The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-10-10

the passage of some bill that would re- lieve us from the dsgraceful condition of the roads of our grand old common wealth, Finally, almost at the last hour of the legislature, just two days before the adjournment, the legislature gave to the people bill to relieve them from their trouble.
 The bill, under which We as com mission act to-day, although 1t is early to make a prediction, yet l do not hes itate to say that it is the most impor- tant measure passed by the legislature of 1895 and no act of the state board of trade will result in SO much good to our state as it's action in this mat ter.
 Have you ever stopped for a moment to think what a small volume it would take Considering the importance of the question: to compile a history of the men who have made our country what it is to-day; the great generals, the great inventors, the great statesmen, and the great business minds? If so, you know that less than one hundred would be the sum total, and then sup pose you go still further and leave out all the history of their lives and select the one or two things that led up to their success and it would not take many pages. So it comes to pass that with seventy millions of people alive in the United States to-day and the mil I lions dead, the history of our country radiates from the force and influence of the lives of less than one hundred men.
 | France will perhaps never have an other Napoleon, Germany a Bismarck, | England Gladstone Scotland its | Bruce, while we have had Washington, 1 Lincoln, Mccormick, Edison, Grant, | Blaine, Jefferson, Jackson, Franklin, Morse and others. So with the duties that come to your honorable board, no action, whatever it may be, will weld the influence for good that your action on the good roads question will; all the years that you have been an organ ization, all the years that you continue as such, will never bring the satisfac- ton and fame that your work on this matter will. It will grow more popular and helpful with each succeeding year | of your existence. In other words, you have erected a monument that will en- dure for all time. The bill under which we work is not perfect and it was not l expected to be. The Massachusetts commission had the same trouble and amended their bill the next legislature, so that now they can overcome a great many obstacles that met them und the first bill.
 Our principal trouble with the bill IS the lack of power to appoint o'tr own inspectors on the work, This is Ia sari- ous matter, as we have inaugarated a new system of construction tna- the se- lectmen are unfamiliar with, and we do not have the time to go to every trwu and instruct them. To remedy the evil in part we place a clause in the sfecii- cations that the contractor shall not re- ceive any money for any parS of the work unless he has a cert fcate that such work that has been I)ne is m ac- cordance with plans and specified tons. This in manner protects us, but not wholly, as our visits are nos frequent enough to properly inspect the work
 Mir. Macdonald was loudly applauded and vote of thanks was rendered him for his interesting and instructive pa per.
 At the conclusion of MT. Macdonald's address the members discussed the sub Ject of better highways among those participating in the discussion being Richard Cheney of South Manchester, MT. Chandler of Norwich, MT. Allen of Hartford and N. A. Easterbrook of New Haven.
 The report of the committee on "The Disposal of Sewerage and the Pollution of Streams" consisting of Messrs Me Ginley of New London, Richards of Hartford and Dr. Worden of Bridge port, was then read, being in the form of a communication from Dr. Worden none of the members of the committee being present. The communication stat ed that the object of the committee to get a bill through the last legislature preventing pollution of streams was not attained. He recommended that the committee be continued in power and two more members be added to it. It was suggested that T. W. Mckenzie of Sounthington and County Health Officer c. F. Hoadley of this city be selected as the additional members, and the l Suo 6 SStioh was le'NOl dply dtLeu upOIl, the two gentlemen named being ap- pointed additional members of the com mittee.
 The question of Taxation of Street Railways by Municipalities" was next discussed, Attorney Charles Kleiner be- ing the first speaker. He thought that the railways should not be put to a double expense paying state and town taxes, and advocated the payment of the tax to municipalities instead of to the state.
 Other gentlemen who spoke on the subject were H. Holton Wood of Derby, MT. Woodward of Hartford, MT Aborn of Merdden and W. s. Wells of this city.
 MT Tinker of New London; a member of the committee appointed last year to attend the convention in Boston called to form New England board, read a report embodying a resolution favoring 8 New England board of trade. After considerable discussion the meeting voted to lay the resolution on the table, as there was opposition to the scheme
 Attorney E. P. Arvine, who was nam ed on the program for an address on l"Uniform Laws Throughout the States was not able to be present, but he had