Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-23

C0mmittee--EverybO Wants to Hear
 the Arguments on the Goodwin Petit
 tion-A Sudden Adjournment of the
 Committee.
 HARTFORD, March %, 1882. ..
 Special correst ondence of JOURNAL AND CoURIER.l
 Another lively days work has been donein
 the General Assembly today. As usual,
 while the Senate disposed of their business
 promptly the House was engaged in extended
 controversies. The principal discussion in
 the House was on the proposed amendment
 to the divorce laws, upon which there was
 two hours talk resulting in the acceptance
 of the minority report of the committee.
 Ihls was surprise to many, and when the
 vote was taken the ''tillers of the soil" very
 effectually ''sat down. on the flaw givers" very large number of Representative res and others assembled this afternoon to hear | the arguments on the so-called Goodwin in vestigation relating to the returns of the 1 Consolidated railroad. It was supposed that the arguments would be made in the Repre- l sentatives' hall, but the committee decide d that they would hear them in the committee | room.
 At 2:45 MT. Perry commenced his argu- l ment for Mir. Goodwin, the petitioner. He | said: The inquiry which has been presented | Is sthreefold. First an evil is complained of. I It IS not for stealing or embezzlement, but it
 is for misrepresentation of funds. There is ! no malice in this investigation. From the I vivisection of one road you gain an opin- \ ion of all. This (Consolidated) is the richest road in the State, and the only one, except it may be the Naugatuck, that has receipts large enough to attempt to conceal them. Refer ring to President Watrous' testimony he said that in effect the report made by the compa ny to the State was unimportant. He argued that the stockholders in this corporation should know where the money has gone, and it was also important that investors should know where the money has gone. A railroad has sovereign power; it has the power of eminent domain, and receiving these powers from the sovereign people should be account ! able to the people for their acts The people ! have the right to regulate the fares and ! freights of railroads, and the courts have so said. If these corporations charge too much then the people will cut down their fares or \ invite competition. The matter of $500, ,000, ! said Mir. Perry, is only an incident. I say, however, that this matter which has been l talked about so much has been concealed and was intended to be concealed from the pub \ lie. They say this matter was made public to ! the stockholders but that won't do. This re- ! turn should have been made to the Railroad \ Commissioners. He claimed that it was evi- ! dent that there had been an intent to conceal the net earnings of the company. ! At 3:10 Mir. Cooley, of the committee, in, \ terrupted Mr. Perry and said that in his opinion it was wrong to hear these arguments | in this crowded room when the Representa- l tives' hall was unoccupied and hundreds were l waiting to hear the arguments He thought ! the representative people of the State should | be permitted to hear the arguments if they 1 so desired He said that while he voted for
 this course at the opening of the session and was in the minority, he could not move for a ! reconsideration. He appealed to the com ! mittee to reconsider their vote.
 MT. Gillette said that the committee had l heard enough on this subject, and suggested that the hearing proceed.
 Mir. Case, counsel for Mir. Goodwin, re- piled to Mir. Gillette that he had not heard l all there was to be said yet and he would hear more before he got through, whether he wanted to or not. He said that he supposed | the committee had prejudged the case, but he was determined that they should hear the ar- ! guments, whether they wanted to not
 Then came vote by the committee as to whether an adjournment should be taken to 1 Representatives hall and it stood f to 4, the casting vote of the chairman Senator Baker, ! making majority. There was loud clap | ping of hands and everybody rushed for | Representatives hall. After waiting patient | ly about ten minutes for the committee to | appear, the crowd rushed back again to the committee room. Arriving there it was found that the committee were still deliberat- | ing. President Watrous stated to the con- mittee that so far as he was concerned he
 would not object to the arguments being made where all could hear them. The con- ] mittee consulted farther, aud after consider | able discussion, which was not of the most pleasant character, voted to adjourn until ! I meeting the committee will decide where
 they will hear the concluding arguments, and
 it is likely that they will decide upon Repre-. sentatives hall.
 l Following IS summary of the business l transacted in the Senate and House to day. Senate.
 ! The Senate convened at 1O:3O o'clock, Lieu l tenant Governor Bulkeley in the chair. Pray CT was offered by Chaplain Sage. Committee reports were received as fol l lows:
 Humane nstitutions-Unfavorab1e on bill
 de insane soldiers and sailors; favorable to I acceptance of the annual report of directors | of State Reform School.
 Fisheries s-Unfavorable on bill providing l for the taxation of oyster grounds within the | exclusive jurisdiction of the State. rporations-Favorable to incorpora-
 tion of the Mexican International Railway
 company.
 l slate Prison-Substitute bill for act to es- 1 tablish board of pardons. The substitute 1 makes the board consist of the Governor, a l judge of the Supreme Court of Errors to be 1 designated by the judges of that court, and l four persons to be appointed by the General Assembly. All members must concur to se- cure communication of sentence or release l Finance-Substitute bill exempt1ng proper 1 Gy Ol uOuOFhDly ulScuarSeu SOlOlSfS, SallOrs and marines who served in the late war, to | the amount of $1 ,0O0.
 ] Senator Mills presented the following pe- l tition:
 To the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut
 l Whereas, the secretary of the State Board l of Education has included in his official re- port list of books suitable for school libra. 1 ries, and has mentioned the names of two l firms in said report who have ''kindly con l scented" to furnish the same at discount of l twenty five per cent. from the retail price ; I therefore, your petitioners would humbly pray that Q special committee of one Senator ] and two Representatives be raised, and they 1 be instructed to inquire and report by what 1 authority the names of these dealers have l been mentioned in said official report, and l whether it is any part of the duty of the sec- 1 retary of the State Board of Education to ad- vertise two bookselling firms at the expense I of the State and to the exclusion and detri-
 ment of others equally willing to afford the
 same accommodation. And your petitioners l would further pray that an order be issued | to the printers of said report suspending
 work on the same until the completion of this
 investigation. (SigneD
 1 HENRY H. PEoK New Haven, ! F. I. JARN1AN Flew Haven l POND E CHILDs, Hartford s. w. BARRows $ Co.,, Hartford l Senator Mills said that the petition is self explanatory, and added that the discount of