Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-03-27
rHE aENERAL AssEmn1x.

Plenty OF Discussion and But
Little Accomplishments Middle
town Insane Hospital to be En-
larged-Political ssBosses'' to be
Retained In New Haven-NO End of
Talk.
HARTFORD, March 20.
Especial to the JOURNAL AND CoUR1ER.l
There has been a great deal of discussion
in the halls of legislation to-day, notably SO
in the House. In the Senate the bill that
occupied the largest share of the Senators
attention was that repeating the law prov1d-
ing for standard time and which appropriat-
ed not to exceed $4,000 per annum to the
Yale observatory for furnishing the time
daily to the New York and New Haven rail
road company, who in turn sent it by tele-
graph to all other railroads in the State.
The Committee on Appropriations thought
this an expense that could be Topped off
| from the annual estimates of expenses and
| therefore introduced a resolution repeating
| the act Senator Robertson, of New Haven,
ably opposed the appeal, as did also Senator
Maltbie, but the majority against them was
too strong to overcome and the law was re-
pealed. The effect will be that the railroads
will have to pay for this service in the future
| if they have it.
In the House the resolution appropriating
$50, ZOO to Build an addition to the Insane
| hospital at Middletown occupied good
share Of the attention of that body
| in the morning. There was strong opposi
| ton arrayed against the measure, but it was
| not sufficiently formidable to prevent its pas
sage. In the afternoon the registrar" bill
had an extended hearing, and great deal OF
| superfuous oratory was dispensed and with
| little apparent effect. 1t took the form of a
| party measure before the debate closed, al
| though the original bill was asked for by the
residents of Bridgeport without regard to
party and simply to enable them to avoid
| some unpleasant complications that had
| arisen there in the appointment of deputy
registrars. Mr.. Troup thought it just such
a law as New Haven needed to rid them
| selves of the f'bosses," as he termed the re-
gistrars, and SO he had New Haven included
with Bridgeport in the operations of the law.
l But it would not work. The Republicans
under the leadership of Mr.. Newton, of Dur
| ham, thought their party was going to suffer
| by the innovation, and SO they promptly sat
down upon Mr.. Troup's amendment. Were
it not foE these political entanglements thai
are constantly creeping into ordinary legisla-
| ton, causing long debates that are of no real
| service to anyone, the Assembly could finish
| its labors easily next week. AS matters are
| now running it is folly to make further pre-
dictions as to adjournment.
Following is summary of the business
| transacted in the Senate and House to-day.
The Senate.
The Senate was called to order at 1890
o'clock by Lieutenant Governor Cooke
Prayer was offered by Chaplain Taylor.
| Business on the calendar was disposed of as
| follows:
| The bill to prevent the celebrating of In
| dependence day on the night previous and
| up to daybreak came from the Committee on
| Engrossed Bills amended in several particu-
| lars Mr.. Maltbie said the amendments en-
| ,irely changed the phraseology of the bill,
| which action did not come within the prov
| ince of the committee. The amendments
| were rejected and the bill returned to the
Office of the secretary in its original form.
The resolution providing for fixing the
| boundaries on Long Island Sound between
Connecticut and Rhode Island was amended
| TO read "sea'' instead of ''Sound." Mr.. Stan
| ton said that the waters of Stonington har-
| Dor had been found valuable as oyster
| grounds and as these waters were bounded
| BY those of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Isl
/ and, it was desirable to have established
| lines The bill authorized the fish commits
sioners of this State to meet Rhode Island
commissioners for this purpose. The bill
passed.
Mr.. Cooley called up the bill authorizing
town meetings to fix the pay of assessors
and boards of relief and offered an amend
| ment excepting Hartford and New Haven,
which was adopted. At request of Mr.. Tur-
ner the bill was again tabled.
House bill 90 repeoling the law of 1889 to
prevent the killing of game birds for the pur-
pose of taking them out of the State was
called up by Mr.. Crandall and rejected.
Bill fixing penalty of 500 fine for depos-
iting starfsh or periwinkle in any of the navi-
gable waters of the State; passed.
Bill authorizing the commissioner of the
school fund to sell bank stock was rejected
The bill from the House repeating the reg
ular annual appropriation of $4,000 to the
Yale observatory, to furnish the State with
standard time, was discussed at some
length.
Mr.. Batcheller, chairman of the Committee
on Appropriations, explained that the COM
mittee had given the matter careful hear
ing and had come to the conclusion that it
was simply a matter of business so far as the
State was concerned. They did not think it
the So, 900 appropriation. They did not feel
competent to pass and did not attempt to in
any way pass upon the service furnished by
tie Yalel observatory, but simply considered
the question as to the value of this service to
the State. As now furnished it was in the
interests of the railroads, which corporations
were obliged to have this standard time and
the State was paying out So, 900 for a SER
vice that they could have anyway.
Mr. Robertson, of the Eighth, earnestly
urged the rejection of the committees report
as the system had worked well and was of
great benefit and convenience to the State,
especially to the manufacturers. Previous to
the passage of this law there were three diff
ferent kinds of time, resulting in confusion
and Inconvenience. The observatory had
been to great expense in making special pre-
partitions to correctly perform this service.
The observatory is fine building and its
whole apparatus and property is not worth
less than 100000. He thought the repeal
would result in putting us just where we
were in 1881, when there was a New York
and New Haven railroad time, a New Eng
land railroad time and local time-a state
of things not to be desired.
Mr.. Maltbie said that while the appropria-
ton was for the benefit of the railroads that
was simply an incident of the system which
was of benefit to the people and should be
continued. We all remember the confusion
resulting from the three different kinds OF
time which was in vogue in Hartford in 1881,
before this law was passed. 1t was simply
confusing, while now matters relating to
time ran along smoothly and, SO far as he
could learn, without any trouble to anyone.
Mr.. Walsh thought the present law was
simply paying the railroads for what they
were obliged to obtain for their own conven-
fence and the running of trains, and of which
the State could have the benefit without pay
ing $4,000 for it.
The vote was taken and, being doubted,
rising vote was called for, and the report of
the committee and the repeating of the law
making the appropriation was sustained, II
to Z. By unanimous consent Mr.. Robertson
changed his vote to the affirmative in order
to be able to move a reconsideration if here
after he should deem it advisable.
Bill to prevent brokers' sales on omar
gins" under penalty of fine of not more
than 5000 nor less than $50. or imprisonment
not more than ninety nor less than thirty
days, or both. Without debate and very
emphatically the Senate by viva voce vote
rejected the bill, which had been reported
against by the Committee on the Judiciary
and a substitute passed by the House.
The Senate adjourned to Friday morning
at 10 O'Clock.