New-York tribune., 1910-09-01
CONNECTICUT POLITICS
A Free and Easy Statement OF
What Is Going On Across
the Border.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: The people Of Connecticut, VINO
have a traditional propensity for politics
are going to have all they want this 1aH'
and, indeed. have already begun their
feast They will elect four district Con-
gressmen and one at large; an entire state
ticket, from Governor TO Attorney Gen.
eral: Sheriff In each OF the eight coun-
ties, and all the Observation-Disclosures
Senators and at least 253 members OF the
House. At the last session there were 2b5
members Of the House. but already three
one-member towns have by the 1910 CEN
sus reached 900 each in population and so
are entitled to two members each This
LEGISLATURE will elect a successor to Sen
ator Bulkeley.
There is more or less interest in every
position. but the Republican selections for
Senator and Governor are what everybody
is talking about and where the great con-
tests will come in It is conceded that
the Legislature will be Republican. At
the last session it had on Joint ballot 23s
Republicans to 81 Democrats. An earth
quake that turned that majority over In
one election would upset the State House
itself The Senatorship contest is pc
culiar episode It's like has not been seen
before in Connecticut political history
When Senator Bulkeley was elected over
Samuel Fessenden in 1905 1t was under
stood that he wanted only one term At
various times since then. according to the
statements of various friends, he has sara
that 1t WIS doubtful if he even served MS
full term out and he wanted Ex-Governor
George p Mclean, of Simsbury, to be MS
successor In political circles generally
this was understood to be the case. and
Mclean and his friends supposed, OF
course, that the Senator would sidestep-
not to say work-for his longtime friend
when 1910 came around. Instead he an
nounced a while ago that he was going
back for six years more himself. Current
gossip has it that Mclean was warned by
a mutual friend two years ago that If he
dared to support Taft the old man
would not let him go TO the Senate. Nc
Lean did support Taft. and the ''old man."
who was opposed to Taft and who was not
given a place on the state delegation TO
Chicago, is out against Mclean. so
that it looks almost as if the mutual
friend had hit it about right.
1t is admitted that only for this uneX-
pected opposition Mclean would have had
a walkover-posstbly even unanimous
nomination. He Is recognized as the most
brilliant and ablest Of the Republican lead
ers in the state, and not few Repub-
jcans who are now opposing him say they
do so only because they have to-. Nc
Lean is about fifty years old Bulkeley.
If alive, Will be more than eighty when
the term he aspires to is completed.
Bulkeley is an 'o1dtimer,' both to the
almanac and as to practices and policies
The only time he made an Independent
move in his six years In the Senate wars
when he lined up with Foraker In his
Brownsville bunder. which was supposed
to have its foundation in their common
readiness to worry Roosevelt. He has the
advantage that goes along with holding Of
fee, but he is relying for support chiefly
on the very elements in the party that he
has hitherto opposed. His principal
strength to-day lies where Fessenden used
to be strongest. He has started off his
campaign for reelection on the assertion
that the old man has never been beaten
and cannot be beaten now" The fact is that
this is political buncombe. for the state
has seen few politicians who have had
and survived so many beatings. He was
twice beaten by Hawley for the Senator
ship, though HaWley never spent $1,000
on q campaign. He was laughed out of
the st. Louis convention when he had a
band and paraCe as candidate for the
Vice Presidency. He demanded a renont-
nation for Governor after the deadlock.
and his name was presented to the con-
vention. but that body threw him out sum-
marily and nominated General Samuel E.
Merwin by acclamation amid cheers. Nor
has he always been pattern of regularity
in local politics. He organized a bolt
against HARRISON. Republican nominee for
Mayor in 1900. and backed much better
man, but he could not carry a single ward
He did successfully engineer a bolt
against Francis H Parker in 1894 who
was a Republican candidate for the State
Senate electing John II. Hall, Democrat.
by the slim but adequate plurality of
about $50 in a total vote of more
than 10500 He Mayor of Hart
ford for eight years. Governor of the
state for two years and has been Sem
ator for six years. Some of the irreverent
say he has had enough Colonel Ullman,
the supposed leader in New Haven. Is
quoted (and has never offered deniaD as
saying that three-quarters of New Haven