The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1909-05-06
By Vote of 124 to 95 Chand-
Ter Committee of Min e
Friendly to Bill is Swept
Aside and Unfriendly Com
mittee May Be Named.

mlttee May BE Named.
Mayor Dunno of Willimantic
Denounces the Conduct of
the Lobby and. Says He
Has Facts That Would Not
Sound Well if Uttered.
New Plan Provides For Com
mittee Consisting of Nine
Representatives and T @
Senators to be Named
Without Restriction by
Speaker-Bartlett Votes to
Reconsider.
Hartford. May 6-The friends of the
public utilities bill were decisively
beaten in. the House to-day, on the
motion to reconsider the Chandler
resolution. In place of a committee of
nine members of the House designated
under that resolution to prepare new
bill, Speaker Banks was empowered to
appoint without restriction a commit
tee to consist of nine members of the
House and two members of the Senate
The vote for reconsideration was 125
for and 50 against. Representative
Frederick A. Bartlett. the member of
the Judiciary Committee from Bridge
port, was one Of those who voted to
reconsider.
Speaking to the amendment offered
by Chandler, to-day, providing the
bers of the House, six for and three
against a public utilities bill, as shown
by their votes recorded in the House
Rep. Dunn of Willimantic said that
the design of those who were opposing
the Chandler resolution was to kill all
chances of any kind Of q public utili-
ties measure He then referred to the
lobbying which had been going on so
promisculously about the capitol and
elsewhere to kill on the measure He
closed by predicting the utter defeat
of any measure OF public utility nA-
ture at this session of the legislature
With much drastic effect he said:
Il have in my own possession facts
in connection with the lobbying of this
measure which if I should reveal them
would hurt some
The lobby which swarmed the cor
ridors and fairly mobbed members
whose votes were doubtful are respon-.
Sible for the change of heart. The
Representatives of the private water
gas and electric light companies of the
state were considerably more in evil
dence than was the railroad lobby
showing that these companies recog-
nize that many drastic portions of a
public utilities bill will be aimed at
them.
Hartford, May 6.-After reconsidera-
ton the House started to reject the
Chandler motion but Mr.. Chandler
withdrew it by unanimous consent,
having been assured that the machine
- III
lection of the public utilities bill. The
House then passed a resolution draft
ed by Chairman BurneS of the Jud1c-
larry committee, providing for a joint
select committee OF nine House mem
bers and two Senators to take up the
subject Of a public utilities commits
sion, and Mr.. Chandler was unable to
tie the hands of the Speaker in any
matter as to the appointment OF the
House members of this committee.
The insurgents became divided among
themselves and two efforts which he
made to do this failed. Speaker Banks
has the right to appoint whoever he
pleaseS on this committee, and the
final result is to completely reopen
the whole subject and place the public
utilities commission bill on the same
footing that it was when originally
to the judiciary committee.
This gives the opponents of a commits
sion the opportunity to advance their
interests which seemed yesterday to
have practically departed
At the opening of today'S session
Representative Hall of Wilmington,
moved that the vote on the reconsider
alton of the Chandler motion of Thurs
day which the House adjourned before
taking yesterday the order of the day
for 1880 and this was voted. When
the matter was taken up at 11:30, Rep
resentative Burnes the supporters of
the Hayes motion to reconsider from
the imputation of an Interior motive
do Ia
course of the Judiciary committee pre-
vious to it's adverse report, saying that
no amendment haG been offered to the
committee except by one member of
it at the eleventh hour. He went on
to say he believed a majority in the
House was in favor of the principle
though he was not himself and eX-
pressed his Willingness to have the bill
referred> to a special committee, Civ
ing the other side notice at this point
that he intended himself, If the recon- |
prevailed, to introduce
resolution for a Joint select committee |
we do not recognize the Senate said |
Mr. Burnes 'any bill which might be |
prepared by a House committee and
passed by this body, would receive |
short shift when 1T reached the Sen |
ate.''
Representative Chandler stated that |
he was treasured and was glad that |
there was no intention on the part of |
the other side to move the rejection |
Of the public utilities bill.
The roll call vote was then taken |
and showed 124 in favor of reconsid- |
Grafton to 95 against. Mr.. Chandler |
then arose to withdraw his motion but |
this was declared out of order by |
Speaker Banks because action on the /
matter had interviewed After receiv- |
ing the unanimous consent from the |
House Chandler withdrew his motion |
Burnes then offered a joint resolution |
raising a joint selection of nine MEM
bers of the House and two Senators |
to which the public utilities matter |
should be referred and which was in |
to report on or before June |
9Th. Chandler offered an amendment |
to this resolution, providing that the |
House members of this committee |
should be selected from those who were |
in the negative vote on the rejection |
of the bill on Tuesday. He said that |