The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-05


 the Connecticut capitol and rather than have the lobby aii-powerful, every man not A member who wishes 10 ap- pear as advocate for Legislative measure. must consent to have 1t made a matter of record in whose behalf he is using his experience and his skill An end must be put to that class or special statutes which comes under the head of private bills" and blanket charters" drafted to enrich individuals at the expense of the state As com pietely as in England. the members or the legislative body must be freed from all unfair pressure In their committee work, even if, as in Great Britain. this class of legislation Is hereafter dealt with by system Of semi-judieial pro- cedure.
 When a professor at one of our Con necticut colleges has calculated from statistics what proportion of our vote in every election is venal and it Is found 10 be many times large enough 10 hold the balance of power: when the cry has gone up. Let the buyers and sellers of votes be declared infamous, for they are trading in our American birthright and let them be cast forth from the pale of American citizenship and treated as outlaws"; when the statutes of Georgia call lobbying crime and the constitution of Califor- nia makes the same offense n felony, surely Connecticut cannot any longer afford to do nothing in the hope that the evil will right itself. Nobody likes to stir up the nauseous mess, to make the humilating confession: but for the honor of the state somebody must sound the note of warning and should do It fearlessly and sincerely.
 This fatal indifference cannot be thrown off unless good men act together without jealousy or pickering. ceasing to rank their ease above right.
 Our national condition Is by no means hopeless. Already there are signs of an awakening of the public conscience. No better example need be referred to than the wave of retribution which swept through New York state last fall when the honor of the bench was i'm peached and the best newspapers of both parties joined with one another in making an historic stand for judicial purity and against the prostitution of the law by tricksters. Who doubts that the revelations of the Lexow com mittee have shocked the sensibilities of thousands of former staunch support CTS of Tammany hall, who awaits only the next election to purge the govern ment and vindicate the honor of the metropolis?
 "A weapon that comes down as still
 As snowtiakes fall upon the sod;
 But execute freeman's will
 As lightning does the will of God;
 And from its force no doors or locks
 Can shield you-'tis the ballot box"
 The speaker, now referring to the press of this country, said it was never more ready and eager than now to help forward reforms and to eradicate the scourge of indifference and corrup- | tion from political life.
 Another cause for congratulation is the growing belief that the days of the | naughty political autocrat. tine state CT national party czar, who names the ticket makes the platform and controls | the convention according to his cap | tious mood and individual pleasure, are l dlIcduy lluulUcIeu, dlu WicH OiiSc Dah- l ished they will never return. One or two such types of the political bully | and desperado, to be sure, still remain | and occupy conspicuous place in the | public arena at Washington; but, like | the dodo of the sixteenth century, they | will soon become extinct by reason of | not having a congenial environment.
 The future American statesman will | not be he who plays to- the galleries or | truckles to the whim of the hour, but | the man of conviction, courage, trained | intellect and indomitable will power.
 In the words of an English historian, | "No form of government needs great | leaders so much as democracy"
 We cannot all be leaders, but we can | all do our duty. The citizens of Athens were compelled | by law to take sides on all great nation al questions.
 The true patriot of our day is the just | man, living honestly, injuring no one, helpful and kindly to his neighbors in private life. In public life making no | profit beyond his lawful salary looking | with single eye not to his own but to | the public interest.
 We are lacking, it seems to me, in an l appreciation of duty for duty's sake. l
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