The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-12
Tuesday, November F, 1907.
TO WANT TS TO HAVE.

There Is an organization in the city of New York which corresponds in It's purpose to the Economic Club of New Haven and the Get-Together Club of Hartford It Is called the Peoples In- stitute and holds it's meetings at Coop CT Union. The meetings consider topics of widespread interest and entertain as speakers the best informed men ob- tainable. It Is in fact an up-to-date application of the principle which lies at the bottom of the old New England town meeting, where men gather and debate the needs of the town. It has been found in New York city that an immense amount of good is accom- plished there in an educational way, the section of the community appealed to obtaining Its Knowledge at first hand, as it were.
 The principal speaker at the meet ing held Sunday evening was Judge Charles s. Whitman, who was defeat ed at the recent municipal election there, but who under normal condi- tions would have been one of the first to receive the approval of the voters of the city He stated that he wished there were more opportunities in New
 
 York for the citizens to get together for the exchange of ideas and convic- tions. "The great trouble with the average man in New York is that he don't think" said Judge Whitman. To this fact, in his judgment, can be traced the failures which follow in the train of popular government. Down in our hearts" he continued, Eve do not care and that is the real trouble. Do you suppose illegal voting and il- legal registration could go on if we cared about it? Preparation and or ganization are what is needed and here
 Aare. we can get it. That knowl-
 Aar is an old axiom, but I
 sell you that I do not be- lieve it. Knowledge Is not very power- ful here in this city where everybody knows and nobody cares about these things. Civic righteousness is what we seek, IA law for the poor and the same law for the rich. One law for the cor- poration and the same law for the in- dividual. A district attorney who will seek out and prosecute the wrongdoer be he rich or be he poor. These things can all be had if we keep at it. The Peoples Institute stands for the prin- ciple of sticking to it and that is why am for the Institute"
 There is nothing particularly new about this philosophy, but we rarely hear 1t preached in public. That 1t should be preached in season and out is manifest. Take for illustration the recent election held in the city of New Haven. It was probably the cleanest election that has been held here in a full generation and yet money was used in excess of what was actually needed. Anybody who Is at all famil- far with the processes of moving the election machinery knows that 1t could be moved in a State election for what was expended here. There is no secret about 1t, though men have different adeae about the legitimacy of election expenses. If the community really car ed about the matter they would take steps to see that the extravaganza and misappropriation of money were moi repeated. If there was a really vel developed public opinion in this city upon the subject the party chairmer would be among the first to arrange for elections requiring no more moneI than Is actually needed to poll the vote One of the first things to be abandon. cd would be the sense of responsibility as a consequence of which the indiffer ent voter is enticed to the polls. Al Judge whitman would say the peopl, here, speaking of them as mass, hav no settled conviction on the subjec and hence the whole miserable busi ness goes by default. To apply tn same philosophy to any other socia need, to really want a certain i'm provement in government is to acquir it in the easiest possible manner. I the people of the State of Connection wanted the improvements so intelli gently advocated by Governor Wood ruff they would find the way to g, them. Theoretically they do wal them but practically they are too lai to achieve them. If this were not S there would be some kind of pro test offered the proposal to turn hil out to grass at the expiration of h present term of office, The most di
 couraging thing about popular go ernment Is the failure of the citizen