The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-01-10
mailer and conservative body, and it

I
 towns having two representatives ant eighty-one towns having but one. |
 each town is given one representative
 and there is added to every town ex'
 ceeding a certain population one rep
 resentative for each ten thousand ol
 more of such excess, you will fairly and
 substantially remove the present injuS tice, and still retain the federal or ter
 ritorlal element in the present constitu-
 tion
 It is a compromise, but an honorable
 and logical compromise, in which the people gain much, and the towis save
 much in retaining a privilege which to
 them is an education and g. dignity as
 dear and sacred as 1t is conservative
 and beneficial to the state.
 A reapportionment that would entire
 ly deprive the smaller towns of their
 individual representation would be a
 radical and complete departure from
 the plan of the founders, and I fear
 that any attempt to secure such re- apportionment would be as unSuccess- ful as it would be unWise. Many of us
 still believe in the little town republics. And whether they created the state or
 the state created them, they have lived together in harmony and stood shoulder
 to shoulder in defense of each other and
 the state too long to become antago-
 nists now.
 If, upon careful and unprejudiced de- | liberation, you become convinced, as
 am convinced, that a fair reapportion- ment of the representation in the co-or-
 dinate branches of the general assem- tJ. ;. +lxv ,,aI hvrS S,
 large majority of the people of Con- nectcut, the manner in which the con- stitution shall be altered to allow such
 reapportionment will be of next im- portance.
 | You will hear much about the neces- | sity of a constitutional convention from | many jealous and far-seeing men, but | I caution you that in adopting this | plan you would open the door to guest and stranger alike and throw the key away. I can see no argument in favor of this irregular, expensive and wide open policy but that of speed. It is cutting across lots in the dark with many dtches to avoid and some of us were wisely taught by our fathers that ''the longest way around Is the shortest way home.' There is ability enough and to spare in this assembly to compile If thought best the nineteen pages of our present constitution, save the living provisions, and add thereto such changes as you may approve.
 The constitution so compiled and amended would be printed with the laws enacted by you and freely circu- lated and discussed during the next A. p,., II,r e.,,I,, tod to the people it could be voted for intel llgently and without fear of hidden flaw or deception.
 It should also be remembered that most of the vital provisions in our pres ent constitution have been judicially construed by our supreme court, and any change in the text however slight, might entail much hardship, uncertain ty and expensive litigation
 In view of the large number of self professed experts in constitutional sur gery who anticipating the pleasures of unrestricted vivisection, have already provided themselves with knife and an- tiseptic, you will, in my judgment, serve and please the people best by per- mitting the use of such remedies only as may be necessary to preserve the r vlgor and spirit of the trusted guardian of the peoples rights.
 The proposal to require the election of county commissioners by the people. and all similar tilting for party advan- tage have no place in this discussion, and should in my opinion occupy but little of your time. The constitution is a limitation and should never be made a code.
 If any change is needed in the man. ner of choosing county commissioners or the judges of our minor courts it does not, think lie in the direction of the town caucus.
 The amendment now pending which provides for plurality election of state officers, although clearly undemocratic in theory, Is abundantly approved by precedent and experience, and until some plan is devised whereby a major ity can express its choice at one poll it will be more satisfactory than the present ultra conservative method
 As a possible help to clear under standing of the history and purpose of our constitution and the present need of a change in the apportionment of the llp the general dsSeIIlDly, recommend that each member be SUD- piled with a copy of pr. J. Hammond Historical Notes on the of Connecticut, printed by order of the legislature in 1873.
 TAXATION. The government owns nothing and gets nothing that it does not take from the pockets of the people. The equali- zation of this contribution for the good If all is a matter of first importance md presents a most difficult problem to solve, if not an impossible one. Vol lmes have been written on this sub ] ect, and state legislatures have blindly ( stumbled and groped to find their way ut of the dungeon of unequal taxation. That nature has provided way some | where many writers assert, and a few ,re bold enough to indicate it's exact { ocation Others, including the late Da- z id A. Wells point out the difficulties, ' put leave the remedy flor time to eff ( ect" / That our present system of taxation . $ in many respects unscientific and un- ust, thinking men at all familiar with C 'scal matters freely admit. For years | tate legisla lures in their anxiety to V each credit and money at interest have riven the spear of double taxation afely by the body of the intended vlc- T. i'm to the very heart of the suffering