Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Spencer, Gideon L. - 1852

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
June Session-- At Newport.
Friday, June 25.
In Grand Committee-- Randall Holden, 2d, Thomas G. Turner and Americus V. Potter were chosen Railroad Commissioners.

Thomas F. Carpenter, Henry B. Anthony and Remington Arnold were elected commissioners of Shell Fisheries.

Gideon L. Spencer, agent of Providence and Pawtucket Turnpike.
William Gilpin, Commissary General.

Senate.-- Mr. Hoppin remarked, that there was a petition from the town of Bristol, for liberty to subscribe to the stock of the Providence and Bristol Railroad, and an act accompanying the same, already granted on the part of the House, was now in the hands of the committee on the judiciary, and not reported upon and desired that the matter might be presented to the Senate.

Mr. Ballou, from the committee on the judiciary, said that the committee were, after the first hearing, undecided upon the proper course to pursue, but he would move that the committee be discharged, and the subject brought before the Senate.

Mr. Hoppin, then, in continuation, said that a delay in this matter would be equivalent to a defeat, as the limitation for the whole amount of stock expired on the 1st of July, and private enterprise having failing to raise the requisite sum, the dependence of the friends of the road, including the town of Bristol, through a majority of its legal voters, was now upon the granting the prayer of the petition.

Mr. Diman opposed at length the policy of the proposed procedure, as bad in precedent, and probably ruinous in result, and earnestly hoped that the Senate would not concur in the vote of the House on the subject.  He would move that the Senate non concur.

Mr. Ballou said, that as the matter now stood, he should be compelled to vote against it.  The case was different as far as the town of Bristol was concerned, from a similar application from the city of Providence.  In the latter case the city of Providence was doubly secured, while it did not appear that the town of Bristol had any advantage over a private subscriber.  He regretted that the petitioners could not have an opportunity of being further heard, without its being followed by a defeat of the whole project.

Mr. Collins believed the proposition to be radically wrong in principle, and, in his opinion, it had too direct a tendency toward the doctrines of Socialism.

Mr. Hoppin moved that Mr. Blake, who was present, as a citizen from Bristol, have the privilege of presenting to the Senate his views of the state of feeling in the town on the subject.

Mr. Blake accordingly rose and addressed the Senate in a long and earnest appeal in favor of the petition, and was followed by Mr. W. H. Potter, who reviewed the arguments of Mr. Blake, and addressed the Senate in behalf of the remonstrants.

Mr. Ames closed for the petitioners.

The nyes and nays were called on the vote of concurrence.  Lost, ayes 6, noes 19.

the general assembly adjourned on Saturday to meet at Bristol on the last Monday of October, according to law.
~ The Northern Star, 03-Jul-1852 Page 2, Column 4

No comments:

Post a Comment