Morning journal and courier., 1889-01-25
OUR LEGISLATORS.


 m1ttee's Deliberations sn the Heusa-
 tonic's PropositIon The Olnstead
 Parallel Crops Out once More-New Haven County Matters.
 HARTFORD, Conn, Jan. 24.-President W. H. Starbuck's emphatic declaration yester- day that he proposed to parallel the Consol1- dated road from New Haven to New York is still the talk of the capitol. The present in-
 dications are that the biggest lobby that ever | waited upon Connecticut legislation will fre- quent the capitol henceforth until the big ! fight begun yesterday, Is settled. The Housatonic syndicate has already prominent I lawyers and politicians at work to further I the parallel scheme and it is secret known enly to few prominent leaders of the New England syndicate that one of the abless and most celebrated attorneys and orators of Con- necticut will soon appear at the capitol in the interest of the Housatonic scheme. So far the only representatives the Consolidated road has had in the third house have been Hon. Henry 0. Robinson of Hartford and ex- Judge Harrison of New Haven.
 SECRET SESSION.
 ! The event that created the most interest at the capitol to-day was executive session of the railroad committee, held immediately after adjournment, in the railroad commis- sioners' office. The committee bounced ev- erybody from the office, including the rail road commissioners clerk, Mr. Utley. The committee considered the objection raised by the attorneys for the Consolidated yesterday to the reception of the Housatonic petition for increase of stock and removal of the limi- tation of their charter, which prevents them building branches over ten miles long with ! ont permission of the legislature. Attorney Harrison objected to the committees hearing 1 the petition because, he claimed, the petition ' CTS had not filed map of their proposed new | route as the law requires. The railroad com mittee spent an hour on this question, but adjourned without coming to 8 decision or ! taking a vote. The members decided, how ever, to allow the Housatonic people to go on I with their witnesses next Tuesday, as was done yesterday, subject to the objection. Members of the committee were very reti- cent concerning their deliberations, but well known member etated subsequently that it was very difficult to get an e1pres- sion of opinion from all the members, and ! no member of the committee yet knows whether it's vote as whole will be in favor of the petitioners or the Consolidated. If the latter case, the battle Is quickly one for the old road, but the prevailing impression here Is that the committee will not think 1t advisable to nip the Housatonic scheme In the bud 50 summarily, but rather hear what
 
 This is evidently the opinion of the Con- solidated people, for one of them said to-day inst everything indicated that long fight was impending. The railroad committee have consulted no outside attorney upon the legal points raised by ex-Judge Harrison yes terday.
 Judge Hubbard, counsel for the petition CTS, was asked to- day what the Housatonic people would do if the railroad committee should happen to decide against hearing their petition on the objection raised by the Consolidated. Judge Hubbard was unable to tell what would be done by his clients in such an event, but was very confident that the committee would not so decide.
 WANT TO BE INCORPORATED.
 The committee on interpretations are going to be very busy to pass upon the claims of the many petitioners for charters. The committee met to-day and made several as- signments for hearings next week. There are five new water companies, who want charters. The petition of the New Haven Improvement company has been assigned
 for January 30 at 3 o'clock. This is the petition for a charter of the Thomson-Houston Electrical com pany which wants to issue $10,000,000 worth of stock. filling Sc Webb are counsel
 for the company, which is represented at
 Hartford by the manager, ex-Postmaster
 Clark of Birmingham. The impression which
 is held by some that this company wants
 charter for an electrical trust" sort ot
 affair MT. Clark says is utterly incorrect.
 The company, which asks permission to hold, buy and sell all kinds of electrical stock, mo- tor roads, etc., does not expect or want charter to go into towns and establish plants of electric wires, but the point is this: The company manufacture all such electrical ap- pliances. They cannot now hold the securi- ties of other companies. But if number of people should want to establish a new electrical road in New Haven, or other place for instance, and could not raise but $25, 1000 his company would like power to help with capital and sell the local company appliances to operate their lines, or, in other words, the petition CTS desire to have power to take bonds or promissory notes in such concerns for the purpose of selling them its apparatus. STRUGGLING FOR THE OFFICES. The law provides that there shall be one State auditor from each party. Representa- tive Durand, of Milford, will make a lively contest with Smith of Hartford, who is the other Democrat after the place. The finance committee will hear the claims of the two Tuesday. Eugene Morehouse, of Stratford, will receive the Republican appoinement. LIVELY WORK FOR THE HOUSE.. About fifty new bills were introduced in | the general assembly to-oay, ana prlnclpalIy | in the House. Mir. O'Neil of Waterbury sent in another of his series of indirect taxation bills, by which he proposes to tax railroads, banks, etc., and remove just so much from direct taxation of the people. lie has al | ready sent in bills to tax savings banks and palace car companies. His bill to-day pro- vides that tax of twelve mills on the dollar of actual value of railroad stock shall be laid ! on non-residents.
 MORE RAILROAD LEGISLATION.
 A resolution was offered extending the
 time for completing the construction of the New York and Connecticut Air Line
 railroad company to the last day of
 December, 1893, provided that $500, 900 shall be expended on or be- fore the last day of December, 1891. 1 Mr. Ripley of Pennington sent in bill to compel railroad committees not to discrimi- nate in charges against any patron, and that the railroad commissioners shall investigate | all complaints of this nature and make orders ! to carry out the spirit of the act.
 | Among other new matters introduced was | a bill by Mr. Loomis of Manchester to compel | inehrja ated Deople to tell where they got their