The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-07-25
THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. EsEued Thursday, One Dollar Year.
ITO! FOR THE PEOPLE!

We congratulate the people of the State of Connecticut upon the soliei- tude in their behalf shown feverishly by certain State senators who while they are for the referendum all over and all under, on account of popular government, do not hesitate to vote against it regretfully if there are ap- propriations which cannot be otherwise made by means of the proposed bond Issue. We take it that all this furry over the referendum which is now as Head as Julius Caesar, was undertak- sn in behalf of the people, though now and then the thought expresses us that It was undertaken to fool the people. We may cf course be wrong in even suspecting that the splendid repre- sentatives of the people in the State senate would allow themselves to lose sight of the sovereignty of "the pee pull for a moment but we do not see how we can help it when a quiet analysis is made of the recent debates in that body.
 The outcome of the attempt to have the proposed bond issue submitted to the people for their approval shows as completely as anything can that the whole movement was honeycombed with humbug so far as it's originators are concerned. Those who approved it from an older conviction as regards It's usefulness are alone sincere. There was no thought of submitting to the people for their approval the propo- sition to spend millions on the i'm pavement of the roads of the State It was well known that the good roads movement Is popular from the farth- est extreme in Litchfield county to the farthest extreme in Windham coun- ty, with broad smiles of satisfaction lighting up the valleys and hills of the remaining six counties in between. It was well known that the bond issue for the roads would encounter no opposi- ton It was not until the additional millions were suggested for two con- venient but not necessary buildings at the city of Hartford that the idea of the referendum was thought of as a means of pulling all three projects through. The referendum in other words was trotted out for the exclusive purpose of making the good roads supporters of the new building enter prises in getting what they wanted for their constituents without running any political risk It is sheer impertinence for anyone to contend that it was either love for or faith in the referen- dunn which led to it's recommendation as a further reinforcement of the prin- ciple of popular government.
 One of the surprises of the debate in the Senate was that so able and pro. gresslve a man as Senator Judson of Bridgeport should seek to make the humbug look like sound goods, all woo and a yard wide. He resented, rather tiamboyantly, too, the suggestion made by some of the newspapers that tht referendum was suggested to protect the members against public criticism It was not the members of the legis. lature who were cowardly but those newspaper editors who dare no trust the people; he desired t, call the attention of the edi tors to the fact that al free government is dependent upon the people What perfect nonsense for Sen. ator Judson to talk in this sloppy way Even the exigencies of politics do no excuse him, and if he will further ex cuse us we may add that he know himself better than to talk in tha manner. The question of trusting tn, people has not been involved in tn discussion since it was started. Tn people were trusted to elect Senate Jldson and every one of his colleague for the express purpose of trusting them to legislate honestly and intelli gently upon all matters not especial, reserved for popular consideration b the constitution. When Senator Judso appealed for the support of the peopl of the Twenty-fifth senatorial distric he did not say a word to them abou submitting to them legislative detail for their superior consideration H made no other promise than to conf dently submit to them his own recor as made in the halls of legislation. A this stuff and nonsense we now hes so much about was in the cold storag vault of uncreated enthusiasm. It fl
 in very well, however, with the att tude taken by him at the last momen