the committee on horse railroads have
prepared general law for the organization OF
| horep roilroo1 -
in the senate this morning. 1t provides that
any number of persons, not less than fifteen, a
majority of them being inhabitants of this
state, may form a corporation for constructing
and operating street railway for the convey.
ance of persons. The directors must give three
weeks notice before proceeding to fix the loca.
ton Of the road, which shall be determined by
the board OF aldermen Of any city or the select
men of any town, after giving proper hearing
TO all parties interested. The manner of organ.
ization is prescribed at great length and the
eleventh section provides that the line Of any
street railway may be extended in the same
manner as the line was originally located. Tho
next section provides that any corpora
ton may connect with enter upon and
use tho tracks OF any other corpora
ton, having obtained the consent of tn,
municipal authorities, It's also provided thai
no other street railway company shall subscribe
for or hold any Of the stock Of any corporation
organized under the act unless specially author
lied by the legislature. Mr., Boardman Of Bos
ton introduced on leave a bill to fx the salary
OF the chief justice Of the superior court at $1,000
per annum and the salaries Of the associate jus
tees at $4,000 each. The bill to authorize the