Norwich bulletin., 1913-03-29
NEW LONpON's BILL
 BEFORE LEGISLATURE.
Action of the House Settles Matter Commissioners Should Now Get Busy On the Harbor Work.

Senator Peck, who submitted the minority report on Senator McNeill' s repeal bill that had to do with the ST., 0OO,OV0 appropriation for state steam ship terminals at New London, and who was so jubi1ant over the senate s acton in favor of the repeal, was even more active than the originator of the bill in advocacy of repeal action by the house of representatives. Early oll Thursday morning he was in con- sultatiOn with Representative Hall the advocate of the measure in the house and prior to the action that resulted 1 ir overwhelming defeat. he was active in the corridor, or lobby, in advocacy Of the passage of his minority report 1 that would if adopted, have carried the appropriation to sure appeal It was Senator Peck in his speech in the senate in advocating adoption of the minority report who made such sar-
 castle reference to Congressman and Mayor Mahan dubing him as the Lit tle Corsican by the Sea, thereby showing that the real motive of the attempt to repeal was for the pur-
 pose of belittling the political pres tige of MT. Mahan In this he follow
 ed closely the utterances of Senator
 McNeill in the senate, in the lobby, in lis newspaper and elsewhere The gauntlet was thrown down and the fight was on, and as usual, congress- man-mayor accepted the challenge and the fight was on, and. as usual, the Little Corsican by the Sea won on a canter. And in this particular con- test Senator contest Senators McNeill and Peck were beaten to a frazzle, the pair was no match for the native New LOndoner.
 Next to the two senators, perhaps the most disappointed man in the gen. eral assembly is Colonel Henry Hall, a pretty good sort of a, fellow but not as finished a politician as he evidently believes himself to be. He aspired to.l 5a coo but was defeated. He assumed the 1 house leadership at the opening of the | present session but was pushed aside | by Mr. Healey, of Windsor Locks He l felt confident at the outset that the i house would concur with the senate [ 1n the repeal matter and took the lead | in advocacy, and. so confident was he | Of success that, according to report, | he said that after the vote was taken | on the S1,O00. 900 matter that he would i be practically proclaimed the repub- lican leader of the house. He proved | an able advocate and made the best he could out of losing the undertak- ing. That was nice little move to have the minority report substituted for the majority report at the outset just to get the matter before the house, as he put it. But the speaker was or | to the game and reminded MT Hall 1 that such action would not be permit ted by the rules of the house.
 There's nice little story going the
 
 iH effect that John Buckley, the popu- lar assistant clerk, who was openly l against the repeal measure, was with l In whispering distance of the speaker, when Mir. Halls unparliamentary mo- | tion was made. and aided the speak CT in his very prompt decision. It Is | said that before the session opened | MT. Hall unfolded the plan of pro- | cedure to MT. Buckley evidently expecting his assistance at the op- 1 perfume time, but MT. Buckley pointed 1 out the straight and narrow way that | would lead to the defeat of the measure advocated by the gentleman from WiIIington.
 Sen ator MoNeill is evidently very hard loser for now he wants oppor- tunIty to explain his position, which Is already well known. In the natural | course of event the repeal bill with accessories, was back in the senate on T Thursday with the hourse endorsement of d1sagreeing action. Immediately l Senator Miner made motion to recede l and concur with the house, which is the customary modus operandi when a measure is killed in the house and placed within q motion for reconsider atOn, which means a two-t thirds vote for any farther consideration Sen ator McNeill made plea for senatirial and asked that Senator Mi- her consent to have the bill tabled in | order to give time for exclamation and ]
 
 pected that Senator McNeiII will have his talk all written out by next Tues day when the senate reconvenes and will then read the funeral oration ever the repeal bfll his pet scheme. prepared for a political purpose and which resulted in a lost cause
 It is now up to the commissioners to get busy and begin the work of actual construction with the least possible delay and develop New London barbor into state port worthy the name. The paper plans are nearly com pleted. the site for pier selected, the money available, and there should be ont ward signs of activity in the dock building line: The progressive citizens of New London should urge early pro gress and show to Represents lives Lockwood. Magee, Storrs. Fvarts Healey, Kirchberger and Gains who spoke in favor of the retention of the Of the legislature. that their efforts and confidence in the matter was not mis- placed.