The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-15
Tells House the Lengthy Public Utilities Bill Offered by Leader Banks Must Have Been Pre- pared in Two Days, Accord
 ing to Banks Own Statement
In Speech of Hours Duration House Leader Banks Protests, in Impassioned Language and With Much Display of Evi- dence, That He Never Did Nor Could Think Kindly of New Haven Road

| (From Our Special Correspondent.) ) Hartford, June 15.-Characterizing
 the minority report of the Judiciary
 committee on the Public Utilities
 question as an unconstitutional mon-
 strosity, Judge Banks had his innings
 today when the House began the con-
 sideration of the pending utilities questions.
 He spoke for upwards of an hour | during which time he flayed the min- ority bill section by section. The key note of his attack was that the meas ure is unconstitutionai and that it would be so decided by the supreme
 court of the state.
 | He said that he had been informed d this forenoon that the governor had said no later than today that he is not satisfied with the minority bill. Rep. Banks said that the bill which
 he offered as substitute he is con vinced, is an effective measure for the regulation and control of public utili.- ties.
 The House listened with much in- terest to Judge Banks remarks. His address was an impromptu rather than a studied one. Frequently he would digress from the point he was making and refer to some personal incidents connected with his legisla- tive career, which, he said, tended to show that if anything he is prejudiced against the New Haven road rather than friendly to it.
 He asked the members to bear win him whiie he delXed momentarily in to a bit of ancient history. He had reference to his first campaign for the speakership. He read' from a typewrittdn statement, which. he said, was a copy of the letter he had ad- dressed to members elect of the leg islature at that time asking for their support for the speakership and call ed attention to the fact that in this his candidacy was unwelcome to and would be opposed by the public ser vice corporations of the state.
 He said that it is hard for him to restrain himself against hostilities to- ward the plans of the New Haven road. This prejudice was inborn, be- cause he had learned at his fathers home to form an unfavorable opinion of this corporation, because of trou- bles with it which his father had. He said that he was mentioning these things to show that he could not just iy be accused of especial friendship for the New Haven road.
 After Judge Banks had finished, Rep. Lucius P. Whiton, Republican, of New London, took the floor. MT. Whiton said that he did not have the pleasure of knowing the distinguish ed Daniel Davenport, who had been so highly eulogized by the gentleman from Fairfield; that he must be a man of most marvellous mental at tainments is perhaps shown by the statements of Judge Banks that MT. Davenport was sent by him at Wash copies of the minority and majority bills and that this complete substi- tute was, according to the House journal. laid before the members oli Jan. 13.
 He said that it was fair to assume that it would take about a day from the time Judge Banks sent the min ority and majority bills to MT Day. enport until he received them It probably took about the same time for this new substitute Davenport draft to be returned to Judge Banks That would mean that this long legal document. filled with the most i'm portant legal passages presumably based upon the constitutional law of our state and the United States was prepared in less than two days.
 Think of it, gentlemen. Now mind you we are being guided by the facts as stated by Judge Banks. Here is a tremendous proposition submit ted to us to be incorporated into the organic law of our state, prepared in s, ness to pass it. I contend that this is monstrous proposition
 MT. Whiton then went on to tell how careful and conscientious had been the efforts of those who for months had devoted their time and energy to the preparation of the minority bill, so called.
 He said that with the exception of some technical changes-and he be- lieved that each of these changes inn proved the bill,-the minority meas ure was in all intents and purposes the Business Mems bill.
 Then an effort was made to recess the House until o'clock for lunch Judge Tingier, Mayor Dunn of Wilii- mantle and Representative Hall of the ground that the question was too important to stop it's discussion.
 Judge Banks thought that it woul be better to recess until ? o'clock, saying that however. he hoped that when the vote upon the measure were that every member should be pres ent The House voted down the mo- tion to recess and passed the motion that the vote be by roll call.
 Rep. Phillips of Stamford then ad dressed the House in favor of the bill
 Representative Whiton, of New Lon don, asked MT. Banks if he intended | his bill really as an amendment and l if any other amendments could be | made to the Banks bill.
 Banks replied that his bill was of- fered as an amendment and any ather | amendments which were germain to | his bill could be offered. He hopedJ any member who had an amendment | to offer would not hold it back Rep Banks then launched into his speech on public utilities
 Referring to resolution which he had offered immediately upon the opening of the House session today, and which provided that nobody but