Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-06
WORK GALORE.
Legislators Astonished by In
dux of New Business.
Catholic Total Abstinence Societies to
Urge Repeal OF Law Preventing
the Carrying of Arms.
lspec!al corregpondenee OF the spyl

terday, is a document of IS pages. The
pages are filled with measures already
introduced, many of which have been
assigned for hearings with many others
yet to be assigned. Last year at this
time there were but 6S pages to the bull
letin, and there were not nearly as many
matters included therein. There are
still some $50 measures to go into the
bulletin, and when the next issue APP
pears, which is Wednesday of the COM
ing week, there will be over 100 pages
and 1000 or more bills and resolves and
petitions that have been introduced
since tine beginning of the session. There
is no longer any doubt, therefore. as to
the amount of work cut out for the
legislature of 1898.
In considering the amount Of business
at hand at the present time, it should
be remembered that there has been a
shorter period this year for the intro
duction of new business than there was
last year. The last day for the intro
duction of new business in 1897 was the
first Wednesday in February, but this
year the rule was changed, at the sug-
geStion of the committee on rules, and
all new business had to be filed with the
clerks of the two branches before the
close of the last legislative day of JAN
uary. 1t looked at one time, say about
the third week in January, as if the
legislature would have but meagre
amount of business for consideration,
but the way in which the bills and petit
tons poured in during the last week in
the month caused the veterans here at
the state house to open their eyes in
establishment, but it Is all in now, and
what has or may be presented since
the first of the month must run the
I'M lat of ho for
the suspension of the 18th joint rule.
There are two hearings before this
committee set for Monday on this very
question of the suspension of this rule,
and there is considerable interest in the
decision of the committee. Although
some latitude is expected on account of
the fact that this is the first year of the
new RUE, it is expected that the policy
Of the committee in this direction will
be more vigorous than ever before, in
the hope Of facilitating the business al
ready in hand. The measures to be
heard by the committee Monday are
two bills for repeal of gas legislation,
one the repeal of the Massachusetts
Pipe Line gas charter and the other
for the repeal of the Boston Gas Com
pany charter.
There is to be an united effort this
year by the members of the Catholic
Total Abstinence societies of the state
TO secure a repeal or an amendment
to the law Of several years ago, FORBID
ding fraternal military organizations
from carrying arms. Representative
Macken of Hinsdale has introduced a
bill for an amendment to that law, al
lowing military companies whose MEM
bers are under 90 years of age, to carry
arms; and Representative Bresnahan of
Boston has introduced another measure
calling for the repeal of the law already
of IN nd ali
dioeeses nave thereby combined their
efforts for change in the law, and at
the hearing on the bills, both of which
will probably be considered together
there will be quite an attendance Of
Catholic Total Abstinence men, who are
anxious for repeal or change in the
law. Representative Macken is one of
the representative men among the
Catholic Temperance organizations of
the state. He was one of the delegates
last year to the national convention
which was held at Scranton, Pa. He
says that the total abstinence men of
Holyoke, North Adams, Springfield,
Worcester, Clinton, Westfield and Pitts
field are intensely interested in this bill,
and will probably send representativ
to the legislative hearing. Mr.. Macken
also says that the effect of the law pro-
hibiting these companies TO carry arms,
has been to decrease the membership
of the Catholic Total Abstinence So
cieties. In one district which had an
enrolment of 5000 men, the number has
diminished since the passage of the law
to less than 4000 Many of the societies
have considerable money invested in
military equipments, some of them from
$500 to $4,000. Unless the embryo SOL
diers are allowed to carry arms on
parade, the future growth of these so
cleties is seriously impaired, and hence
the desire for the ~ rpa in fha 1ou
The petitioners before the committee
on taxation have completed their case,
and Tuesday the remonstrants will be
given their inning. The committee has
decided on daily sessions between 10 80
and o'clock, and the real hard work of
the committee is now at hand. By far
the larger proportion of the evidence of
the petitioners was submitted in writ
ten on printed form, and after the re-
monStrants have presented their case,
the members of the committee will have
the. pleasure and the responsibility OF
considering mass of evidence for and
against the petition, that is likely to
stagger them. The remonstrants are
to be allowed the same privileges that
were extended to the petitioners, and
the same rule relative to cross dues-
tions, is to be applied in their favor. 1t
was little hard for some of the remon-
strants to remain quiet when the petit
TONERS were on, but the committee says
that the petitioners must preserve the
same silence. Of course pertinent
questions relating to facts will be al
lowed, but interruption fo3 the sake Of
discussing theories will not be allowed.
The remonstrants will probably take up
twice as much time as the petitioners,
in spite of all reasonable measures to
facilitate the hearings They will be
given ample opportunity to present
their
that the committee insists on is bust
ness. Unless this general rule was ap-
piled, there would be no end to the hear
ing, and the legislature OF 1898 would
hardly get out Of the way of it's sue
cessor.
The bill introduced by Representative
Parsons of Greenfield, relative to
change in the law relative to the infiic-
ton of the death penalty, is attracting
considerable favorable attention The
bill provides that all executions shall
take place at the state prison in Charles
town, thus relieving the sheriffs of all
counties in the state, save Suffolk, from
any work of this kind. This question
was agitated at the time of the execu-
ton of O'Neil, the Shelburne Falls muir
derer, and if the printed opinions of the
sheriffs of the counties of western Mas
saehusetts mean anything, these men
Will appear at the state house and adj
Vocate the change. The bill also in
cludes a provision for execution by cleo
tricity, and this suggestion seems to
meet with favor, too Many of the men
who have spoken with Mr.. Parsons de-
clare that the change should have been
made years ago and that the worst of
the electrocutions in New York have
been merciful, compared with the
deaths by hanging in this state The
electrocutton of Kemmler at Auburn in