The morning journal-courier., 1908-10-06
Tuesday, October c, ioos.
LOCATING THE TRoupLE,


 The embarrassing effect of tho nom ination by the republican machine of Congressman Lilley of Waterbury for governor is to be seen in every con ceivable direction We wish now to look at 1t from the point of view of the obligation Of each citizen to at- tend the party caucus and there make his complaint against machine dom ination felt, as contrasted with the preference of many citizens to avoid the caucus and later exercise an in dependence more in keeping with their idea of moral right and wrong
 In an admirable speech placing Congressman sperry in nomination tor another term in the federal house of representatives, State Senator But terworth said: You and know that there is mlsgovernment, corrup- ton, machines and bosses. and that the Complaint against them Is now loud and vehement. But as long as our citizens do not do what this form of government requires for success, so long will there be unnecessary evil. So ' long as the many of our citizens fail to exercise their influence by an in- telligent vote and voice at primaries, caucuses and elections. SO long will complaint continue" etc. Said Gov ernor Woodruff in his certificate of character to Congressman Lilley; Tt is at the caucus that the party work begins, and the man who falls to go to the caucus is not doing his duty Unfortunately the class of men who fail to take sufficient interest to go to the caucus is numerous, and that class is apt to complain loud and long if the nomination is made that would not have been favored by them in a caucus" Colonel Ullman previously had deolared When the machine Is with you 1t is called an organizations when 1t is against you fl is called machine"
 These statements are interesting at the present time. because If they are to be logically enforced in principle there should be 8 rush to the polls of citizens with 1Alley tickets In their hands. This does not mean that we fail to understand what Governor Woodruff and Senator Butterworth mean when they lay such stress upon the political caucus. and attendance upon it. What we fear in their par tisan enthusiasm, they misunderstand is that 1t is impossible to induce all of the citizens to attend preliminary political meetings, just as 1t Is inn possible to induce all of the citizens to attend public meetings after nom nations are made, or subscribe to the party funds. It would perhaps he better talng if the citizens to whom they refer did take their political obligations more seriously and be more numerous at party caucuses, but since they apparently do not think so, we fail to see wherein their refusal to cooperate gives the more active poli- ticians the moral right to make an improper nomination, or to enter a plea for party regularity afterwards,
 There is, on the other hand, some thing of a confession in the statements from which we have quoted, that since the absence of the many to whom they allude from the caucuses accounts for the low character of nominations frequently made, and certainly made in this particular case, the unpreiudiced man should look among the absentees for the better class of citizenship after all But the fact is that the many referred to ob- ject to the enrolment law of Connec- ticut, which was conceived in machine cunning, because 1t asks them to en- roll themselves ss one kind of par tisan before election, when cirCum- stances may compel them to be an other kind of partisan after the nom ination They shrink from the tradi- tionaI party rule that attendance upon Q caucus carries with 1t the obliga- tion to accept the decision of the caucus. Their attendance this year would probably not have changed the original program decided upon year and half ago, so carefully were the plans made in advance, and as d re- suit they would now be expected to support IiIley. Not caring to run that risk 1t Is conceivable that many de- elined to run their heads into a moose