Litchfield enquirer., 1874-01-08
Curiosities of Legislation.

The last legislature passed the follow ing statute, portion of which we have italicised to show it's somewhat wholesale method of encouraging and regulating fisheries:'
 An Actin addition to "An Act for En-
 couraging and Regulating Fisheries. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
 Representatives in General Assembly
 convened: - =. ~
 Section 1. Every person who shall draw or use any seine or net for the talk ing of fish ill Waramaug lake in Litch- field county, shall be punished by fine of not less than twenty or more tLan sixty dollars.
 Sec. 2. Any grond juror of either of the t0a0as of Washington, Warren and Kent, i'a s0id county, naay make present ment of complaint of all crimes, maisde- mean0rs, Otenses and Violdtions Of aug statute cf thjs state to any justice of the peace of said county, i0 either of said toacns, who shall have cogniZance thereof, and may proceed to trial, render .iudg. ment, and grant a warrant for the execu- tion thereof according to law
 Approved July 3, 1873.
 The effect of the foregoing statute is to make sort of judicial criminal district of Kent, Warren and Washington so that offences committed in one town may be tried in another It was undoubtedly de- signed to enable prosecuting o1ffcefs to try persons fishing contrary to law in Waramaug Lake, in either of the three towns mentioned without alleging or prov ing in which town the officer was commit ted. This is precisely what the statute in question does not do. Under this stat ute 8 person prosecuted in Washington for an offence committed in that town pleaded that he had already been fined for the same offence by Warren justice. The case came up to the Superior, court on appeal and the States Attorney, on ad- vice of the court nolled 1t.
 The last legislature made another curi- ous blunder in game law, Chap. S1, Sec. ?, wherein they enact that no person shall catch game with snares or nets during the first nine months of the year, except on their own land, or on the land of another acithoW the written permission of the owner" If farmer, therefore, wish es to keep any person from snaring part ridges on his land, he must send him a a written permission to do so.
 Tine Naugatuck Sentinel publishes the following:
 A sort of private conference between the republican leaders of the state, was held at New Haven on Monday last, to consult in reference to the political out look This conference was held in con- nection with lhe republican state commit tee. A great many things were of course, discussed, that have a bearing on the fu- tlre prospects of the party in this state. It seems that independent journalism came up for it's share of criticism; and Starkweather was evidently somewhat grouty over the independence of many of the party papers. According to report, he said the party was going 10 rack and 1 ruin on this account, giving as an illus tration of this downward tendency, their attacks upon the great jurist. Williams He desired that the papers should back Grant at all hazard. supporting him in everything.
 The Sentinel thereupon warns MT. Starkweather that the only way officials can stop this sort of criticism is by behav- ing altogether better themselves. One thing is certain, if our politicians are really talk en in by Buffers blackguardism about the forty jackass mud power" of the press and do not recognize the fact that it is only speaking for the people, our pol iticians will be undeeeived at the very next election.