The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-01-28
HOUSE MEMBERS
WALLOP. WEBSTER
Appointments Bit ter1y
Scored From F'loor-Mc-
Murray Quits Minor
Committee
Webster Refuses to Answer
AS to What Influences
Led to His Selections
Especial to The Farmer.)

Hartford, Jan 2s=Rising to ques-
tions of personal privileges, several
members of the House today wa1loped
verbally the committee assignments
made by Speaker Webster. Nearly
everybody took a whack at the assign
cents and some harsh things were said
about Influences that caused the
makeup of the. committees as an
Representative J. H McMurray, of
Bridgeport, resigned from the minor
comnitteeato which he was appointed,
Representative Wright, ~of West
Hartford, started after Speaker Web
ster with a sharp stick when he asked
Hail. of Wilmington, hadn't been ap-
pointed chairman of the excise COM
nittee when Il votes in the Republi-
can caucus had favored him for the
place. He said the speakers assign
ment of Mr.. Hall to minor commit
tee was an affront to Mr.. Hall and to
the Republicans of the caucus.
The comment of Representative Halt
on his committee assignment was
| briefer than had been expected. He
sreferred to the Hartford Courant as
the daily disintegrator' and read
from its issue of December 80 the
! atement that unless he was norrai-
mated for speaker his friends would
be apt to bolt the party caucus. This
Mr- Hall said was sufficiently refuted
! by his actions in the organization eau.
/ Gus. He read from the Courant of last
Friday the statementSthat ex-Speaker
Scott said he had noG promised the
! chairrna nship of the excise committee
to Mr.. Hail in 1911. Mr.. Hall said
such a. promise was made and he had
the affidavit of the persons who heard
1t made Further than that he read
a statement from Mr.. Scott which said
that the statements made in the arti-
Gle We're not made by the ex-speaker
or on any authority from him
Representative j. H. McNLurray of
Bridgeport, asked the speaker TO ex-
plain why Bridgeport was unrepre-
Cities and Boroughs. He said he had
made application to the speaker, not
IN his own behalf, but in behalf of
! the city of Bridgeport, the second lare-
est in the State, for representation on
this committee.
| Mr.. McMurray then resigned his ap-
! feited Rights to which he had been as
signed.
Representative KoppIeman of Hart
| ford wanted to know why Hartford
had been sighted on this some com
mittee. He rendered his resignation
from three minor committees to which
he had been assigned.
Representative L.. W. Wilson of
! Bridgeport, then took a w1ack at
Speaker Webster's appointments. ct
understand that three Of the four
most important cities in the State are
unrepresented this committee - he
said. E"These cities are Hartford, Wa
terbury and Bridgeport, and their total
population represents one-third that of
all Connecticut.
Much of the business that this
committee will have to consider will
come from these cities. This commit
tee is the eye and ear of this House
with regard to all legislation effect
ing these popu1ous centers. This Leg
islature would give these cities prac-
tically no power of self-government
and it is a great misfortune that they
be denied representations on this COM
mittee.
tI have no parliamentary right to
question the speaker on his commit
tee appointments. Should he desire,
however; to state what, reason, GUS
! tom, eXpediency or Influence led him
to so constitute this and other COM
| n1ittees will consider it a courtesy
! to myself and my colleagues Any
such explanation would be reported
back to the 3O0, ,000 constituents repre-
sented by myself and my colleagues
from these Cities
Speaker Webster offered no COM
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