The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-23
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE PISSED THE CONNECTICUT
 WESTERN RESOLUIION.

The Vote Was 134 10 1I1--FavOrable Re-
 port on B.lI to Amend the New Haven
 City Charter Concerning Term of
 Office of Director of Public Works an d
 Town Officers Other Business in th Q
 House and Senate Yesterday.
 The chief business before the house
 at Hartford yesterday was the consld-
 eration of the adverse report of the
 railroad committee on the resolution to
 permit the Connecticut Western Rail- / road company to complete it's extension
 from Tariffville to Springfield by al
 lowing it to condemn a strip of land 313
 feet wide just east of Tarffville. This
 matter came up as the special order of
 the day at II o'clock, and at that hour
 the gallery was packed with people in
 terested in the outcome of the fight and
 the spectators seats about the hall of
 the house were all filled.
 The debate on the resolution lasted
 about two hours, and at o'clock, on
 motion of MT. Wadsworth, of Farming
 ton, the previous question was ordered.
 An aye and nay vote was taken, and
 the committee report against the pass
 age of the Connecticut Western resolu-
 tion was rejected by a vote of 194 to Ill
 and the resolution was adopted.
 Mir. Walsh, of Greenwich, the house
 chairman of the railroad committee,
 opened the discussion by reviewing the
 history of the petition with carefully
 worded statement of the question.
 Representatives Bowers, of Manches-
 ter, Freeman, of Hartford, Watkins of
 Manchester, Scoville, of Salisbury,
 Clarke, of Winchester, Willes, of Yer
 non, Rogers, of Barkhamsted, Allen, of Groton, and Colt, of New London, spoke in favor of granting the petition of the Connecticut Western.
 Representatives Woodruff, of Orange, Calxins, of East Lyme, and Donovan, of New Haven, opposed the passage ot the resolution and spoke for the Con- solidated road which opposed the reso- lution.
 Something of a sensation was caused when MT. Willes, of Vernon said that the honor of the state was at stake. It was said that votes had been bought and sold. member of the house had told him Tuesday in the lobby that the Consolidated railroad was offering $200 | apiece for votes He could point out | the member who had made the state ment to him. It was public talk and | who could gainsay it? Another one had told him that $500 had been offered If the house did not vote to give the Connecticut Western the privilege which it asked it was because members of the house were bought
 MT. Freeman, of Hartford, and MT. Wakeman, of Fairfield, rose to point of order on the ground that the lam guage of MT. Willes was not parliament tary. Speaker Light ruled that the Ian guage of MT. Willes was not parliament tary. and he asked the gentleman to withdraw it. Mr. Willes withdrew his language as far as it applied to mem bers generally, but not as it applied to those for whom he intended it. Who ever the coat fits let him wear it." said MT. Willes. Continuing, MT. Willes said that on Tuesday gentleman had threatened him if he would not vote for the Consolidated railroad.
 MT. Donovan, of New Haven, said that the gentleman from Vernon had charged the members of the house with being corrupt. He intended to stand by the railroad committee and vote for the Consolidated railroad. The general assembly had been attacked by one member. If that gentleman was so honest and so pure why did he not go to the state attorney for his county and complain of the person who tried to cor rupt him? He said; T say, gentlemen ] the language of the>gentleman is out landish, and such man is not Tt to De a member of the house.
 The resolution will come up in the { senate for action to-day l
 The committee on cities and boroughs l reported yesterday to the house on two S amendments to the New Haven char ( ter The committee recommends in fa- ( yor of repeating the present civil ser C vice feature of the charter as applied z to the director of public works and the l head of the bureau in the department Ii of public works, the superintendent of r streets and superintendent of sewers V The amendment which was sent to the q house provides that the mayor shall 4 appoint in June, 1901, and biennially V thereafter, a director of public works, to hold office during the term for which e said mayor shall be elected and until r his successor shall be appointed and a qualified. It repeals the provision in Q the present charter that the director I shall devote his entire time to the ser 9 vice of the city and have no other oc- h cupation during his term of office. The amendment also provides that during the month of June, 1901 and biennially thereafter, the mayor shall appoint all I heads of bureaus to hold office during q The term for which the mayor shall have g been elected and until their successors are appointed and qualified, ( The power of removal is retained in ' the amendment. The terms of the lt board of charity commissioners are re- e luced from three to two years. One of f. he commissioners to be appointed shall n receive salary of s2,O0O per year-the F )ne to be appointed superintendent. It II provides that the mayor shall appoint a he assistant corporation counsel in- N stead of the corporation counsel, as at E present. G The amendment to the charter to | ,hange the city election from April to November is stricken out, but the terms if the grand jurors and registrars of -oters are increased to two years. The amendment provides that the town Jerk registrar of vital statistics, grand cl