The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-29
LEGISLATIVE DOINGS.
COURSE REGARDING ELDRIDGE
 COLLECTION REGRETTED.

Another Commonwealth Hns Purchase
 Under GonsIderatIon-FavoFa Re-
 port Concefning Memorial af Ander-
 sonyiIIe CemeterE-ssnatOrinI Action
 Regarding Colonel Burpee's Reap
 pointment Not CertaIn-Deaih of AS- slstant House Clerk Durant's Father.
 Hartford, June 26.-The course of the general assembly in allowing the Ed redge collection of war relics to be se- cured by outside interests, as will prob ably be the case. Is regretted by veter- ans of the war in Hartford. not less than by leading residents of the city. The collection is one of great interest and value and comprises a good many relics and curios that cannot be dupli- cated. The petition In favor of its pur- chase by the state was signed by large numbers in Hartford. including some of the most influential business and professional men in the city. Grand Army posts throughout the state were interested in the project. The plan was to place the collection in the capi- tol permanently, room over the senate chamber being selected for that pllr- pose. In the capitol the collection would become an object of perpetual Interest and attraction. The idea of state ownership of these war relics orig mated with the Hon. H. Wales Lines of Meriden, who realized the import ance of retaining them permanently in the state. The bill having that object in view was introduced by Senator George F. Bicknell of Meriden and received the backing of the old soldiers without exception in the general as- sembly. Back in the winter the vet oran association in the legislature wis tied the house of MT. Eldredge and set the seal of it's approval on the plans of ex-Senator Lines. The bill was on it's way to the committee on appro- Driations when it was intimated that the committee would obstruct the en- terprise at this session at least. The lack of cooperation from that com lnittee necessitated the giving up of all ideas of state ownership for the pres ent The state lost a good opportuni- ty for acquiring the collection. Another Commonwealth has the idea of buying the collection under advisement and the purchase is not improbable in the near future. MT. Eldredge, the owner of the collection, was in the civil war. For the past twenty-five years he has beer prominent business man in Hartford
 He has incurred large outlay in mak- ! ing the collection, which will grow ir value as the war period becomes more distant. & ...'1. ..
 \ The report of the committee on ap- propriations in favor of a suitable me morial at the Andersonville Nationa
 cemetery, honoring the dead from Con
 lfecticut, is to be highly. commended The monument is to cost s5,000. Colone
 Frank W. Cheney of the 18th c. V. reg s irnent is at the head of the commission having the work in charge. Most of the Connecticut men buried in Ander- < onville were from that regiment, whicf
 &s captured at Plymouth, N. C., Apri
 z5. &1864 One half of the members oi the regiment who were in the prison died during the summer and fall of tha year. The state of Connecticut will not fail in the attempt to keep green the memory of the old Andersonville heroes. VI a4a - .-
 The carrying over for couple q $ years plans for monuments in honor ot General Joseph R. Hawley and United States Senator o. H. Platt will not bt a detriment. The two men will grow ir the public estimation in that period
 Not now can the depth of the states loss by their death be fathomed The magnitude of their services and the greatness of their lives will be under. stood better two years from now, ane more suitable memorials In the way oi bronze or granite will be attainable al the end of the two years than could possibly be secured at present.
 What action will be taken in the sen. ate relative to the retention of Colone
 Burpee in the Waterbury judgeshir E cannot be foreshadowed with any de. gree of accuracy at present. The over. whelming defeat, however, which the colonel received in the house justifies the expectation that the senate will
 unite in the rejection of the resolution Teappointing him. Senator Peck oi Waterbury, who has made 1t known from the beginning that he will no
 support Colonel Burpee for the place Is a man of marked influence in the sen. ate and the views which he holds con. cerning the reappointment will have much effect in deciding the issue. The senator has had the courage of his con- victions through the whole of the con- test. He has fearlessly represented the Interests of Waterbury in the affair and whatever the result may turn out to be Senator Peck has made 8 determined fight for high judicial standards, Tho Journal and Courier was the only paper in the state to give the exact standing of the judiciary committee on the ql1estion of Colonel Burpee's reappoint- ment. The narrow margin in the com. fnittee favoring Colonel Burpee showed that escape from defeat in that body was by the skin of his teeth. .~ .., r
 The position of the Journal and Cour- fer concerning the good roads bill has been highly approved at the capitol s The plain and straightforward analy- sis of the vote on the Wooster bill which the Courier gave, commanded much attention. Senator Wooster car ] Tied the day in the senate worthily ant