The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-23

of the delay was to kill the Senate bill, said he had no doubt that the senator from the 23d was secure for the minority report.
 The fight for the Banks bill was led by Senator Bryan Mahan of New Lon- don. Senator Thomas J. Spellacy of Hartford, Senator c. F. Mitchell of New London, Senator Frank c. Wood- ruff of Orange and Senator Lewis A. Piatt of Waterbury.
 Senator Platt was strangely incon- sistent in his talk and in his vote He said the Banks bill had many defects that he did not like. He said if the minority bill Is constitutional, it ought not to be, and that he was in a quan- dary to know just exactly what to do. In resuming his seat he said he noticeable that when the roll was call ed, his vote was recorded in favor of the Banks measure.
 In the course of his address, Senator Judson referred humorously to the fact that the agricultural gentlemen of the house had constituted themselves jury to decide the constitutionality of the minority bill. This sally brought a smile from the crowded chamber and it was clearly apparent that it was received as it was intended it should be regarded, as bit of the lighter vein interjected in to an argument that had been in spots intensely serious.
 It was really amusing during the afternoon to hear several of the sen- atOrs, seemingly with great earnest noos, resent what they termed to be an attack by Senator Judson upon the intelligence of the farmers of the house. It is not too much to say that mostly all, if not all of those who were present, when Judson made his argument passed over the .allusion as one of the jovial side lights for which the Senator from Stratford is noted.
 To assume that any intelligent mem Der of the house will for a moment believe that Judson seriously intend- ed a reflection upon the members en- gagged in agricultural pursuits is to assume that one of the best friends the farmers in the house have ever had had suddenly gone daft, for in truth it can be said that on many occasions, when interests ynear and dear to the farming interests of the state were at stake, Judson has lift ed his voice in championship of their cause.
 Judson himself paid no attention to the allusion of the senators who seem- ed offended because of his statement until it had been repeated for the third time. Then he arose, and with much earnestness and conviction ex- plotted the effort "'to put him in bad' by prejudicing the chances of the report which he favored when it comes up in the house next Tuesday. He reminded one of his senatorial critics that when he was shooting craps on the sidewalks of the city, he, Judson was hoeing the crops upon the farming homestead.
 In spite of the tenseness of the sit uation, there was a notable refrain
 
 discussion of the question. The ad- vocates of the Banks bill appeared to realize from the outset that their cause was lost yet the leaders fought to the last ditch.
 From the viewpoint of those who favored a bill that would not give to the commission the power to fix rates and make effective orders, no abler arguments could be advanced than were offered by Senators Mahan and Spellacy. But try as they would, they could not remove the spectre of the lobby which overshadowed all else, and none of the advocates of the Banks measure sought to deny that every public service corporation in Connecticut had it's agents working might and main in favor of that bill Senator Mahan in the course of his clever speech called attention to the fact that while the representatives of
 
 lobbying for the Banks measure it was also true that there was considerable lobbying for the minority bill He said that representatives of the Bus mess Mems association and even news paper correspondents sitting as of ficial reporters of the Senate had bus jed themselves in behalf of the min- ority bill. His contention was that the great public service corporations of the state had as much right to lobby against the minority bill as those he referred to, had to lobby for it.
 The sincere friends of Senator Archi- bald McNeil, Jr., of Bridgeport regret ted that he deemed it his duty to de- cline to vote when the question came to it's final issue. Last week he SUD- ported the minority bill and on Tues day of this week he publicly announce ed that he was of the same opinion still. Yesterday before leaving the Senate he made a speech in the course of which he said that the question of a public utilities bill had evolved into a personal fight between the Re- publican leader of the Senate and the Republican leader of the House. He was of the opinion that the public was getting sEk and tired of the whole utilities question and he read paragraph from a newspaper to the effect that if there was any further prolongation of the discussion the state would be sick and tired of it. He said he echoed the sentiments of Senator Halloran of New Britain in deeming that the Senate had shown scant courtesy to Gov. Baldwin Tn casting aside ruthlessly the report of the special commission which the GOV ernor sincerely desired to see enacted into law. He then announced that as a protest -agaiust-the-sc -scapty.- con-