The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-21
LEGISLATORS OF '95 DINE
REUNION HELD IF SIYIN ROCK
 YESTERDAY,

Attracted by the Shore Dinner of Course
 -"Sam" Fessenden the Center of Joility
 --somo Speeches Made-An Praised Gem
 eral Assembly of 1895.
 Politicians from all parts of the little Nutmeg state wined and dined and talked at the reunion of the general
 assembly of 1895 at Hills Homestead, Savin Rock, yesterday
 The men who made laws in 1895 were in the majority, but there was strong minority, made up of the usual politi- cal attaches of all such gatherings, also present. About three hundred were there, and it goes without saying that about three hundred also had political
 ambitions of large or small dimen
 sions buttoned beneath their vests, waiting only to be revealed by the in genious remark of some friend.
 Our Sam," as Speaker Fessenden of the house of 1895 is familiarly called by
 his associates, was the sun and center of the gathering, partly because he was
 speaker in 1895, partly because of his position as toastmaSter and partly be- cause of political ambitions which he is supposed to harbor beneath his ample vest.
 Grouped around the ex-speaker, who occupied the position of honor at the head of the table, were other political planets of greater or less degree of inn portance.
 Tba 5sppo, x,,a .,o,,,ol o,, +La Iou,o in front of the homestead, beneath large tent which protected the diners from the rains which fell at periodic in tervals.
 The legislators and their friends be- gan arriving in the city at as early an hour as Il o'clock, and most of them left for the Rock at 12:30 About 2 o'clock the party sat down to dinner, and jolly dinner party it was, too. One might easily have mistaken the gathering for a Yale senior class SUD- per or Yale class reunion had not bearded faces and other signs of ma turity betokened statesmen
 Dinner over, Our sam" from his vantage position at the head of the ta- ble, primed the speakers for their post prandial speech-making. As usual on such occasions, there were all sorts of speeches-some good, some not.
 A. c. Sternberg of West Hartford, chairman of the committee of arrange ments, in a somewhat spirited address praised the farmers, saying that it was eminently proper that they should con- trol the legislature of the state. His statement that the good roads commits nd ite- rI1 11n was received with hearty applause He characterized Toastmaster Fessenden as the star of the occasion and said it was due to his efforts that these re- unions were held. He closed with re- quest for three cheers for Mir Fessen- den, which were given.
 Hon. Stiles Judson of Stratford made one of the brightest speeches of the oc- casion-one full of witty hits at individ- ual members of the general assembly of 1895, He said, in part:
 MT. Toastmaster, or more properly, | MT. Speaker-If you will not call for the previous question at once I will make a few remarks. I read in the | Register some time ago that in intel feet the general assembly of 1897 was | far superior to that of 1885 Of course | I deny any such conclusion as that. l It must have been mistake-an error 1 of the printers in setting up the type.
 There are many reasons why 1 | would not exchange the general assem- bly, of 1895 for that of 1897. One is be- l cause of the enduring friendship and | fraternal feeling with which our joint l efforts in that assembly bound us to- | gether I would not give up the pride | which we can we'll feel in the integrity | and faithful stewardship with which | we served the public. I would not give up our presiding office. Our Joe is all | right, but what's the matter with plain Sam" (Cries of He's all right from all sides.)
 'It has been asserted that the gener- al assembly of 1895 was controlled by the Consolidated road. Let our critics that it was not until our friend. John Hall, convinced us that the road was the friend and guardian of all the widows and orphans ,f Connecticut that we came under the control of the Consolidated. Speaking of Judge Hall reminds me of an inci- tent which happened to Commissioner Eaton over there, WHICH llluSlrdleS Judge Halls persuasiveness He was 'iding down from Springfield a while ,go on the cars and got cinder in his .ye When he reached Hartford he went to the office of our friend, Dr. Whiting, where for the sum of S10 he was allowed to leave the doctors office without the cinder. Coming down to New Haven, Commissioner Eaton at once went to the office of Judge Hall. determined to make the Consolidated | 'oad pay for that cinder. He stated he matter to him and closed with the ] ,uery, Now, judge, what are you go- ng to do about it?' The judge replied 1t once. T don't propose to do any hing about it. According to the strict of the laws of 1895 the cin- Ter belonged to the Consolidated road md you walked away with the proper " of the corporation. However, as the 'oad has no further use for the cinder ve- shall drop the matter without mak- ng you any trouble Thus saying, he bowed the commissioner out of his of ice. l believe the general assembly Of s95 did not intentionally pass laws in avor of corporations, and I believe it .nacted such laws as it thought favor II ba r11h1io Oe Connecticut