Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-04-06
SOnrnal artb Courier.
The General Assembly.
HARTFORD, April 5, 1882.
Thursday Mernins. April 6. 1882.

HARTFORD, April s. 1882.
Senate.
The Senate assembled at 1890 O'Clock, |
lieutenant Governor Buckley in the chair.
rayer was offered by Chaplain Sage.
Senator Hoyt presented petition signed by |
:. A. Hoyt and 600 others of Stamford in aid
f the Parallel road.
The resolution extending thanks to Presi
emit Arthur for his action in vetoing the anti
hinese bill came from the House passed.
enator Mills moved to lay t he resolution up
Z the table, so ordered.
At II o'clock the special order of the day,
eing the petition of Marshall Jewell ct al. to
uild a railroad, was called for. The action
f the House in rejecting the majority report
nd passing the report of the minority was
by the clerk.
Senator Baker moved to table the majority
eport so ordered He then moved to sub
titute the minority report.
The House amendments to the bill were
ldopted.
Senator Baker, chairman of the Commit
lee on Railroads. addressed the Senate and
said that the first thing to be considered is
;he men who ask for permission to build the
railroad. There is no doubt but what the
gentlemen who ask for the road will build it.
They wish to build a road across Connecticut
from New York to the Rhode Island line.
They wish to take little strip of land six or
seven rods wide and they want to pay the
full price for it.. They also wish to make
money, and no one objects to that. They
Will spend 100000 or $1O,OOO,0OO within
The State, and the only opponents to this Pc
tition are the New York, New Haven and
Hartford railroad and the Air Line. Ipay no
attention to the latter for it has not much ex-
cept a track, and they are sold body
and soul to the Consolidated road. The
&c +ha &oI how
are making an immense per cent. on the cap
ital invested. New York city will be accom-
modated by the new road, and the business
of Connecticut materially advanced. Many
of the people that now go from New York to
New Jersey to live will, if the railroad facili-
ties are increased, leave the mud and mosqui-
toes of New Jersey and come into Connecti-
cut Another railroad is needed at the lower
end of the State. The old road has no ter
minus either in New York or Boston, and yet
the building of the road towards New York
has materially benefited the towns. In fact
their prosperity is entirely due to the rail-
road. If this charter is granted there is no
reason to doubt but that not only the western
section of the State, but the eastern will be
materially benefited
Senator Bradstreet favored the charter,
and said his constituency was also in it's
favor. He said the only opposition came
from the Consolidated road, a road which
made greater rate per cent than any road
east of the Rocky Mountains. The manu-.
facturers of the Naugatuck valley are being
charged the same rate of freight as they were
during the war. 1t costs ST. per mile to
draw a car load of lumber from Madison to
Saybrook, while it only costs eight cents per
mile to draw it from Chicago But the Con-
solidated road say they can do two or three
times as much business as they do now.
don't believe it, The petitions against the
proclamation of Sunday by freight trains show
this There is no question which troubles
the managers of this road as much as how
they shall manage the immense business
which is crowding them.
Senator Hoyt said that the people through
out his section were IN favor of the Parallel
road. If it were possible he would resign
his seat and give his constituency the oppor-
tunity to send some one else who would
represent them. He owns no stock in the
Consolidated road and never did. In general
the Consolidated carried its patrons safe and
we'll. Considering the premium upon the
stock the investment pays but about six per
cent and every dollar that it made over and
above the dividend goes into the road and
benefits the public. The rates of fare and
freight are the lowest, and passenger tickets
will soon be sold at the rate of two cents per
mile. AS long as this road does so much for
the people, have we the right to destroy it !?
At this point Senator Hoyt introduced a
long letter from ex -President w. D. Bishop
of the New York, New Haven and Hartford
road, and requested that it might be read by
the clerk.
The reading of the letter was begun. 1t
set forth at length the views of Mr.. Bishop
in regard to the petition. After the reading
proceeded short way Senator Hills made
the point of order that the letter was an ar
gument by Mr.. Bishop irregularly intro
duced.
The chair decided the point well taken.
After an explanation by Senator Hoyt that he
should read the letter himself if the clerk
was not allowed to do SO, Senator Hills with
drew his objections.
The letter went over the history of the va
rious petitions for a parallel" road and
averred that they had all been brought for
speculative purposes, and mainly for the sake
of getting money from the Consolidated road
In it Mr.. Bishop stated that his interest in
the Consolidated road is comparatively small
and the granting of charter to the petition
ers could affect him but little. He also
stated that the construction of railroads by
what he termed the exiting" plan fills him with
establishment and is bound to result in finan-
cial ruin. He would not for moment i'm
pugn the character or sntegrity of the petit
TONERS, but was of the opinion that they
were being used by Mr.. Pool to further his
private ends, and that as soon as they found
out his object they would wash their hands
of all connection with him.
At the conclusion of the reading Senator
Hoyt said that he wished it distinctly under
stood that he did not believe that the gentle
men whose names appear in the petition
would do anything that is not fair and above
board. He was led by the reasons advanced
in Mr.. Bishops letter to vote against the Pc
tition
Senator Mills supported the petition and
said that he regretted to hear the letter from
Mr.. Bishop which had been read. Mr.. Bish-
op had full opportunity to appear before the
committee and make his statement and that
was the place for him to have made his argu-
ment and charges. If the new road is built
new towns and villages will spring up and
the State will be benefited. The road will
certainly be built if the charter is granted.
Mr.. Pool about whom SO much has been
said, was highly endorsed before the commit
tee by Mr.. Wheeler,a director of the Consoli-
dated road. 1t has been the rule throughout
the country that competing lines have re-
duced fares. This is shown by the compel.
ing routes between Washington and Balti
more, New York and Philadelphia, and Boston
and Portland, not to mention the great
competing routes West. In regard to the
general railroad law the speaker said that it
was. the work of w. D. Bishop, and that he
testified before legislative committee in
1874 that that law was passed to prevent a
Parallel road being built. In conclusion he
stated that New Haven stands 20 to l IN
favor of the new road. The matter is a con-
test between the people of Connecticut and
the New York New Haven and Hartford and
the New York and New England roads.
Senator Sturtevant offered an amendment
providing that if the road shall fail to expend
$500, 900 in two years after it shall be begun,
one half to be expended between Norwich
and the Rhode Island State line and one-half
between Greenwich and Bridgeport, the char
ter shall be revoked.
The amendment was rejected by vote of
Is to 6.
On motion of Senator Mills, the yeas and
nays were called on the resolution. The vote
was as follows Yeas-Senators Hills, list :;
Mills, 8th; Baker, 18TH Cooke, 18th ;
Bradstreet, goth Alsop, 2nd; Dennis, oath
T. Nays-Senators Cheney, 22d; Strick-
land, 3D. Upham, 4th; Elton. 5th; Jones,
9th; Gum, 7th; Colt, 9th; White, 10th !;
Sturteyant, 18th; Hoyt, 18th; Seymour,
14th; Northrop, 18th; Hammond, 10th !;
Boss, 18th; Richardson, 10Th; Spencer,
21st; Gilbert, 23d-17.
The petition was rejected by the above
vote.
On motion of Senator Colt the unfavorable
report of the majority of the committee was
accepted and the petitioners given leave to
withdraw.
Adjourned at 1870 until Thursday at 1890
a. N.
House.