Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-26
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,


 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,. One Of the Busiest Days of the Session
 -NOrWalk's Contribution to the LOb-
 by-Senator Chapman Before the La
 ber Committee-The Double Track
 Question Before the Committee oA
 Cities and BorO ughs-Other Matters.
 HARTFORD, Feb. 25, 1886. Special to the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 This has been one of the busiest days of the present session thus far. Both houses have worked with will and have disposed of number of bills. some of them of but little importance, perhaps, but yet they have been removed from the calendar and will give place to others. The committees are now form ulating their reports very rapidly and the bills on which hearings have been had are being reported back V the dozens every day.
 The residents of Norwalk fairly took the Capitol by storm to-day. They came on a special train of five cars that ran through to Hartford without stopping. It is said that this is the first train that ever through New Haven without stopping. The Nor walkers were all gathere in the Rep resentatives' chamber this afternoon where there was hearing before the Commit $ee on New Counties and County Seats re- garding the proposed cha nge of the seat of Fairfield county from Bridgeport to Nor walk The committee did not seem to be overawed by so large an assembly of Nor walks good citizens, but rather took it good naturedly and proceeded with the hearing as complacently as though but half dozen per sons were before them.
 The Railroad committee gave 8 hearing this afternoon on Representative Pigott's proposed bill making the fare on all horse railroads between all poin ts five cents. Pres ident Ives, Hon. George H. Watrous, Hon. Lynde Harrison and J. B. Darlington, repre- senting the Fair Haven and Westville horse railroad, appeared in opposition to the bill. MT. Watrous also represented the New Haven and Whitneyville road. W. W. Ward of the New Haven and West Haven road, c. c. Blatchley of the State street road, MT. Per kins of the Norwich horse railroad and MT. Goodrich and Henry c. Robinson represent ing the Hartford and Wethersfeld horse railroad, all appeared in opposition to the bill. After the- hearing the committee de- cided to report adversely to the bill.
 The Labor committee had hearing this afternoon on the several bills relating to fac torizing of wages and exempting wages from attachment. Senator Chapman appeared be- fore the committee and made an able argu- ment in favor of bill abolishing the factor izing law and exempting wages from attach ment and execution, whether the same were paid daily, weekly or monthly. He believed that such amendment would be vastly bet ter for all concerned, the manufacturer, the merchant and the mechanic or laborer. If weekly payments were secured by law, and there no factorizing law, then matters would be brought down to a cash basis and the workman could use his money where he could get the most for it. He did not be ieve the credit plan, which was in reality sustained and upheld by the faotorizing law, had been any benefit to the merchants and and he knew it had been great burden to workmen and source of great trouble and annoyance to the manufacturers.
 This afternoon the bearing on the resolution authorizing the Fair Haven and Westville horse railroad to lay an additional track over it's route was commenced before the Com mittee on Cities and Boroughs. c. T. Dris- coll who appeared for the Common Council of New Haven, opened the case by objecting to the resolution being considered at all the ground that it was an amendment to the company's charter and public notice had not been given by advertising in the newspa- pers.
 Hon. Lynde Harrison, for the company, said that he did not see that the law in any
 
 olution and not petition It was not resolu- tion for the alteration of a charter, so the letter of the law did not apply in this case. The objection is simply technical one and he would answer it technically. MT. Driscoll had put in plea in abatement which could not be received at this time. He said if MT. Driscoll had gone before court with such a plea he would have been laughed at. When the Common Council instructed Mir. Driscoll as corporation counsel they instructed him to come before the legislature and favor this -resolution provided that the company con- piled with certain conditions, and if they did not comply then he was instructed to op- pose the resolution. He was not instructed by the Court of Common Council to come here and enter 6 plea in | abatement in any case. MT. Harrison then said that the statement made by w. J. At water that the resolution was of mn adversary 1 nature was not true, and that whole question | had been settled by the Supreme court years | ago, so far as the rights of property owners | or municipalities was concerned. The streets l belonged to the public at large and not to l individuals or to the city in it's corporate 1 capacity.
 Continuing MT. Harrison said that the l public had been demanding that double | tracks should be laid for long time. Pub l lie opinion in regard to the matter had l changed very materially within few years, and where there was formerly opposition I there is now decided feeling in favor of the | proposed improvements. Now, said MT. liar | rison, the only thing for the committee to l decide is whether the people want this thing or not, and if they do then they should be ! given an opportunity to be heard and not be l shut off by plea in abatement.
 MT. Driscoll replied at some length He | said if the company would embody the | changes proposed by the Court of Common l Council then he would withdraw his opposi- l tion. If they d1d not, then he proposed to 1 hy Ina 1 thought proper to adopt Mr. Driscoll then | read to the committee the requirements de- | handed by the city of the company. He in | sisted that the resolution was in the nature l of an amendment to the company's charter, and as such it could not be heard in the face of the statute.
 MT. Harrison suggested to Mr. Driscoll l that when the proposition to annex East Ha- ven to New Haven was brought to the legis- 1 Iature the same objections were made that legal notice had not been given, and the ! committee overruled the objections and 1 heard the case and he (DriscolD was in the legislature at the time and advocated the an- nexetion scheme.
 MT. Driscon replied that he had no recol- l lection of such an objection being raised be- fore the committee. Continuing, he said that if testimony was taken it would take ten l lays and then, in his opinion, the resolution would be rejected.
 Hon. George H. Watrous said the city was l asking more than the company could grant. | They were asking the railroad company to leep the streets in repair for all time, there oy removing the city's burden in this egard. The matter of transfers is not of m adversary nature and the various other questions raised by the city could enly be | iecided after hearing before the commit ee. This resolution comes to you for you | o investigate and see whether the company hould be granted what they ask. I say that here is nothing of sn adversary nature here, ! nd submit that nobody is to be hurt by I our hearing what is to be said on this reso- ution. Because the company wanted to lay | town an additional track, it was not a mat , er of adversary nature. It was a question of the public In reply to question by Chairman Ia em, MT. Watrous said if there was no track aid and the company was about to lay down
 new track, they would have a