Norwich bulletin., 1909-05-08

dare do this for fear the bill would be
| taken off the table and killed at some
moment when their guard was down.
This parliamentary point is quite
| outside the merits of the proposition,
of course but it affects the whole sit
uation. There is also the diplomatic
side Of the matter, too. 1t is as good
as a certainty that the senate would
find In the implied snub, the imputed
lack OF confidence, shown by the house
good enough reason for killing off at
short notice anything the house might
send up under such circumstances.
That doesn't alter the houses right to
refer the matter to a house commit
tee, if such a right existed, but the
other paragraph must make 1t clear
that no such right exists.
To get back to the situation as to
the general matter, on Wednesday,
after members had had a chance to
sleep on the matter. quite a number
began TO see that they had been fol-
lowing a hastily accomplished leader
ship and were getting far away from
the time honored custom and practice
and clear off a conservative basis.
Chambers lack of consistency also was
clearer as they thought things over.
He was crazy to get the subject away
from the house and into the hands of
nine men, who represented at best only
pretty nearly evenly divided, and con-
tinually implied, though he persistent
ly disclaimed a lack of confidence in
the house if it tried to amend the bill
on the floor, as has always been done
under similar situations.
Not only that, but he insisted that
this wasn't feasible or practicable, be-
cause of the length of the bill and so
on, but that a committee of nine could
readily make the bill over-when 255
couldn't-because the framework is all
there. Anybody who knows anything
about ii, knows that it isn't all to be
done by the changing Of a few "thes"
and 'ands," as Chandler airily stated,
but If it was-and even when it isn't
that IS all the more reason why it
would be easy for the house to do it
on the floor If but a few changes in
phraseology are needed, that is easy. 1t
needs no committee TO do it.
Well, to get back again: More than
one member also realized that the
leadership after which a majority of
the house was following was an '1nsur-
gent leadership and when their blood
cooled they commenced to doubt the
wisdom of this
All of these reasons, and a hundred
more, made the house quite ready to
reconsider the action in passing the
Chandler motion. and by the time re-
consideration came the "insurgent'
leaders had become to come to differ
ences among themselves. and there
was no great difficulty in Burnes again
getting control of the situation He
now has that, and Banks can appoint
Whomever he pleases on the house end
of the joint committee
Where Burnes made his tactical
blunder however, from his side Of the
fence-he makes no bones of his dis
holicf in the principle of a commission
was that he and his committee didn't
accept the recommitment of the bill
when it was first proposed. Where the
supporters Of the principle made their
greatest bluuder was in not pushing
the matter to a test vote on the ar
ceptanca of the committees adverse
report last week Thursday, turning
down the committee and then refusing
to reject the bill right then. If Chand-
Ter had done this. which could have
been done right after his speech on
that day. and then placed the bill at
the foot Of the calendar he would have
been in position to call it up the first
thing Tuesday morning and send out
committee TO draft an amended bill
without letting the bin get out Of the
control of the house.
That's all over now, though. and the
chances are that we will be coming 10
Hartford for three months yet The
joint committee, the senate action on
which has not yet taken place, must
report a bill to the house by June 8.
The senate will get the joint resolu-
ton to act on Tuesday, and will pre-
sumably act on it that day That
means that the Joint committee will
not be appointed before the last of
next week, as one day of the legisla-
tive week is expected to be devoted
to eulogies of Governor Lilley. This
gives the select committee three weeks
in which to do the work. 1t is per-
fectly safe to assume that whatever il
brings in will require any amount of
amending in both house and senate.
And look at, the host of other import
ant matters on which members who
have just begun to And their voices
will have to talk on during the next
few weeks Well. you can't look at
them. But take my word for it that
they're coming in from committees.
Good roads, autom obile law and su-
peFvisor of automobiles, state tax, in
creased inheritance tax. educational
matters. excise matters. woman suf-
frage-thess are only a few. There
are LOTT