The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-25
NOTES FROM HARTFORD.
FEATURES OF PROMINENCE or SEVEN WEEKS OF LEGISLATION.

Interesting Matters That Have Been
 Brought Forward and Acted Upon
 or Still in Stau Quo Since the Session
 Opened-The HeaIy Incident Believed
 by Many to be Far From Being
 ClOsed-Really Important Bills Have
 Not Yet Been Taken Up.
 Hartford, Feb. 24.-seven weeks of the session of 1907 have been counted off with business at this stage in an in cipient condition. The session began January 8, with a message from Gov ernor Woodruff bristling with sugges- tions of reform. At the opening of the second week of the session Governor Woodruff with unheard of celerity sub mitted nominations of all the judges of the Superior and Supreme courts to be made this year. It took away the breath of members of both houses at the start. Reforms which Governor Woodruff had outlined in his message, especially taking away the appoint ment of county commissioners by the legislature and lodging the authority of appointment in the hands of the chief executive and the abolition of the school fund and it's distribution to the towns, were looked at with practical disfavor. When the appointment of county commissioners first came up in the senate delay was asked for out of respect to the governor. In the dis cusson that ensued Senator McGoyern- or of Hartford boldly declared that he was an opponent of the governors S plan of centralizing the power of ap- pointmeht in the hands of the govern or. Caucus nominations of county commissioners have been going on as regularly as clock work, the terms be- ing Tor four years from July That does not look as if the present legisla- ture has any idea of changing the law regulating the county commissioner ap- pointments. The school fund has been entrenched in the commonwealth for a century and has been an inspiration in public school work during the whole of that period. There has not been the slightest evidence in the general assem- bly, during the seven weeks of the ses- sion that the people want the school fund abolished. The change of admin istration to the treasury department has been suggested in bill But that is simply in keeping with views of United States Senator Bulkeley ad- vanced long ago. It has not the least suggestion of tearing up the fund root and branch. School Commissioner Car not 0. Spencer is collecting the school fund reports since 1900, together with the noted history of the fund that was preparel by Henry Barnard. This col
 lection will furnish a magazine of facts when any active discussion comes up in regard to Governor Woodruff's recom- mendation The position of the goyer- nor in regard to increasing the powers of the railroad commission and placing in it's hands regulation of telephone in- l terests In the state has been embodied | in bill introduced by Senator Judson. Tho senator from the Twenty fifth dis trict is a man of great resources, but 1 there is much doubt about his bill be- ing enacted into law It was with pe- culiar satire and brillianey that sena- ! tor Walsh of Greenwich remarked a few days ago after debate in which Senator Judson and Senator Donovan | took a hand Now that the five weeks arc over l move that the senate a1- journ." After the fireworks are over in regard to the bulk of reform legislation on the carpet, the legislature will ad- iourn in perfect form and composdre. Seven weeks have been spent without a single achievement in the way of leg :! islation.
 The Healey incident" which occu- pied so much of the publics time last week, is far from being closed. There are hosts of men who believe implicitly in Mir. Healey's integrity The letter from the secretary of state. the Hon l Theodore Bodenwein of New L1ndon
 which says that mo documentary evi-
 dence or testimony in the Healey mat ter of any kind has been filed in the office of the secretary of state, nor have seen q copy of any such evi- dence pr testimony calls for explana-
 tion. Naturally such evidence or testi. nrony should have been filed with the ] secretary, of state without delay It Is l probable that the legislature will have a session on Friday of this week. The l Farmers association is more than hall way disposed to test the strength of the anti-Friday session men, forcing them
 to make show of hands. But there has been no business up to the present l time necessltating four days in week at the Capitol. Now 1t may be differ
 ent None of the really important bills
 to be considered have been taken uf yet and could not have been under the circumstances Representative George M, Gum of Milford has bill of consid- erable interest in the house. appropria-
 ting $25O OO0 for the establishment of a
 school for the education of deaf and
 dumb persons by oral methods of in,
 struction, and Representative N. Bur-
 ton Rogers of Danbury is the author ot
 a bill for free text books in the public
 schools of the state It provides that town school committees, school visitors Tor boards of education shall provide
 free of charge text books and supple!
 to pupils, the same being loaned to pu pills under such regulations as the
 school board may prescribe, There
 promises to be a good deal of schoo legislation this session. A strong ef
 fort will be made to carry through thu
 bill requiring state certificates to bt
 held by all teachers in public schools | The school bill that has created the
 most interest in the Farmers associa,
 ton and has been the topic of mucE l discussion provides that for each pupi
 between the ages of four and sixteer ] years in towns having A grand list ot