Norwalk. is In
" residence of Stephen H.
' 031 street. is being on
M Nettle Hyatt. of Main. street.
it not improVed from
her recent illness. _
med—n.—
s Todd Corsfi will be represent-
South Non-nth and vicinity by
I II). Griswoli. who will be at lo
' kiln street, every Thursday.
We”-
tile entertaining Miss Katherine
of Brooklyn.
‘ ali‘r k McIntyre. an uncle of George
E. Allen, of Norwalk. died yesterday
at his home in Mt. Vernon.
I
Miss Lizzie l. Tolles. teacher In the
Franklin school.i ill. and Mrs. C. W.
Bennett. is sub ting for her.
The old dead tree in front of Mrs.
W. ’1. James s residence in Wall street.
Nor elk. was this- morning cut down.
Norwalk Cnrpoutcrs' Union in
its oillcersclect, last evening.
hich there was a smoker and a
gen rad good time.
All the election of civil officers of
(papacy 1“. last night. Lieutenant
Georgoc Meshes was elected seine
flu-y and Captain W. l. Comatock, trea
Intern
nut-club:
Washington 0 enter. Royal Arch
Masons. Will co en the. Mark Master
do31‘ee this evdding. after which the
officers for the opening your will be In
stalled. Hour at =opening". 7: 30 o'clock
wF‘lrst class shine. all kinds. 5c.
Shiberland' s (liar Store.
W
The directs“ of tire‘ Not-Walk Hospl
tai Association held their regular meet-
ing last night, but transacted only rou-
tine business, and discussed various
matters relating to the welfare of the
Hospital.
Charles E. Gregory. for many years
a resident of South Norwalk. now in-
terested in gold and copper mines in
Tacoma. Washington. is spending a
few days in town. renewing old so-
quaintsnces.
wow“
Cashier William A Curtis has his
hands full of business at the Central
National Bank. today. Teller H. A.
Sheffield and Assistant Book keeper
Roy Montgonlery being on the sick
list. Book keeper :1. I8 Elia showed up
smiling and serene and things are pro-
gressing nicely.
.n—u—
Rev. George 8. Reed. of Bridgeport.
will preach at the Baptist Church.
South Normality this evening at 7: is.
All seats fill are welcome. Large
attendances ehv marked the meet-
ings thus far.- @935 expected that even
a larger nttomzllle and dotpor inter-
est will be ralized tonight
St. Joseph’s Total Abstinence Soci-
ety observes its -uuth anniversary to
morrow night in the rooms In Music
11er block. "clumsy Director Stephen
J. O’ Brien will install the officers. The
members will but a supper after-
ward.’and have invited several socie-
ties from surrounding towns to be
present.’
—-~John H. Dahin. Piano Tuner is in
town this week. Address or telephone
Mahackemo 1-!
Among well known men who publish-
ed newspapers in their boyhood are
mentioned Richard Watson Gllder,
Thomas A. Edison. George Alfred
Townsend. Charles ilcribnor and John
Wanamaker.
ISMALLPOX IN KANSAS.
TOPEKA. Kansas. January il--l)r
W. 1). Swan, of the State Board of
Health, reports 267 cases of smallpox
in the state. “The type of the disease
is more severe than it was last win
ten the doctor says. and i think there
will be a terse number of fatalities.
SPENCER & C0»
The Jeweler-II.
3 MIN ham. unswatk'. j .
. all wast-uneven I‘r. to. seamen
m
You will it“ complefo‘
apnea! ”apartments.
at both of our . with rooms on
. peclally littoriI I” for that purpose.
' Spectacles and eyeglasses fitted by the
inflrovedtndlhofl Ind satisfae
‘ii‘ousc because of the increase of pop-
. not vote Irntll formally admitted.
' hers. arose in a body and took the oath.
. clerks Mr. Brown, of Griswold. and Mr.
' whenever we Inay be of the opinion
‘ such monuments as may at less
- sitcoms... .,
h‘ anti ” -, pulsi- allotment has
n musician then called upon its
,- p. a. lawsuits Middletown. who was I . '
ii, opposing prayer. aev
. we
kilos. mooning divine guidance it”
,I deliberations and acts of the as-
if . The ll of the House was
so by c chief clerk of the
yof state. John G Mitchell.
y. eight or nine absentess being an~
peed Mr. Brand ages. the presid-
fig officer. requested that the three
members who have been added to the
ulation in three towns not before en-
titled .to two representatives. should
Afterward ~the entire Hoase. with
the exception of these three mom
A communication from the retiring
governor. George E. liounsbury. was
presented. notifying the House of ap-
pointments during the recess of the
General Assembly. Those appoint-
ments have been published before.
Mr. Brandagee named as temporary
Whittlpscy. of Danbury. OII motion or
Mr. King. of Willlmantlc, leader of the
Republican side of the House, ballot-
lug for speaker was then entered upon.
temporary tellers being appointed as
follows: Donovan. of New Haven; At-
wood. of Klilingly: Travis, of Torring-
ton. and Shepherd. of Portland.
Mr. Light Elected Speaker.
The names of two candidates only
for speaker were presentedwdohu ll
Light. of South Norwalk, and Arthur
B. Caikins of East Lyme. 0n the first
ballot Mr. Light received 187 votes;
Mr. Calkins, if; scattering. 1. and Mr.
Light was accordingly declared clectI
ed by Mr. Brandegec. Representa-
tives King and Calklns were appointed
a committee to notify Mr. Light of his
election as speaker and when be ap-
peared in the House he was greeted
with long and continued applause. Af
ter the oath was administered, by My.
Braudegee. Speaker Light addressed,
the house as follows:
Hie Address to the House.
Gentlemen of the House of Repreeeui
tatlves:
It is ilrIpossible for me to express
in more words my thanks and gratb
rude to you for the bong you have con
ferrcd in electing me your
so i shall endeavor to express them by
faithful and impartial work in presid-
ing ovor youl‘ deliberations.
The hearty unanimity of your sup
port. and the kind endorsements of the
press. have pleated me deeply. and i
would be less‘than human. were I not
inspired to do my best to merit “iii
honor. George MacDonald has said
“To roeelv'e honestly is the best
thanks fora good thing.” and so I
thank you in his language
It is no 3min honor to preside ()N‘i
this co- ordinate branch of our govern-
ment. Our duties are. second to none.
it is even easier to construe. or to
execute than to Iake good laws Law
In its Widest sense is universal. Hook
er eloquently claims ‘1ch soul Is the
bosom of God. her voice the harmony
of the world; all things in heaven and
on earth do her homage." Law touch
on and regulates every conceivable rc
lotionship in life from the cradle to
the grave; it is omnipresent: you
"pray take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the utlcrmosr parts of
the sea." and you cannot escape it; II
belongs to life; if‘ is an attribute of
God: and human laws are llkcst God‘s
when they rrInIIn natural channels and
serve the ends of justice. Natural
laws suggest and point the way to
writthn laws.
if i were asked for the best expres-
sion of what we have been. what we
are and what we hope to be, I would
seek an answer in the laws of thr-
state. Here we find experience crys-
tolizcd into rules of action for the bed
slit of the public. Our old coustliu
tion is one of the host results of burn
an experience and so should show a
disposition to proscr vo it coupled with
a desire to improve it. it is the most
sac red expression of u sovorlun people
and we have reason to be proud of the
great service it has Ioudorcd mankind
as the ground work for other constltu
tions. There has been much written
and spoken about our duty to Irurcrrii
the constitution; and the lust loglslo
ture proposed and passed two amend
monts—one providing for the election
of state officers by It plurality of bill-
lots. and the other providing for an in-
crease in the number of senators. it
will become our duty to pass on those
proposed amendments. rrnd i trust tlral
we may do so favorably and not be
thought guilty of playing fast and
loose ‘wlth oonstirrtional reform But
we must reform the constitution con-
stitutionally. and remember that the
suggestion made by certain writers
and speakers that. we should call by
legislative enactment II constitutional
conv ntion without coustltlonal
autho lty is in direct conflict with the
oath we are recurred to take to srrp
port the constitution and to faithfully
discharge. according to law. the duties
of the office of representatives to the
best of our abilities. it is our duty.
however. to propose amendments to
the,‘ constitution according to its terms
that such amendments should he
made.Iand that a majority of the elec-
tors of the state will approve them.
The safest injustice at the present
times thought to be the rule that given
every fltown practically the some repre-
sentation in this House. Let us meet
free from inconsistencies. and measur
cltlesof the state.
this, some other House will.
expression in our organic law.
:j'i
report when made. rho war
M
offered an eloquent invo«
Speaker. I
this and other questions In a spirit of
fairness to all concerned and pro use
he
ably satisfy the lust claims of the large.“—
lf we donot do
Justice
demands It. and It will ultimately find
The last legislature provided for a
commission to revise the statutes of
the, state, and the report of this com-
mission will soon be laid before us. so
him: it is our duty to raise a Joint -
committee on revision of still:- ‘
who shall take Into consideraiifl I
Mr. President. chill Gentlemen of the
Generaiassembly: ‘
The tendency of eirstom has been to
limit the performance of the duties re
quired of the ‘sxecutlvo in Section 8 of
the Fourth Article of our Constitut on
to a single communication delivered at
the opening of the session. and accept-
all by the General Assembly as a com-
mendable rhetorical exercise to be lis-
tened to with respect and printedand
retired to its proper archive at the ex-
pense of the state. ‘
it is not my expectation to improve
upon this custom. but It is my purpose
to omit at this time much of the usual
statistical information contained in
the reports of the several departments,
and briefly call your attention to a law
matters now uppermost in the mind at
the people.
Conetluilonel Reform.
The Constitution of. the State of“
Connecticut. like those of her sister
republics. always has been. is now. and
always will he complained against by
good and patriotic men.
The State of Connecticut is. howev-
cr. by the testimony of all her loynl
sous. as good a state to live in as
there is in the. union.
Many of her blessings are due to
the wealth and variety of her natural
endowments. but many more are due I)
the wisdom of the fathers who laid the
foundations of her government in the
adamant of ruorality and justice.
For more than two centuries the fun
damculal law of Connecticut has been
the admiration and inspiration of the
representative republics of the world
And if the cltzons of Connecticut have
preferred stability in uncertain
change. their choice has brought them
great prosperity and the reputation of
being a people of steady habits which
with God's help. may they long retain.
Nothing is so destructive of credit
and the general well-being of society
as constant modification of furrdaurcrr
tal law. and injustices in a constitu-
tion offending theory only may well bu
preferred to experiment“ attempts at
impossible ideals.
The general plan of our constitution
in its protection against the wrong
kind of liberty is. in the judgment of
many. better than that possessed by
any other state in the Irniop. i do not
say tiratvit is perfect. Perfection is
hard to find in temples made with
hands.
We are told that a perfect form of
government. is possible. and that it will
be the one that runs in exact harmony
with the immutable laws of nature
This may be true. and when discover-
ed still be urrsutlsiuctoryfor some of
the best of us will. i fear. always and
occasion to criticise natural rogula
tions.
(in the other hand. we used rrcvm
{our to remedy a manifest wrong iI
fundamental law. if that. wrong clearly
affects a majority of the people. And
the minority. however dearly ll may
cherish the law that. causes that
wronrc should remember that the very
life of u Ileumcracy depends upon the
patriotic obedience of all to the will
of the majority. We qust expect to
anroml our constitution for years.” not
for centuries to conic. We should be
willing and oven glad to do so when
natural causes that could not be fore
soon have. in the. course of time. rep
dered an amendment II pluiu duty.
[II 1639 when the state had but three
towns. such town was given four dcpu
ties to the General Cour-I, and it was
further provided inatlrc first of written
corrstlutlons that whatever other
towns should thereafter be added to
Connecticut. “They shall sends so
nrucny deputies as tho. court should
judge meet a reasonable proportion to
the number of fr'ccmcn that are in the
scald towns being."
it was thou the definite expressed
purpose of the founders of the state
to give to each town such number of
deputies as would be in reasonable pro
portion to tho. number of frceureu
therein. and to every town some more
sentutlou. it cannot be denied that
this apportionment was conservative.
wise. and just.
At present. owing to u very large luv
arouse in the population of some towns
and very little. if ally. in others. it is
theoretically possible for loss than
twanty por cont. of the people of Con-
necticut to elect a clear majority o:
v
PRATT’S FOOD.
LEDERER FOOD
Buy Oats Thais Clean. .
, MANUEL T. HATCH.
Tissue cons FEEDS.
Sachem s m
to the General Asseuiblu _
This Afternoon
both branches of the General Assam
biy, and so secure absolute control of
the entire stand government and as
an adjunct to this unanticipated. dc
parture from the original intent of the.
founders some towns having a popula-
tion of less than 500 retain two repro-
sentatives while others having ten
times that number are entitled to but
one.
Some of you may be tempted to
point to the proposed increase in the
Senate as fully satisfying the spirit
of the constitution. i cannot see
wherein this amendment can be sober»
iy considered as a remedy for the real
and growing injustice in the apportion-
ment of the representation in the
House. The Senate in name. purpose
and history is the smaller and conser-
vative body. and it should in my judg-
ment remain such.
There are at present eightycseven
towns having two representatives and
clgrtyone towns having but one. if
sac town is given one representative.
and there is added to every town ex-
reading a certain populatlouione repre-
sontntive for each ten thousand or
more of such excess. you will fairly
and substantially remove the present
injustice, and still retain the federal or
territorial element in the present con-
stltullon.
it is a compromise. but an honorable
and logical compromise. in which the
people gulp much, and the towns save.
much in retaining n privilege which
to them is an education and a dignity
as dear and sacred as it is conserva-
tive and beneficial to the state.
A reapportionmcut that would en-
tlrcly dcprlvu the smaller towns of
their individual representation would
be a radical and complete departure
from the plan of the founders. and i
four that any attempt to secure such a
rcapportlouuront would be as uusuo
cessful as it would be unwise. Many
of us still believe in the little town
republics. And whether they created
the state or the state created thorn
they have lived together in harmony
and stood shoulder to shoulder in do
tense of each other and the state loo
long to become antagonists now.
if. upon careful and uuprojudiced us.
liberation you become convinced. as
I am convinced that a fair Ireappov
tlournonl of the‘wpresentation in the
co ordinnto branches of the General
Assembly is due to and greatly desir»
ed by a large majority of the people of
Connecticut. the manner in which the
constitution shall be altered lo allow
such roapportlouruoul will be of next
Importance.
You will hear much about the neces-
sity of a constitutional convention
from many zealous and farseulng men.
but i caution you that in adopting: this
plan you would open the door to guest
and stronger alike and throw the he?
away. I can soc no argument ln‘fnvor
of this lrrogulnr'. expensive. and wide?-
operr policy but that of speed. it is
cutting across lots in the dark with
many dllcbcs to avoid, and some of us
were wisely taught. by our fathers that
“the longest way around is the shorc
est way Monro." There is ability
enough and to spare in this assembly
to compile if thought best the nineteen
pages of our present constitution, save
the iiIlug provisions and add thereto
such changes as you may approve.
The constitution so compiled and
shrouded would be printed with the
lawn enacted by you and freely (:li‘ti‘lv
lalod and discussed during the next
two years, and when finally submitted
to'lbo people it could be vbtcd for in-
telligently and wiliroul fear of hidden
flaw or deception.
It should also be remembered that
most of the vital provisions in our
present constitution have been judicial-
ly construed by our Supreme Court
and any change iu the text. however
slight. might entail much hardship. un-
certainty. uud expensive litigation.
in view of the large number of self-
profosscd exports in constitutional
surgery w.bp anticipating the. pleas
urns of Inrrestrlcted vlvlsoctlon. have
already provided themselves with
knife and antiseptic, you will, in my
judgment. serve and please the people
boat by permitting the use of such rem-
edies only as may lie necessary to pre-
serve tho vigor and spirit of the trust-
ed guardian of the people's rights. I
The proposal to require the election
of county commissioners by the peo-
Wc are now receiving some FINE HARLEY OATS.
If you are looking for good oats let us deliver you some
of these. These‘are fancy stock and many satisfied cus-
tomers testify that this means the best that money can
buy. All we ask is a trial order—mo doubtbut what we
will g'et the second one.
\e the page for
dooraohioWork
Yintiaotppe‘hriraus
are unsurpassed. .
. by
of ‘l The constitu‘:
tion is a liar tattoo ad should never
be made a code.
if any change is needed in the man-
usrof choosing county commissioners
or the judges of our minor courts. it
does not i think lie in the directlpn ot
the town caucus:
The amendment now pending which
provides for plurality election of state
officers. althoulfh clearly undemocratic
In theory. is abundantly approved by
precedent and experience. “and until
some plan is devised whereby a major-I
Ity can express l-tp'cboioe of. one poll
it will be more satisfactory‘thau the
present ultra couseratlve method.
As a possible help to a clear under-
standing of the histc‘rry and purpose
of our cousiituion and the present need
of a change In the apportionment of
the Iepresentation In the General As-
sembly. i recommend that each mom
her be supplied with a copy of Dr. J.
Hammond Trumbull's Historical Notes
on the Constltrrtlous of Connecticut
printed by order of the Legislature in
1873. .
Taxation.
The government owns nothing and
gets nothing that it does not take from
the pockets of the people. The corral-
izntlon of this, contribution for the
good of all is a matter of first impor-
tance and presents a. most difficult
problem to solve. if not an impossible
one. Volumes have been written on
this subject. and State Legislatures
have blindly stumbled and groped to
find their way out of the dungeon of
unequal taxaton. That nature has
provided II way somewhere many writ-
ters assert. and a few are bold enough
to Indicate its exact location. Others.
including the late David A. Wells. point
out the difficulties but leave the rear
cdy "for time to effect."
That our present sytem of taxation
is in many respects unscientific and
unjust. thinking men at all familiar
with fiscal matters freely admit. For
years state legislatures in their 11an
lety to reach credit and money at in
terest have driven the spear of double
taxation safely by the body of the in
tended victim to the very heart of the
suffering borrower. The taxes on real
estate have been so quocrly adjusted
in Connecticut first you can find within
easy sight of this Capitol. land and
houses on one side of an avenue paying
a ton mill tax and land and houses on
the other side paying a twenty mill
tax. You will find in some of the re
mote country towns that. tax rates
have risen to twenty-three nrills on II
dollar. bringing little in return but irr-
vuluerable bushes and impassable
highways.
While much of this trouble as to
real estate could be remedied by :III
equitable and conscientious enforce-
ment of the theory of the existing laws
the lawn that relate to taxing personal
property are. in the opinion of most
writers upon this subject. fundamen-
tally wrong. Our existing law which
puts a small tax (4-10 of l per centl
in lieu of local taxation upon certain
securities is a compromise with con-
science and an admission that it is inr-
possibie to enforce equality in the tax
often of this class of properly.
Today the greater part of the per»
sonal properly is in shares of corpora
lions and those corporations are all
within easy reach of the state. which
has granted their charters and can de-
mand from them whatever details of
their business it may desire. Rall'
roads now pay their tax directly to the.
stale and their shares are exempted.
MaIIrIfuI-lorlos are taxed on their prop
erly where they are located and their
shares also exempted.
There is no reason why the so-called
"moneyed corporations" should not be
taxed directly by the state. instead or
indirectly through their stockholders
wherever these may be found. The
revenue thus secured could be return
ed to the towns where the owners re
side. This would secure uniformity
and check evasion.
The problem of the “back town" to
which allusion has already been made
is a grave one. There are a number of
these remote from lines of communica-
tion and devoted under adverse soclul
coudltons almost exclusively to the
cultivation of an unfriendlv soil. that
are declining in population. In business
activity and wealth. and where the on-
ly increase from decade to decade is
in the rate of taxation. There are
whole towns which would not today
soil at auction for the amount of their
tax lists. and with the vagaries of the
very rich it would not be surprising
if some multl-mlllionalre should under
take to buy a Connecticut town and
own it with its seat in the Legislature
as his personal poroulsite. The arm-
culty is to find how to aid such com-
munities in bearing the expense of
their roads. their- scboois and the care
of their poor. how to make them desir-
able homes for the industrious citi-
zend. and still preserve the autonomy
of the towns themselves and the inde-
pendent self-govornment of the people
which is the heritage and the privilege
of very citizen of Connecticut.
The present law which provides for
state assistance to these towns in the
maintenance of their highways is cur-
ineintly proper. and should be contluI
.uel .
The tax rates on real estate would
be lIIWered. if the law required every
man to make oath to his list. either in
person or by his uncredited agent. un-
der a severe. penalty for neglect. The
present law in this regard is a direct in-
vitation to the rich man to neglecf‘to
make out his list,r lock his safe deposit
box. and leave moaned-natured as-
sessor to addton per cent. to what he
can and outside. A law that Would re
quire the judges of our courts of pro
hate to examine all inventories of es-
tates of deceased persons and assess
and collect any tax that the owners
evaded when living. might be a whoch
some Warning to those who think that
It is perfectly proper to let other peo-
ple support the govornment. . .
if a law could be framed that would
by its terms secure the appointment of
a scientific and hroadminded student
of fiscal matters as tax commissioner.
this officer Would. in a short time. be.
worthI‘Imany times his salary to the
people of Connecticut.
'I Purity of the Ballot.
If you can discover any combination
of words which. enacted into a law.
will stop the buying and selling of
votes you should lose lllo time la main
, lng such diIcuvIsry. for t is. i fear. the
Men's $6.50 Suits are now
Men's 810 Suits are now
8.25 Men's 312 Overcoats‘reduoedj
Men’s :15 Overcoatsreduco ‘
Men's 820 Overcoats red ed
13.00 Men's :25 Overcoats' .
Boys’ and Children's Suits and Overcoat :4
at a great reduction. ‘ ’ '
Clothier and Furnisher. '
48 AND 50 WALL STREET.
Men’s 312 Suits are now
Men's 316 Suits are now 10.00
Men‘s 818 Suits are now
a. - ’5"
.
”NOeWAtLIt,’
l
A LOOK AHEAD.
The Twentieth Century Is ushered In by Father Time. ‘
a privilege to live' In this age and country; how full of hop
and our children. If the nineteenth century did more for tho
human happiness than all the preceding centuries added tog
this present century promises to do more. It is the ainrof t
Grocery to be” In line with this progress. and to bee
ahead a growing local factor In the distribution of g
right prices. This means hard honest work. ‘ ‘
Call attention to my Best Black Tea. There' Is a peculiar
and strong flavor to this tea the secret of which is out kn
yours truly. It" Is growing in favor with an increasing
tomcrs. Try. Samples for the asking.
pound.
r 1
14c. carter ’ rind 5e.
Lonsrvzo IBLE
Carefully fitted to the face. after a thorough scieii—I
tilic examination of the eye's. ., ..
Complete Optical Room. No Charge for Examination. . l
O. B. JACKSON.
GRADUA r E OP rICIAN.
58 Wall Street Norwalk Conn J
W
Car of Clipped White Reclearred.............................0AT$
Car of Choice Timothy.............................................HA
Car oi Long RyeSTRAW
Car of PealM0$3
Car of SHAVINQS
NOW ON TRACK l
Inspect our goods atBLEVQ‘I‘QR
WAREHOUSE OR CTORI.
OND ROS...
l
. ”e
Special for Balance of th
Weak Fish, " "1
Steak Cod. 8c. lb.
Pollock. 5c. lb. Large Smelt.
Cod Fish. 5c. lb. Salmon.
Perch. 8c. lb. CiIcoes.
Eels. . 10c. lb EIcIllopI. .
Blue Fish. Ioc. lb Oysters. ' ‘,
sass caravans A1. ‘ users;
WASHINGTON starlet
(Cristi red on storm.)
Norwalk Chronicler