The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-13
AS YE sow
 so SHALL YE REAP

aggression. The men who Joined hands with the railroad 1nonopoly only a few months ago now find their own interests directly threatened by proposition to inflict upon the city half the cost of the proposed harbo1
 improvements. payment of $45.o00 The same newspapers which Joined with these influences to cripple the harbor, at the Behest of the railroad monopoly, now have a stomach full and apparently have joined in the effort to stop the more recent aggres- sion.
 will persist in their present position or will turn face, and advocate the thing that they now condemn re- mains to be seen. The people have not forgotten that both the Post and the Standard originally advocated with the Farmer and Telegram re- sistance to the harbor grab and car barn surrender nor that they, later, violently changed position, leaving the Farmer and the Telegram, to con- tfnue the contest alone.
 It is remembered that, from ardent advocacy of the position of harbor protection, maintained by Harbcr Master Morris they swung to a policy of ardent pro railroad tone, and that the Post repeatedly sought to make the Farmer and Telegram, as well if not ridiculous.
 It was then pointed out that the city that is afraid of a law suit, that adopts policy of non resistance, will find many ready to fleece it and few to assist it.
 It was also pointed out by the Farmer and Telegram that railroad q monopolies have a selfish interest in crippling not only Bridgeport harbor, but every other important harbor. or waterway, in the country.
 There is little need of inquiring how the present amendment to the harbor appropriations bill came into being: whether one individual or an ether introduced it. Under con- gressional procedure. which gives great authority to the representa- EkyGS OL G1GkA AOSe44LSs A1 4o aNC@S AAAA- probable that the bill was amended without the knowledge of the Con necticrt delegation.
 Doubtless the idea was that Bridge port would pursue it's policy of meek ly submitting to insult and aggres- sion.
 It is pretty we'll known in Wash erixvor too many things to the railroad,'' and hence it was believed that many of the most influential citizens would be found. as they have been in other times, upon the side of the railroad, or at least acquiescent.
 But the guess was wrong. In the first place the civic bodies. that is to say, the rank and file of the mem- bership of these bodies, have felt number of times, that their weight is usually thrown against their own city in favor of monopoly. They have been longing for an opportunity to show that they really have an inter est in the city and that they can, on occasion prefer the municipal well fare to the welfare of monopolies.
 But the present assault upon the harbor hits some very influential To- the harbor grab did. Tn the latter case the oyster industry was the one most affected, and in the oyster in- dustry the civic bodies had very little interest They had even less interest in anything connected with the fu- ture of the harbor. If the acreage to be taken was not immediately needed, then, why bother with it, pretty nearly expresses their attitude.
 But it's different now. It is well known that the Is foot channel up the Pequonnock river is much de- sired by some of the men who were foremost in promoting the harbor grab. Indeed it was whispered, at the time, that the attitude of these men had been influenced by the ex- pectation that such channel would ment if the grab should go through.
 The Cedar Creek channel is also much needed by influential men, and for immediate use.
 It is doubtful if many of these same interests would have either the imagination or the desire to put up a fight if the injury to be prevented lay only in the direction, of crippling the harbor for the future.
 In order not to be unjust to the civic bodies it is fair to say that there probably never was 8. time when the rank and file of their membership favored either the 20 year water con- tract, whose passage they made pos sible, or the harbor grab and car barn surrender which was brought | about under color of their approval
 Such bodies, like the city itself. i not fnfrequently, and indeed, usual |