Republican farmer., 1919-05-09

Had not the senate been delayed in i f'transacting it's business yesterday. the assembly would have been finally adjourned and the members would have been back today with their leg islative duties completed. The idea of observing the centennial was de- veIoped in February and later on an appropriation and a joint commit tee made the program possible, all though it was not elaborate or to any particular extent formal. The gath ering to which came hundreds of for mer members of the assembly, for | rner state officers and men who had 1 played a leading part in legislative l deliberations in years gone by, haG more the aspect of a huge legisla- | tive reunion. Many came who attain | ed reunion of this kind within the | capitol in 1886. That one was in | February and the two-thousand or more who attended were obliged to meet within the various rooms of the 1 building. Today the gathering was not only within the capital, but in | the afternoon the exercises of a | commemorative character took place upon the velvety turf of the broad | eEpanse of lawn between the build ing and the state library. Here. too, @ band played for two hours while | the handshaking went on in the sev- | eral offices in the capitol and while the house and senate chambers were filled with members.
 There was little attempt to decor ] ate the building. A few flags were | draped interioralIy at noticeable po-
 sitions, but the striking feature was 1 the placarding which had been done. ! These were in red, white and blue l and conveyed to the eye q welcome 1 just as cordial as would De given by
 speech
 When the present constitution was
 ratified, 13,91S for and 12,36+
 against, Oliver Wolcott was go-crnor, l being in the first of his ten-year
 term. The lieutenant governor was ! Jonathan IngersolI of New Haven l (1S16-25), who had been deputy gov
 ernor and presided over the council or 1 upper house. He assumed the chair
 when the governor was not present.
 but at other times sat as a member
 Of the council. AS lieutenant-gov
 ernor. Mir. Ingersou presided over
 the first senate as created by the new
 consolidation.
 The secretary of state was Thomas Day of Hartford d81O-35), the treas urer, Isaac. Spencer of Haddam Q81S-35}, the comptroller, Elisha Colt of Hartford 18O6-19). Turning to the newly created lower branch. the first | speaker was David Plant of Stratford The chief justice of the supreme court was Zephaniah Swift of Middletown. The United States senators were Da- vid Daggett of New Haven dS13-iO and Samuel w. Dana of N1iddletown G810-2D- Connecticut population was Iclose to the censuc figures of 1920,
 which were 275,24S.
 The forenoon today was taken up with receptions. first the general ones in both chambers, and later by coun- ties in various rooms. At noon there were the legislative reunions, when members sought out members of ses- sions in which they had served. Later a box lunch was served in the south corridor.
 The outdoor exercises this afternoon opened with an introduction by Sen ator Albert H. House of Windsor, lchairman of the joint committee The prayer was by the senate chaplain. Dr.. c. H. Puner. Governor HoIcomb gave the welcome and he was fol- lowed by former Governor Simeon E. Baldwin with the historical address entitled Constitutional History in IConnecticut.' Herbert Randall of Hartford read a. poem, 'The Spirit of Connecticut, the Constitution State. ." Charles Hopkins Clark, editor of the Hartford Courant, gave an address on Capitals and State Houses of Con necticut." The senate was responded for by Lieut.-Gov Clifford B. Wilson
 of Bridgeport, and the house by
 Speaker James F. Walsh of Green
 wich. A number of letters from for mer members were read, and the pro- gram was closed with the singing of America