Norwich bulletin., 1909-05-08
PUBLIC UTILITIES A DRAW
AT END OF WEEKS FIGHT.
When Time Was Called IL Looked as IL
the Opponents Were on Tep-Contest
to Be Resumed Later-State Capitol
Gossip.
Especial to The Bulletin }

Especial to Inc BuueLln.)
Hartford. May 1.-THE public utilities
commission matter didn't prove to be
as dead as some of those who are op-
posed to any kind of a commission
we're inclined to believe it was, but
there is a grave question in the minds
Of those who have taken the time TO
go over the subject in all its details
since yesterdays action as to which
party to the contention over the mat
ter really retains the advantage at the
end of the week. II rather looks as if
the opponents of public utilities COM
mission were on top and certainly the
opponents Of the present bill are
Last week the house had accepted
the adverse report of the judiciary
committee as a compliment to the
committee, but failed to vote on the
rejection OF the bill, which was the
second half of Chairman BurneS' mo-
ton, which had been divided on the
request of Judge Malone Of Bristol,
and this was the thing 10 be tackled
when the so-called nsurgents-because
they are opposed to such as there IS
Of a house machine-came into the
house on Tuesday. They we're pre-
pared for fight and wene at 1t in high
glee, though there was little talking
done until after the rol1cau Yote on
the rejection Of the bill which failed
by the small leeway OF IA votes In 234.
This small margin and the way in
which a number of men voted was very
Illuminating to the knowing ones. AS
a matter Of fact, the opponents of a
commission were wrong in their belief
that the weight of sentiment in the
house was for MAKING an end of the
bill and the subject, so far as this
general assembly Is concerned, at once.
1t had been, but the house had run
Off after strange gods and the attrac-
tive talk of this stranger Chandler,
who has been trying to upset estab-
lished precedents and quoting congress
and the legislatures of other states
and Cushing's Manual ever since the
session opened in the effort to intro
duce novelties had taken more than
one member off his feet
Over Sunday the work done on
Thursday had been rubbed in until
many member had become convinced
that the plan was to kill off the whole
matter at once. and the unfairness of
this, in the face of the fact that their
home people wanted some sort OF
commission to which to tell their trou-
bles, was all they could see. There
fore they We're ready for anything.
enough Of them TO set the house Off ON
q queer tangent after the motion to
reject the bill failed, as certainly all
OF the newspaper men believed it
would from the time they reached the
capitol Tuesday morning.
When the plan of the Insurgents" to
appoint a special committee of nine
from among those in the negative vote
on the proposition to reject was
sprung. therefore, il took. Chaudler's
leadership, which has now sunk far
down towards the horizon, was then
at its zenith. The motion to appoint
such committee was entirely our of
order under the rules OF the Connect
cut general assembly-and those are
the only rules which have anything to
do with the present situation; it isn't
q question of what Is done anywhere
else in the world, nor is this the busi-
ness Of our legislature-and it was
surprising that the speaker didn't
realize this and so declare it,. It is
quite within the possibilities that with
the feeling then prevailing, the appeal
which would unquestionably have been
taken from his ruling would have been
sustained by the house, but that does
MT alter the fact that the only proper
course for him was to so declare il.
The point is this: All action in our
general assembly is joint action. There
Is no such thing as individual action
on the part of either house independent
Of the other, except in the case of a
some matter which affects only one
body. The recent opinion Of Attorney
General Holcomb regarding the appro-
priation for the Taylor souvenir illus
trates this point. So that when the
house lets a Joint measure, and a house
bill or senate bill is a joint measure
just as much as a joint resolution. go
out of its control and out of the hands
of It's clerk, as must have been the
case when this special committee took
hold of 1t and began its public hear
ings, 1t nlust refer it to q joint COM
mittee. There isn't any way around
that. If the house had laid the bill on
the table and sent out a committee to
draft amendments or bring in sub
stitute that would have been entirely
proper but the supporters Of public |
utilities commission say thay didn9