The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-03-15
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
MUCH BUSINESS OF PUBLIO INTER
 EST.

l County Republican Caucus.
 Hartford, March 14-Before the rail-
 road committee this afternoon General
 McManus of this city spoke on the
 bill concerning rates of fares on Sun
 day trains. The bill provides for re-
 peallng the present section, prescribing
 higher rates of fare on Sunday passen-
 ger trains-section 3526. General Me
 Manus opposed the bill. He said that
 the laws of the state already provided | for the shutting down of all business pursuits on the Sabbath and there was
 no excuse for repeating the statute
 regarding Sunday fares. Every in | crease of railroad business meant an increase of the number of the employees working on Sunday. If the bars are | let down so as to allow more accom- modations for carrying of the mails | and passengers on Sunday, will not the | manufacturers claim that it is unjust that they should not be allowed to carry l on their business onr Sunday?
 Rev. Dr. Cheseborough opposed the bill
 Rev. Dr. Twichell of Hartford said
 he would not have any lower fare on Sunday but the mileage books ofpatrons should be used as on other days.
 At present the mileage book cannot
 be used.
 Vice President Hall explained the bill He said the Consolidated road
 was not here to object to the moral sentiment of the state, but they did ,1,t oF ba a higher rate of fare on Sundays. The bill precludes person from using his mileage book, although he may have one in his pocket, Such person must pay the extra fare prescribed by law
 He continued:
 People living in other states protest against this action, but we can do nothing, as the law stares us in the face. They say that this is a relic of the old blue laws. They don't under stand the matter. On the other side, our friends say that by repeating this bill we will have a right to rum excur- sion trains. Now the Consolidated road is not in the Sunday excursion business and we are only seeking to run the trains the commissioners have prescribed for Sunday. We have run an extra train on such occasions as the funeral of Bishop McMahon, but these extra occasions seldom occur.
 "The entire law should be swept from the statute books. Ministers exchange pulpits on Sunday and it is convenient for them to ride on the trains and they should not be charged extra fare on that day Something has been said about the excursions of steamboats and electric roads on Sunday, and while it is true that they do a larger busi- ness in summer on Sunday, I have noth- ing to say on that matter. I don't be- lieve there is a railroad in the state that runs a Sunday excursion train. The moral sentiment of the state en- dorses the law concerning Sunday trains with the exception of this par tieular law-section 3526--which i'm poses a hardship on travellers. We are getting raps from the newspapers all around because of this law and it is alleged that this grasping monopoly desires to put In it's treasury the extra profits wrung out of patrons who travel on Sunday. As a matter of fact the United States mails and our passengers have to be carried on Sunday and this is recognized all over the state; but we cannot help the working of this unjust law. We earnestly desire the repeal of this obnoxious law, which is so unjust to the public"
 WANT LOWER FREIGHT RATES.
 The bill of James L. Cowles of Farm ington, providing lower freight rates on the Consolidated road was favored by that gentleman, He made long speech in which he charged that the road had excessive charges for freight, and said it was driving the manufac- turers out of the state in consequence
 c. s. Mellen, traffic manager of the road, inreply spoke in part as follows:
 How dangerous a little knowledge of railroading is. MT. Cowles has shown us that in the south, with long haul the rate on cotton is less per mile than on our road That is true, and it is also true that a short haul for cotton on the southern railroads costs more per mile | than the long haul. We cannot help the | rate that is fixed for us One of the features of the zone system of l rates advocated by MT Cowles is that 1t l is good when taken in small doses, but | bad in it's general scope. One of the | reasons that our freight rate is so high | per mile is because for many years | the Consolidated road was a passenger | We were unable to become a | great freight railroad until the improve ments in our road bed between New | Haven and Harlem river were advanced | towards completion. But the rate per ton per mile is now rapidly decreasing. Recently we have made special traffic rates with other roads and will soon nave as low a rate as the Boston and | Maine and the Fitchburg, which have been freight roads these many years. Reductions will be made by linking our- selves with fast freight lines, as we lave already done in several instances."
 MT. Cowles interrupted to speak about hese rates driving the manufacturers rom the state.
 "If that is so" said MT. MelIen, why nave not the manufacturers appeared lere? Why have not they spoken for themselves without an intermediary? Who do you represent but yourself?
 have not discerned in all the manu- acturing interests any reference to MT. 1owles, and I don't believe I shall"
 THE KELLEY CURE.
 Tbarn TITO !, Iza. l