CONNECTICUT. 



adopted the motion, in which the Senate, to 

 whom it WM lent, concurred. 



The following amendments to the constitu- 

 tion were proposed to the General Assembly 

 at this aeaaion, and continued to the next : 



IIOUSS Or BlPaiSKXTATlVXS, I 



Msy Session, 4. D. 1878. 



Kaalrtd, by tlu Bwat of StpreteniaOta, Tht the 

 following be proposed u an amendment to the con- 

 ttitutinn of this 8utc, which, when approved and 

 >loi.tcd in the manner provided by the constitution, 

 aball, to all InteuU and purposes, become a pan 

 thereof, ii. : 



From and after the first Wednesday in May, in 

 the venr of our Lord 187, the Senate of this State 

 hall consist of not leu than forty-one nor more than 

 fifty-one members, and be chosen by districts. The 

 General Assembly, which shall be holden on the first 

 Wednesday of May, A. D. 1875, shall divide the State 

 into district* for the choice of senators, which dis- 

 tricts shall not be less than forty -one nor more than 

 fifty-one in number, and shall always be composed 

 of contiguous territory, and in forming them no 

 town shall be divided and in forming them neither 

 the whole nor part of one county shall be joined to 

 the whole or part of another county to form a district 

 regard being had to the population in said appor- 

 tionment, and in forming suitl districts in such man- 

 ner that no county shall have less than two senators. 

 The districts, when established, Khali continue the 

 same until the session of the General Assembly 

 next after the completion of the next census of the 

 United States, which said General Assembly shall 

 have power to alter the same, if found necessary, ac- 

 cording to the principles above recited ; after which 

 said districts shall not be altered, nor the number 

 of senator* altered, except at any session of the Gen- 

 eral Assembly next after the completion of a census 

 of the United States, and then only according to the 

 principle* above described. 



AWrod, That the foregoing proposed amendment 

 to the constitution be continued to the next session 

 of the General Assembly, and be published with the 

 law* passed by the present session. 



Paaaed in the Hou*e of Representatives, July 12, 

 1879. 



lions* or RiraxaiimTivES, I 

 May Session, A. D. 1878. f 



Rvolnd. tf tkt Bonn of Xtpmtntativet, That the 

 following be proposed a* an amendment to the con- 

 stitution of this State, which, when approved and 

 adopted in the manner provided by the constitu- 

 tion, shall, to all Intents and purposes, become a part 



The House of Representatives shall consist of elect- 

 ors residing in town* from which they are elected. 

 Every town which now contains, or hereafter shall 

 contain a population of five thousand, shall be enti- 

 tled to send two representatives, and every other town 

 hall be entitled to it* present representation in the 

 General Assembly. The population of each town 

 hall be determined by the enumeration made under 

 the authority of the cenau* of the United State* next 

 before the election of representatives Is held. 



AWraf, That the foregoing proposed amendment 

 to the constitution be continued to the next session 

 of the General Assembly, and be published with the 

 laws parsed at the present session. 



Paaaad in the House of Representatives, July 9, 

 Ml 



Together with the two above recited, two 

 other amendment* to the constitution were 

 propoacd: the third, providing that tin- dec- 

 ti<m of State officers, instead of being annual. 

 u It now U, should take pUce biennially, was 

 indefinitely postponed; the fourth, repealing 

 the section of a former amendment, passed in 



1866, electing judges of the Supreme and Su- 

 perior Courts for eight years, was rejected. 



The action of the General Assembly in 

 concerning the rate of interest on money, was 

 regarded to be of the greatest importance by 

 its members and the people generally. By mi 

 act passed last year, the old law, iixing the 

 amount of interest within certain limits, was 

 repealed, ami the. parties concerned were left 

 free to determine it by private agreement be- 

 tween themselves. This change, instead of 

 proving beneficial to the borrower, as the pro- 

 moters of the. new system had anticipated, has 

 rendered his condition worse, the money-lend- 

 ers having demanded higher rates than previ- 

 ously. Complaints have been generally made 

 in this respect, chiefly against the savings- 

 banks. The Governor officially avers in his 

 message: "Several of them have, during the 

 last year, raised their usual rate of interest on 

 loans to seven and a half and eight per cent. ; 

 and rates even considerably beyond this have, 

 I am inclined to believe, been required in some 

 instances." Public statements have also been 

 made, even by those who advocated the con- 

 tinuance of free trade in money, that these in- 

 stitutions, "taking advantage of the repeal of 

 the usury laws, notified their borrowers of an 

 increase in their rates," and this, not only in 

 regard to new loans, but also on loans "ob- 

 tained in past years on real-estate security, 

 with the understanding that the rate should 

 remain as then fixed." 



In order to remedy these evils, a bill was in- 

 troduced abrogating the free-money statute 

 enacted last year, and restoring the usury 

 law; limiting the rate of interest to seven per 

 'lit.; proscribing also that three-fourths of 

 the deposits in the savings-banks should be 

 loaned upon real estate ; requiring any such 

 institution, having less than three-fourths of 

 the deposits loaned on mortgage, to make no 

 further loan of other kinds until the ti 

 fourths requirement is complied with ; and 

 prohibiting them from investing in railroad 

 stocks or bonds. After warm discussion, and 

 some alterations made in it, the bill paord 

 both Houses by large majorities. Its chief 

 provisions arc, that it fixes the legal rate of 

 interest at seven per cent, ; allows the savings- 

 banks to tnke interest in advance for a period 

 not exceeding six months : and allows private 

 individuals to add taxes and insurance to the 

 interest. 



The question whether the State of Connecti- 

 cut should continue to have two capitals was 

 brought before the General Assembly at the 

 nt session also, a member of the Lower 

 House bavinjr proposed the following resolu- 

 tion for its adoption : 



RetnlttJ, by tin Haute of Rtpntentatita, That tlio 

 nig lie proposed on nn amendment to the con- 

 stitution of tlii Rtntc, which, when approved ,nnl 

 adopted in the- manner provided l.v the oonstitu- 

 iiall, to nil intents and purpoaaa. become n part 

 thereof, to wit : All annual and special sessions of 

 the General Assembly shall, on and after the first 



