298 



CONNECTICUT. 



fered by a member 'and passed by tbe House 

 unanimously, "instructing the Committee on 

 Constitutional Amendments to prepare and 

 report an amendment providing for spring ses- 

 sions of the General Assembly." This reso- 

 lution, by a vote subsequently taken in the 

 House, was " continued to the adjourned ses- 

 sion of the General Assembly in January, 

 1880," which the Senate concurred in. 



The following joint resolution was passed 

 by the Lower House and concurred in by the 

 Senate respecting the bill on Chinese immigra- 

 tion then under deliberation in Congress : 



Resolved, by this General Assembly, that the pro- 

 posed law now pending in the Congress of the United 

 States, restricting Chinese immigration, is a flagrant 

 violation of a sacred and honorable treaty, and is 

 wholly inconsistent with the principles and traditions 

 of our republic, and with the broad principles of hu- 

 man freedom ; and it is our earnest hope that its pro- 

 visions may not disgrace our statutes. 



Governor Andrews, in his message to the 

 Legislature, endorsed and urged the recommen- 

 dations made by his predecessor at the opening 

 of the session of 1878, more particularly those 

 relating to a reduction of the number of pro- 

 bate districts in the State; to the correction 



of the joint-stock laws, for the prevention of 

 fraud and other abuses, or their punishment ; to 

 the engrossment of bills; and to taking a pro- 

 visional adjournment before closing the session, 

 its time to be employed in perfecting what had 

 been acted upon during the session, and not 

 for action on any new business. Concerning 

 the two last-named subjects he suggested that 

 the provisional adjournment which in 1878 

 took place in pursuance of the advice given by 

 his predecessor, should be made obligatory by 

 the enactment of a statute, or by the adoption 

 of a joint rule ; and as to the engrossment of 

 bills he recommended a change of the existing 

 statute, so as to permit them to be printed in- 

 stead of being engrossed in writing. He says : 

 " Such a change would to a great extent re- 

 lieve the Secretary, would lighten the labors 

 of the Committee on Engrossed Bills, and en- 

 able them much more speedily to prepare bills 

 for presentation to the presiding officers of the 

 two Houses for their signatures, and to the 

 Governor for his approval." He recommended 

 that the taxes on property recognized by the 

 laws of 1877 and 1878 as belonging to married 

 women exclusively should be assessed against 



NEW LONDON. 



the wife, and not set in the lists of the hus- 

 band, as is now done by statute. A bill to effect 

 that object was acted upon at the session of 

 1878, but failed to pass. He urged the repeal 

 of all the statutes, whether public or private, 

 under which a large amount of property in the 

 State is claimed by its owners to be exempted 

 from taxation. From this general rule he ex- 

 cepted only " clear cases of exemption by irre- 

 pealable grant from the Legislature." Upon 

 this subject of taxation for State purposes, the 

 Governor pointed out the absurdity and in- 

 justice now committed in the assessment of 

 property of the same kind, its average valua- 

 tion at different and not distant localities be- 

 ing so different as to be in one town double 



what it is " in a town next beside it." In or- 

 der to secure as much uniformity as possible on 

 this point, he suggested periodical assessments 

 to be made by officers appointed by the State, 

 who should actually visit every town once in 

 five or ten years, and make an appraisal. He 

 says : " An assessment made once in ten years 

 would establish a basis for the Board of Equal- 

 ization, such as they do not now possess, and 

 enable them to act intelligently in the adjust- 

 ment of State taxation." The Commissioners 

 appointed under a resolution of the General 

 Assembly of 1878, "to inquire into the feasi- 

 bility of simplifying the system of legal pro- 

 cedure in the State, and secure a more speedy 

 administration of justice," having submitted a 



