The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-22
FIVE TOWNS WERE BUNCoED.
Il CONNECTICUT SCANDAL OYER TIE
DIsAPPEARANCE OF $4,000

biun't Inko inc brtuRos nut No" 'ho
Moneys Gone-whcre, IL tho Question.
NEW HAVEN. Oct. 2l.-NntmeR State politi-
| clans and members OF the lobby-a permanent
institution in Connecticut-are very much puz-
zled by profound little political mystery.
namely: They would like to know. you
| know. what became OF $4,000 con-
tributed by FIVE towns in this region
at last winters session OF tho Legislature
sibly to deiray the current expenses
| Of the famous Hartford Bridge. go called. The
State. politically buzzos like now swarm OF
| bees with talk 10 the street and newspapers
| about that curious peouniary Item In q lump.
| The lobby smiles at ono end of its mouth and
| Is grave at the other side. md wonders audi
| bly, where on earth that S34,O00i IL. Press and
| people. irrespective OF partisan politics. gaze
sternly at the lobby and romark daily: You've
| got it, blame yow' Tie remark is II familiar
| one because whenever anything politically
| peculiar occurs in this ancient commonwealth
press and people say right off: WAL. there's
| that black cat again"-that Is to say. tho
lobby" In "od limos" tho devil used to do
| things In Connecticut: nowadays the lobby
| spells thu sooty old man perennially.
| Tho history OF that S34 900 Is clear enough
until suddenly. 1t ducks itself and presto!
it's gone. The curious thing about 1t is that
as In tho game OF Button. button. who's got
the button ?"-nobodys got It.
The fact is that Hartford has worry ancient
and famous and expensive bridge that spans
the broad and lazy Connecticut River, and
since tho people here long timy ago became
very tired Of ray,ing its THn9inE expenses.
ss s '$ Sst want IT, VI. S.,s II Int ss
eleemosynary institution. with the functions OF
neenn;aIy wet nurse for orphaned or In,
the design Of gifts from Hartford Greeks
Very well" thought the politicians prrspm.
drew ny n legislative PAPER that has 10.
come hist9rl"i and i now known as The
mthE Pa Is A" 9St '' &ssom taS
they "saw" the seectmen Of the towns Of
Hartford East Hartford. Manchester. South
sacred white eephent. the Hartford Bridge:
selectmen. the latter Nil drew checks on their
respective town treasures. The money pro-
sby in hs way for was a to Gssn
Of the bridge elephant; GIastonbury's
expended on one structure that Is, by no
that the Jack pot suddenly ducked and disap-
peared: aud i ANYBODY in this antique Puritan
and stuck. he certainly won't tell up to date
T.. But while the bridge Jack pot didn't show
tsef R Pa4ieiy it Wa only few days atSF
loftily 10 the General Assembly. and the soons
were all surprised -ostensihl noting the ex-
trcIne and spontaneous enthusiasm with which
the lobby rail- led about that Till and waved 1t
famboyantly about the marble halls of legis-
ation. II was noted. also. ut the same time.
by Few long headed Legislators. who.
however. said nothing especial. then. with
to whf e o the hsH rSo h @
sentng the Hartford Bridge to the State. Still
nobody At the Ca.Eto!! said anything about
headed legislators detected anything signii-
can't in this political altruism they attributed
;;sosis, , s54;ySJ5 M%as EGno ana iiFeWs;
enduring Hartford bridge bill did not
win at last winters session, the whole political
episode rassed INTO oblivion and no doubt
tive Hale. the great grange leader OF the state.
interested himself to unearth it. At first in
his researches he cncountereda series of re-
verses. True. town meetings were promptly
convened In several Of the towns concerned.
tcrious <3fOOO. hut sngularly in each IN
stance q resolution. snbmi,t"d to the meet
peculiarly and lost item. was instantly voted
out OF sight.
1t seemed that the people. as a rue. had no
curiosity about the missing Sni.uUO: didn't
care whether bridge or lobby had used it to
ddefr9Y ts necessary and current expenses.
did not hesitate or despair. Tho Selectmen
Of the, town, called big meeting at Glnstpn-
clans and most OF the Iiain people douhtingly
affirmed that it was likely to effect nothing in
Ies Il was 'Gf due to eSr
that the First Selcctman OF the town. the Rev. I
r w. EnnElns nm cx,nastor o, ne t% hl '
last fall submitted peculiar resolution to the |
gathering:
Re. t,,. That we cannot npproy" Of the exornftnnt
,on appointed to act m nener OF severn towns IN
pslsrs an .'hhl.ies IN ,o"nnr.lrn " III tIr tran
and East II 9t Yet W. s s
action herewith,
At once tho meeting voted to strike out the
last sentence from the resolution and then
af pronent hTs
citizen. offered this resolution. which also was
adopted
Rra,n"ri rdf and ss bH apooiatcd cam"tfsc
to Of @ az o ay T nr ID @
char. .ns a. PAR; 9f',% sSg%nso ., EARN: t.r an
a ri e. 1"@ %
able for the order to recoySr lie money
sSaTi &aS%s 81. 4 n Hds; sSd
the town.
In view o. the asi len motel it Is likely that
pect o, ultimate success, nlthouGh some roli,
ticians profess to believe that 1t ha. passed
Dsy%nd the Grb OF the longest nrmSd iTyisS
hegSi'r lDcmocratcj says:
"The lobbyists who got IN such eXtraor-
inariy fine work on this $4,000 Bridge bill
cannot, we fear. be persuaded to shed little
y the sunlight Of publicity on this dark but
interesting subject, Active as these gentle
non ar" in their underground linz OF business.
hey are sometimes i!tllont. and very back
ward ABOUT coming forward. Working Ike
noles beneath tho surface. they find tho
glare OF daylight very painful to Their weak
sned eyes. and they prefer 10 remain in Seclu-
sion when they are wanted for the Information
hey have about them. Not always. however.
,re the members OF the third house 50 hash
uL on occasion they can masquerade rs
ions. though their would-be roaring IL very
ike n bray. At these times they will Threaten
o thwart necessary lcgS latipn Of public I'm
lortancc. unless II is made financially worth
h cir while not to Interfere.
What Is the difference between this sort OF
hing and the stand and deliver Of tho high
yayman? The highwaymln We have nenrY
,utgrown In this section OF the country. He il
ast be"om.ng a rarity, but the lobbyist is, still
With Us. For ways thnt are generally dark.
md trlks that are highly lucrative, the civil
Iled lobbyist, Is, peculiar II tho modes OF
no Holy .InTuis,lon, might DO made available.
his ephlnx might Ge made TO talk about the
Hartford Bridge bill AS 1t l.. he merely In
luires what We Hre going to do about IL j"