Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-05-24
TAFT ON REFORM
Head of the We'll Known Water. town Seat of Learning Talks
 of Corruption.

Bristol, May 24.-Horace D. Taft, the head of the Taft school at Wa tertown, brother of Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and one of the editors of Publicity, addressed fair sized audience in the parlor of the Congregational church last night on Some Needs of Connecticut Poli- ] tics" Among those present were Senator George H. Hall, ex-Senator Adrian J. Muzzy, Judge Epaphrodi- tus Peck, ex-Representatiye Henry B.. Wilcox and William E. Sessions, a member Of the last republican state convention.
 Mir Taft said in part:
 "The government of Connecticut is not corrupt as compared to New York, Pennsylvania or some other, but If business man compares the government with what it should be, they could see where it could be greatly improved.
 "Only within few years has there been much criticism, and there is a feeling of reform about the state which means there is decided awakening. The first question is, how are we to mend things? The lobbyists do not depend on the wicked men. They depend on you and me who stay at home. In Wa tertown we get about 10 per cent to attend the caucus, and then in the morning we say over our coffee, This thing ought not to be- Sup pose we start in to change things. The thing that makes 1t hard to bring our ideas of reform to pass is the extraordinary bad habit of Con necticut men not to re-elect a good man to the general assembly. Im- agine banker or school principal running his business that way.
 Another great thing that hampers reform is the inability to get light on what is going on. Newspapers and others have the greatest difficulty in finding out what is being done in committees Another thing that hampers reform is the machine. The Connecticut machine is made differ ent from the machines of other states. You doubtless are surprised when you hear far ahead of state convention that John Smith will be nominated for governor. You know there is no popular demand for Smith. but you see him nominated. Newspapers are run by business men, and you wonder why an editor doesn't now and then come out for certain things. Editors will tell you when you tackle them about their si- lence that they are running their newspaper as a business proposition and not as a philanthropic organ.
 If the people would organize and get to work they could accomplish great deal The question is what are we going to do? In one state they tried a peoples lobby, hired lawyers to watch legislation, but 1t didn't succeed. Numerous attempts have been made, but one effort to reform things through the aid of Publicity was first to arouse people, and then let in the light as much as possible. We want to give candi- dates records, what is being done in the committees, and everything that is of interest at the legislature to the people who make 1t.
 "A platform setting forth reform measures should come up before every caucus and be thoroughly dis cussed. Whether this would be prac- tical or not is a matter of question. All one eau do is to make start and bring about state of affairs so that the citizens and voters of the state can find out what their representa- lives are doing."