The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-07

electric lights were municipal enter prises. They were all run py coi,, mittees from the common couhcli' They sit down with the superihlehu ents. find out what money IS ieaoo able, propose an amount to the eouh cil, which approves or not, as II WISH es. The system succeeds because theS have one man responsible TOT 'iie suits in each department
 You want power to act and respon- sibilty If you can't have tna' you Il not have a municipality worthy oi 'iio name. In Glasgow the couhch is made up of successful business Ileh' and when they select committee '' run their tramways they have the pest men possible to be got.
 If you were running factory would you appoint a committee TOT certain work and see to it that nat were democrats and half were rspup- | licans? Yet that is what we are uo- | ing in the police and fire ana other city department boards. If you doh get business methods you'll have al- ways the same trouble. I'm getting out of patience with these neW-1an- gled systems obtainable only by char ter amendments.
 You never will have satisfactory city government till you eliminate everything like politics and make II on a foundation of business principles, and that means with the reins in the hands of business men. The whole thing is in the hands of the voters to demand and obtain.
 Municipal business is what con- cerns us most National and state governments do not touch us so inti- mately. It is a good city of which 1t may be said, It is a good place to live in; it is good place to work in.
 Tt is very easy matter for the business man to sit and growl in his | library; it is another and better mat i ter for him to take an active part and, with his business experience, help the city on. If you do that there'll be less experiments. Why is it not the right of the business man to oppose the accumulation of floating debts and the issuing of bonds to the danger point found only at the limit of in- debtedness?"
 Mayor henney ended by expressing his pleasure at being invited to be present
 The next number is music with song" said the toastmaster. It was March Down the Field"
 Hon. Stiles Judson.
 Mir. Judson said in part: Having labored under serious throat illness for several days, l felt some difIidence in coming in here but when I saw the picture of Mir. Haynes in the menu, seated before two or three luscious punch bowls l felt better, for l knew | it was an informal affair.
 T have come from the Economic dinner nest of reformers. Gentlemen, l had a distinct object in coming here to-night-to urge you to become dis tinct force in our state government. 1 believe the end of autocratic agencies l in our state Is now at hand and think that the business men are fur nishing their weapons in such or ganizatlons as these to protect their legitimate rights.
 T am here to urge this organiza- tion to be represented in a certain mat. ter, If the telephone rates to-day are too great, if wind and water enterprises have franchises too broad you have nc redress today. If ficticious reports as to bond issues are made, you are help. less. To remedy these evils the last legislature reluctantly organized tho utilities commission, The lobby ana the professional politicians said no, but I your townsman, Governor Woodruff said yes and threatened special ses. sion of the general assembly, thinl unheard of in times other than ir wal
 This temporary commission is to re. port al the next general assembly. venture a prediction that, unless the business men take action to present l their united demands, this affair will die out, as it was calculated that fl would.
 While this movement is going on ev. 1 erywhere, shall Connecticut hold back II is for you to say Must Connecti. cut, that proud little republic estab- ished by the fathers, where the spirit of liberty was cradled fin ias infancy bend her knees to the public service corporations of this state. those that I. in, l. lures, her servants?
 Gentlemen. Mir. Ahbe is fellow townsman of mine and this no place ts speak the truth He is my creditor and l had best refrain from saying more Mir, Abbe's toast was The State AS. sociation," A. Howard Abbe.
 Mr Abbe said in part "As the toast. master has said, he is a townsman, 2 neighbor, and a debtor of mine, I hope he will be larger debtor in the future ! He is the buyer for the state of Con. neeticut. Many of you have heard me attempt before to make a talk. never could make a speech. There may bs business men who remember a little country boy who began in 1879 in New Haven working for Wilcox Abbe in thf 'wear-hard' business opposite the | green. am he and so I feel that have almost right to be d member oI your association.
 "The state association has grown tc | include twenty-six associations and yau can imagine the state of my stom. ach going to all their banquets. That is all the graft there is in 1t. The state association has done much fo, the states business interest. II has run out the itinerant vendor from oul cities. We have appeared before th, | legislature many times but think tn, passage If the itinerant vendors bil alone has been worth all the trouble we have had"
 President Abbe urged all to attend the meetings of the city and the stat, associations. He urged no politics il