The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-24
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES
HEARINGS ON MATTERS OF LOCAL
INTEREST HELD YESTERDAY.

Iishment of Hnrbor Lines-Corpor"-
tion Counsel Opposed the Fourteen
Towns BilIs-Commissioner Macdoh-
AIDS Good Roads Talk.
Attorney w. S. Pardee's bill for the
| division of New Haven into lourIeeii
towns was up for a hearing before the
| legislative committee on new to"lia
and probate districts yesterday allei-
| noon. After the reading of the Dill py
the clerk of the committee Mr.. Pardee
| explained the purpose of the bill, lie
| said that all the public tunctlohs no"
retained by the city of New haven 10 ~
send two representatives to the general
assembly. If the bill to set OH new
| towns was passed these towns Wouiu
have no powers of taxation, but only
| the power of electing representatives
| If under the consolidation act the Guy
of New Haven pays the expenses OF anu
governs one town, then there Is no red
son why it should not do the same lor
fourteen towns. One town clerk could
perform the duties Of that office Tor all
the fourteen towns, as there is no con-
stitutional requirement that town
clerk shall be a resident OF the town OIL
which he is an official. The forty-tWo
selectmen could meet in one room 10
make voters, and then II a to De mace
voter presented himself the three select
| ment of the ward from which he hailed
could register him and make him
voter. One hundred and ten thousand
people in a total state population OF
$780, 900 ought to have more than TWO
representatives Since the present con-
stitution was adopted forty-eight new
towns have been set off and created. II
people in these other parts of the state
are entitled to increased representation
during this time why is not New Ha-
ven also entitled to it?
James G. Patterson, of the Travellers
Insurance company Of Hartford. Thought
that no more towns were wanted in
| Connecticut Some towns have too
large representation for their popula-
ton and others have too small represen-
tation. You know that two towns of
the state with a total population of less
than 1000 have an equal representation
with New Haven and Hartford, with a
| total population of 17500O. Is there any
| excuse for such a condition of things?
Mr.. Patterson thought there was not.
The state has during the years since the
adoption of the constitution grown more
in some localities than in others For
/ example, Lebanon, the home of Jona-
than Trumbull, has to-day one-half the
population it had in the days of Broth
er Jonathan. Yet the representation of
Lebanon remains the same now as 1t
was then. Mr. Patterson thought that
the unsatisfactory representation could
not be remedied by creating new towns.
| He suggested two plan for equalizlng
representation. First, by giving each
| town two members for 5000 and others
| for population above 5000. Or give
every town one member, and additional
members according to their population,
AS the state grows the towns would be
equally represented according to their
relative growth. AS to the senate, Mr..
Patterson suggested continuing the
! present membership, and giving each
county three senators. This would
leave the lower house as the really rep
resentative body.
| Under the plan for one representative
for each town New Haven would have
81, Hartford 16 and Bridgeport II. 9th
! ers who favored the bill were eX-Judge
Rufus S. Pickett, Burton Mansfield, AL
derman Donovan and Councilman Hen
ry C. OSullivan, all of New Haven.
Corporation Counsel w. H. Ely, al
though he had been directed by the al
| 10 20 he
passage Of the bill opposed it, saying
that he had received no official notice
that the common council had voted in
structions to him to favor the bill.
Attorney Charles H. Fowler of New
Haven favored the object of the bill,
but thought that the bill did not pro-
vide the proper way of getting just
representation. He offered the follow
ing substitute bill:
| The house of representatives shall
consist of electors residing in the towns
| from which they are elected.
Every town in which there is no in
corporated city or borough shall have
one representative in the house of rep
resentatves.
Every town in which there is an in
! corporated city or borough shall have
| one representative from every ward or
voting district created by the legisla-
ture in said towns, which representa-
| tive shall be resident of the ward or
| voting district from which he is elected
| and shall be chosen by the electors of
| the ward or voting district in which
| the representative resides.
| Resolved, That this resolution shall
be continued to the next session of the
general assembly as a proposed consti-
| tutional amendment, and shall be pub
lished with the laws of this session.
Before the committee on cities and
boroughs the firemen's petition was up
for an adjourned hearing for half an
hour. Judge Pickett spoke in favor of
it. William c.. Foote of the firemeu's
committee stated after the hearing that
now that his connection with the COM
mittee was concluded he desired to say
that he had acted as he had in favor
ing the petition because he had consid-
cred it his duty as a fireman so to act
in the interests of the members of the
department, but not from any desire
to antagonize the powers that be.
The same committee also held a short
adjourned hearing on the bill for the
amendment of the borough of Fair Ha-
ven East.
A Iorua 5a1eoa tiop of merchants from