Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-09
WORK OF A WEEK
What the Legislators Have Been
 Doing.
SHORT SESSION IN SIGHT
Leaders of Prominent Committees Say They Will Endeavor To Have It So Some of the Measures That Were Handled During The Week.

Hartford, March 9.-A considerable
 batch of new legislation was cleaned from the slate of the general assembly, this week. The wheels of legislation now seem to be moving smoothly and with Fridays given over entirely to
 committee hearings the session this year ought to be cut down by Ut least two Weeks. Senator kenealy is the leader of the movement for ;: short
 session and says that with the new
 arrangement ill effect the session
 ought to be shortened appreciably. The
 railroad committee, which will prolong
 the session. if any committee does. be-
 cause of the immense legiSlariOn which
 it will have to wade through. has now
 got under way and will report regular
 ly from now on. Senator Bufton.
 chairman of the committee. stated
 this wek that with one or two .eX-
 captions his committee would have
 smooth sailing this year. and he did
 not look forward to any serious de- lays on account of fights between op- posing interests. The main light of
 the session will be on the petition of
 the Connecticut Western road for per
 mission to extend its tracks from
 Taritfville to Springfield. and rumbles
 from the distant struggle on this peti-
 ton are already heard about the Capi-
 tol building. Next week Tuesday will
 
 Bridgeport Traction petition and this should prove prolonged matter. Otherwise the committee expects to
 get through with it's business in fair time. The judiciary committee has now heard over one hundred bills and has disposed of thrty-five. The policy t of the committee is to vote down all new proposed laws unless there is good reason for their passage. Senator kenealey in the senate this week stated this 10 be the policy of the com mittee and the result will be that but
 new laws will go on the statute books this year.
 w. IT. Taylor did not succeed this year in securing favorable action on his biennial legislative history. but Representative Chandler of Thompson asked for a reconsideration of the bill in the house on the ground that the members as a rule wanted the ap- propriation of S4.0GO to be made for the book. Representative Chandler, 1 two weeks ago, made an im- passioned speech for economy I this session and opposed Sl .Wsl 1 aDproDriation for q veterans hospital. l The matter will come up for debate l next week.
 This week the last of the contested | election cases was decided. and George l F. Bicknell and August Machmeyef or 1 Meriden retain their seats. against l Willis and Fenn. The bill to force l bicyclists to show lanterns on un- 1 lighted streets was turned down. as
 were the following bills: Providing 1 for the teaching of department in the l public schools: providing that street l "a lways should erect stations at cross
 roads: providing that detectives should secure licenses to do business ill this | state.
 According to a dispatch received
 in New Haven from Washington there | is d probability that the next justice l of the supreme court of the United
 States may be Professor William k. Townsend. judge of the United States l circuit court. or Professor Simeon Es Baldwin. associate justice of the su- 1 prone court of Connecticut. Both are professors in the Yale law school. The
 probability is based on the report that l President Mckinley may soon have q vacancy on the bench of the supreme
 court to fill, inasmuch as Justice Gray l reached the retiring age three years
 ago and has recently given out tho | impression that he will soon retires | probably after the decision is made i'm
 the Porto Rico and Philippine cases ] now bnfora inc SIlnrona federal court.