The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-29
JUDGE noBERTsoN's CANDIDACY.

JUDGE RoBERTsoN's CANDIDACY.
 May we be permitted to weep bit over the apprehension of the republi- can state machine, with regard to the future of Connecticut, should Judge Robertson be elected governor, be- cause he Is a director fin several cor poratIons and In particular in the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company. It Is no ordinary weeping we want to indulge in. We insist upon weeping and then weeping again at the spectacle of our political masters trembling at the prospect of director of the railroad company sitting in the executive office, those masters who now hear for the first time of the existence of that com pany The wave of repentance has surely reached Connecticut.
 Might we be bold enough to ask these gentlemen, who hold the des- tinies of the state In the hollow of their hands, what 1t is they demand in candidate for the governorship and Ajust what attitude they demand the state shall assume towards its most important corporation and largest tax payer? Do they want an anti-rail- road man in the chair of chief execu- tive? Have they in the past in a sin gle instance made opposition to the New Haven Railroad company the s test of nominees fitness for office? Do they honestly believe that because a man has been nominated for gov ernor for other reasons than those connected with corporate life that connection units him to serve the people inSthat office? They either do or they do not. We by no manner of means undertake to set up the theory that the public service should be re- cruited from corporation directors, but at the same time we are in no mood to sec the fitness of Judge Rob- ertson for responsible and honorable service questioned by the republican machine because he Is at the present moment a corporation director.
 We deem 1t much more important to deal with the question honestly and without the humbug which character izes the attitude of the republican governor of the state of Connecticut WHO was an anti-railroad man in pri- vate or public life. Governor Waller did when in office veto bill which the legislature had passed exemptlng the Valley railroad from back taxes but he did so for. the best of reasons and not from desire to show his teeth to the New Haven railroad. Similarly there has never been gov ernor who was the subservient tool of the New Haven railroad. We do not believe for a moment that man could be elected governor of Connec- ticut on platform pledged to the punishment of that great corporation and we are quite sure that man ought not to be elected governor who places the interests of the railroad above those of the community at large.
 In this instance the whole con troversy narrows down to the personal fitness of Judge Robertson for the of flee He is corporation director, not because he is man of question able honor and doubted ability, but because he is representative citizen of the state and a man of good judg- ment. It has been the policy of the New Haven railroad to select from among the citizens of Connecticut for its directorships men of high standing and assured integrity That is proved by glancing at the names of those now in office Four years ago director of the New Haven railroad served in the state senate. We do not recall that his conduct was criticised In single instance. We do not even know that Judge Robertson would continue in drectorships if he were elected governor, but we do know from knowledge of the man that whether he resigned his directorships or not he would give the people of the state an administration notable for its impar- tiality and integrity. If he were ten times the corporation director he Is he would still be better man for the office than Congressman Lilley, whose attitude towards public questions of interest to Connecticut A absolutely unknown.