Norwich bulletin., 1912-05-28
CONGRESSMAN HIGGINS WILL RETIRE
Gives Notice That He Will Not Be Candidate For Next Con- sideraton-Faith in and Allegiance to Party Firm and Unbroken-One of Most Efficient COngressmen Dis trict Ever Had

prise te his many friends, though it has been known fer some time that he contemplated the action, but it was net generally known, or even suFmised, by the eengresGman's constituents throughout the district. Congressman Higgins term will expire next March. when he wifi retire, probably to resume his law practice in this city
 Congressman Higgins was born at Clinton, Conn, July 2, 1874, and has been a member of the bar since lSe7i which year he was graduated from Yale Law school. He represented Nor wich in the legislature in 1S99 serving on the committee on judiciary. He was one of the youngest members of the l house. and the same was the case when he was elected to the 59th con- gress at a special election Oct. 2, 199b, 1 when he was chosen to i'll the unex- 1 pired term of Congressman Brandegee, i who had been made senator. He was the youngest representative ever sent l by the old Third district, and his ser | vice in Washington has been most ] faithful.
 l From the start Congressman Higgins has taken an important part in nation
 al legislation, having served en lm- 1 portant committees. such as industrial arts and expositions territories and war claims, while he has also been q member on the more important judi ciary committee and the committee oh expenditures in the agriculture depart
 ment, having been q member Of tn last
 two at the present session. lie mas been called upon to preside Tn the
 house temporarily and has taken an important part in investigations wnleh have been made by house committees.
 
 ever did more for his constituents
 than Congressman Higgins. From first
 to last they have been uppermost in
 his mind and it was only within the
 past month that he secured a soil sur Evey for New London county, the same
 benefit having been secured for Wlnd- ham county last year. He was lnstru-
 mental in making New London port } of entry. for which he had been al work for some time, and twice has n' saved the naval station on the Thame; ? from being abandoned, the seconC ' time being on Monday.
 He has been the cause of having 1 practically the entire Third distric covered like a network with rural de livery routes, so that at the presen ) time there is no section of this count. l 1 not served by such a route. In SC : curing appropriations for dredging il s the rivers of his district he has beel 2 very successful, the Mystic river hay s ing been surveyed and dredged Shaw l cove dredged, the Thames river great 3 ly improved wit ha deep channel t - Allyns Point, betterment of the con a ditions at Hamburg and the remOva :. of ledge obstruction in the Shetucl1e ,, river here.
 S In public buildings he has also look t ed well after his district, Willimantit n Putnam and Danielson buildings bein d secured and an appropriation for on e at Mystic. He has been recognized a . one of the strong members of congres 0 and has been a particularly valuabl - friend of the veterans, for whom h y has secured not only many regular bJ - special pensions.
 t As a member of the territories com = mittee he made a trip to Hawaii an y also went to Japan, while as guest s the senate committee on interoceanl - canals he went to the Panama can; , last year, No congressman from tn
 1 district has done more efficient servit
 for hls constituents than Congressma II Higgins during his eight years in COT '- gress.