New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-09
THE CONNECTICUT MIDDLE.
NOT TAKEN AT ALL SERIOUSLY by HE
SENSIBLE PEOPLE OF THE STATE.

NOT TAKEN AT ALL SERIOUSLY BY THE
SENSIBLE PEOPLE OF THE STATE.
Doubtless no serious calamity would ensue II
.bc nresept deadlock in Connecticut should con-
,inue and the good people of that State should pe
oblred TO content themselves for the next two
wears with the supply Of legislation left over ana
on hand. There's enough Of it 10 last for a long
time and sufficient variety TO meet all posi-
ble changes until the next biennial election III
colonial times it was thought necessary TO nave
,,yo sessions of the General Assembly each year.
These they reduced to annual sessions IN 49, anu
in 1884. after much discussion. they made Uhe
further sacrifice of one-half of what renamed OF
the luxury of law-making. limiting themselves
thereafter to the enjoyment of General Assembly,
once in two years. At the time the last chahGe
was made it was urged against it that frequency
Of elections was necessary TO keep up thab l'ees'
in politics and public affairs so essential III 1"
democracy, without which patriotism wouio us
appear and the rule Of incompetence ana sie'u
succeed But tie people thought 1t all over oo-
tween the three successive stages through WHICH dill
amendment of the organic act must pass. took
retrospective glance at their Legislatures LOT se'
oral wears previous, hefted" the Revised STATUTES
n see if they had enough law on hand 10 lSs'
connie of wears, and said that on the whole theS
would take the chances. ,a
There were people in Hartford. keepers OF hoelS
and boarding-houses and others. whose reia'ion'
with the aflluent and refuent tides OF sta'cele"
afforded unusual opportunities for clear u'uei
s,opding and intelligent Judgment Of the whole
subject, who expressed the OPINION 'n"V 0-,
the props of civil and religious liberty would DC
knocked out by the change that many liipoi'"no
Industries would stagnate notably that the agri-
cufar L
would deprive the leading agricultursts who came
~ The CapitaI every winter TO advise their repre-
eentatiyes how to vote on bills that had money IN
them of a necessary source of revenue: that a
large number of members of the bar IN small
towns would be obliged to wear their summer
clothes all winter in the alternate years; that the
railroad corporations. instead of annually dis
bursting their surplus to deserving persons, would
be burdened with accumulatiOnS which the ac-
tivity of Mr.. Goodwin. of East Hartford. would
compel them to conceal by fraudulent statements;
and finally that political ignorance would become
so dense that even in Presidential campaign the
intelligent youth of the State, upon whom so
much depends. would hardly know how to dis
charge that first duty of the coming voter-car-
rying torch.
Notwithstanding which, the experiment was
tried. Civil and relig ous liberty have survived
without serious SHOCK the imperilled industries
have prospered through increased activity in the
market, advance in prices and the concentration
Of two years disbursements in one; and instead
of lapsing into political ignorance and indifference
they have three Governors and two legislative
bodies acting independently of each other. and
there isn't cracker barrel in country store from
Voluntown 10 BaIkhamstead on which some local
statesman does not nightly sit and expound the
Constitution between eXpectorations, and, on the
whole, the people seem to enjoy it. They are not
camorouS for legislation. Judging from appear
ances, they will be perfectly content to have the
deadlock made permanent and the law-making
machinery stand still till January, 1898. Mean
time the parties more Immediately concerned, that
is the contestants, claimants and incumbents of
several State Offices and their supporters in either
branch of the Legislature, are not acting as though
they really believed there was anything Of much
consequence involved. 1t has been treated on all
sides from the beginning as huge Joke. The
three Governors-Bulkeley, who is actually gov
erning: Norris who has been nearly elected and
half sworn in and has nothing TO govern but his
temper which, being extremely mild, takes no
time at all and Merwin, who, being hold-Over
Lieutenant-Governor and eXpectant Governor,
neither presides nor governs-are all on excellent
terms with each other, and neither one OF them
seems to think that anything will happen to civil
or religious liberty if either of the Others or
both, or all three, or even none of them, should be
Governor.
The same relations seem TO exist between the
members of the two parties in the Legislature
There has been much oratory on both sides; the
Constitution has been hammered and twisted,
turned end for end and bottom side up, flung to
handled in that boisterously arcctonate manner
with which a truly free people is accustomed to
treat the objects OF its reverence; the debate has
given many persons opportunities for practice,
while the speeches have exhibited duration and
illustrated endurance And yet, singularly enough,
amid all this surging cloquencc, / have not yet
heard of q single case Of hurting back IF | am
correctly informed as to parliamentary usageS, no
real trouble ever begins until somebody "hurls
back: no personal hard feeling has been engen-
dered. but the champions III the tournament, after
having Illuminated the Constitution with orator.
cal sky-rockets and Roman candles, have cordially
congratulated each other the excellence OF their
respective pyrotechnics. BY them, as by pretty
much everybody else, TIE whole affair seems to be
considered a simple matter Of offices, about which
il is we'll enough perhaps, TO indulge III few IN
nocuous fireworks, but not at all worth while to
get excited. Perhaps ! ought to make an eA-
ception of Representative Walker. of Hartford
who. | believe, is Mugwump, and takes things
quite seriously. suspect that he thinks lac IS IL
the middle of crisis and is awake nights about
it, When l him, few days after the great
debate opened-I think they call it the great de
bote-he had q storm-tossed, weather-beaten look,
as though he was feeling the effect of Il being on
the bridge every night during tempestuouS
time. He is regarded with curiosity by the Demo
Gratis and not without interest by the Republicans.
Meantime, while the persons most interested
are taking things coolly, certain outsiders have
bulped into the discussion with the same sort
of enthusiasm with which your genuine brulser
endeavors 10 urge on a slow-golng glove night
which he suspects 10 be hlppodrome' In New
who cOuld bovo