The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-07
THE LOBBY LOCATED.

THE LOBBY LOCATED.
 It was at the dinner of the Econo- mic club of this city that Representa- tive Gum of Milford made a mys- terious reference to the whereabouts of the legislative lobby. He said 1t was no longer possible to find the members of it in the corridors of the State capitol; that they were securely domiciled in the apartments of State of fcials. It had been hitherto remarked by representatives of the press that the corridors were deserted, but the public, busy with thousand and one things, has had but little time to ap- preciate what was meant. It begins to look now as if slowly but surely suffi- cent light was being shed to lead to a final conclusion as to the significance of this new organization of the third house.
 Without going into the merits of the controversy over the proposed building of the East Haven and Morris Cove trolley. our attention has been called to one phase of 1t which further clari- fies the original assertion of MT. Gum that lobbying is now done from com- mission apartments. The witness this time is A. William Sperry of this city, whose professional reputation as a civil engineer is such as to commend him to the careful consideration of the pub lie. He says: "The methods employ ed, both in and out of the legislative halls, In order to depreciate the E. H. & M. c. proposition would make in- teresting reading. For instance, the appropriation of room in the capitol which is occupied by the Consolidated's s agents, who from there direct their campaign against the E. H. & Nj. c. road while the committee is in execu- tive session." 1t is testified to in the columns of the Hartford Times that Senator Atwater was last week called from his seat in the senate chamber to meeet with representative of the Consolidated road on the same pro- position and in the office of the rail- road commissioners. We Go not know whether this is the room in the capitol building to which MT. Sperry refers, or whether either of these rooms or both are the rooms MT. Gum had in mind when he made his assertion, but together these statements leave little to warrant one in doubting the pres ent whereabouts of the lobby.
 There has never been in our minds any question of the propriety of citi- zens and corporations having business before the general assembly using ev- cry legitimate means of bringing to the attention of the legislators the quality of their legislative wares. Our com. piaint has always been directed against the use of illegitlmate means of adver- Using such wares. The trouble now Is to reconcile with the usual practices oi men who are under retainer, and moi necessarily improperly so, that of de. liberately avoiding the corridors of the State capitol, where they can be seer of all men, and carrying on negotia- tions in rooms maintained for entirely different purposes by the State. It is quite likely that the business thes, representatives of a given public ser. vice corporation had with members O. the legislature was legitimate. Neither Mir Gum, nor MT. Sperry nor Senator AtWater testifies to the contrary, bu even so what is the reason this legiti mate business of converting the un educated is carried on In rooms whicl certainly no one has the right to per init that use to be made of? Tn average person would say, We imagine that if we are to have lobby it woul, be better to have it out in the opel where it can be studied in all of it bearings. and not behind closed door and out of sight. AS we have alread. said, it is this new revelation of tn ubiquitousness of the lobby that make 1t more than ever difficult for us t account for its conduct We admit t, an impression which is far from agree able.
 There Is still uppermost in the pub