New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-26
A SPECIMEN LOBBY.


The Connecticut "Capital question" which
has made so much stir in the Legislature and
in local politics for several years past, will be
settled at the October election, the constitu-
tional amendment providing for the location
of the single capital at Hartford having passed
the two preliminary stages, and being now
about to be acted upon finally by popular
vote. The State papers are discussing it with
unusual moderation, possibly for the reason
that hard words have been exhausted already
more likely because there is little doubt of the
result and no prospect of changing it. In all
probability the amendment will be adopted by
a large majority, and Hartford become the
sole capital. The quarrel between Hartford
| and New-Haven upon this question has been
long and very bitter, has engendered much
bad blood, cost large sums of money, and IN
various ways worked mischief. The citizens
of the State, and especially of the two con-
tending cities, will be wise if, when the mat
ter is settled definitely, they sit down to a
careful computation of its cost, and give
thoughtful heed to the lesson of It's history.
| The ball was opened some years ago with a
resolution, introduced by an attorney, repre-
sentative from Meriden, proposing an amend
ment to the constitution, making Meriden the
sole capital. Another member, an attorney
also. moved to amend by inserting Hartford
| in lieu of Meriden, and the amendment was
carried. The resolution was approved, and
| went over to the next Assembly for the re-
| ouisite two-thirds vote before its submission
to the people. 1t failed to get it, and another
resolution, similar in terms, was put upon the
first stage of its passage, receiving majority,
and going over to the next Legislature This
has been repeated every year since, until the
session of last May passed it by two-thirds
majority and sent it to the people. The gen.
tleman who introduced the first proposition
and the gentleman who moved the amend
ment have been constantly employed on one
side or the other of the case from the
commencement, and have made it source OF
no little income. Besides these, great raft OF
attorneys, small politicians, wire-pullers, State
committees and town committees have fast
ened themselves upon the municipal treasu-
ries of the rival cities, and in every possible
fashion promoted immortality, extravaganza,
dishonesty, corruption, and vice. Just as in
street quarrels thieves, with an eye to busi-
| ness, egg on the disputants while they fleece
| the spectators, or as in quarrels OF larger
magnitude political plunderers and campbell
lowers infame the passions OF contendlng
parties and keep alive resentments while they
rifle treasures, so in this controversy parcel
of politicians in both cities famed diligently
the local jealousy and kept alive the animosi-
ties engendered while they fattened on the
fees. The mischief they wrought was mani
fold and various. In all their work there was
| no redeeming feature. Whatever they touched
they contaminated, and in the long-drawn
contest the slime of their trail covered all the
| poltics of all the parties in the State.
These men, some of them political bummers'
and professional politicians some young men
lust entering upon the profession without tn
| practice of law, all of them the unhealthy
crop of political paupers which every Presi-
dental election upsets upon the public, too
| ignorant, worthless, and unprincipled for the
| stations they aspire to, and too lazy for the
| work they are equal to--these men in both
parties and in both cities organized them
selves and laid hands upon the State. - The
| State Committeeman who dlsbursed the funds
and in q great measure directed the move
ments and controlled the nominations in each
Senatorial District, was in the pay of one
gang or the other; the town committee
when he called his caucus to order, and the
ward,or village leader where he sounded his
"country's call" to the faithful never lost sight
of the capital interest for which he was
retained; men who were in the Legislature
this year were retained for the next, and men
who were last year in the lobby were in the
Legislature this; votes and influence were
traded of for offices and charters and special
privileges, and in market more or less open
were bought and sold each year there was
general "hands across" and "lobbies change"
greasy politicians from rural districts hung
about the Capitol earning unusually good pay
for unusually dirty work, uniting themselves
for honest labor and debauching Others while
they learned deeper tricks from the ballot
suffer and the ward manager; the atmosphere
of the Legislature was charged with the odor
of corruption and bribery, and the decent
people of the two cities taxed themselves to
pay the bills.
Out of it all there has come nothing but
debt and taxes i'll blood and decentralization
of Legislature and people. The politicians,
young and old, in the rival cities, who have
ridden upon the gale. have been pampered
and made worse; the comparatively innocent
rural leader has been corrupted United States