The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-02
SAYS COMSTOCK
 EVADED ISSUE
Ex-MayOr ThOms CriticiseS Dem. Ocratic Chairman's Reply to
 Business Men
WAS BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH
Thinks Democrats Are For Utili- ties Bill, and There's no
 Harm Saying so

Waterbury, Aug. 2.-Ex-M Mayor Thoms, who laid aside a large DOT tion of his eloquent reticence, when he deposited the burdens of the may oralty upon the beamy shoulders of Mayor Hotchkiss, doesn't approve of the evaSlve remarks of the Demo- cratic state chairman concerning the public utilities bill. The ex-mayor, who is scheduled to run for the house tnls fall, and who is confidently ex- pected to do some large looming in case the Connecticut Democratic or ganlzation ever reaSsembles it's scat tered self, is out for definite issues of radical sort. He doesn't believe you are out of power. Then is the time to be aggressive. Shedding the light for the newspapers the ex- mayor said:
 ''I think it will occur to most peo- pie that Chairman Comstock's reply ness Mems association was more clev- CT than tactful. If the Democratic party in this state is in favor of the creation of a proper public service commission, and it is clear enough that nine-tenths of the voters are, saying so. The chairman's reply was one of the kind that reads we'll, but it isn't calculated to gain support for his party or improve confidence in its management.
 There is no use in beating about public interest. There are three or four policies that not only the mass of the Democratic party, but three fourths of the electors of this state favor strongly. And they will sup port the party which they think is
 "One of them is the federal in come tax amendment, the provision to allow the general government to tax incomes if it finds it necessary. That will come up for ratification in this session of the general assembly and there ought to be no miSundeT- standing about the position of the Democratic party on it. A great majority of the people of the state, if it were submitted to popular vote, would express themselves in favor of it.
 "Nor is there any doubt that the rank and file of the party with prac- tical unanimity favor the creation of public service commission with power not only to investigate but to do something. If such acts as those of the railroad in raising the rates and Hartford are Justified by circum- stances, the public should know it and be satisfied. If they are not there should be some power some where to annul them. But now whether they are right or wrong the traveller has no remedy at all. One may pay whatever the railroad chooses to ask or walk.
 "The workmen's compensation act is no less important, some plan like that in operation in Great Britain by which a workman injured in the course of his employment, unless by some misconduct of his own receives some compensation out of the busi- ness itself and this liability is carried as one of the risks and expenses of the business just as fire insurance is. The present law in Connecticut with its refinements of negligence and con tributory negligence is a farce. Either by the operation of the fellow ser want rule or that which makes any slight carelessness on the workman's part bar to any recovery, no mat ter what may be the carelessness of those in charge of the plant, the net result is that few of those injured by the many risks of industrial em- pIoyment in Connecticut ever receive anything except by way of charity. four-square on these matters of fun damental policy it will be a need less ceremony to nominate a state ticket and any Democratic candidate who does not honestly believe in them and is not willing to advocate them cannot possibly be elected.
 "It is to be hoped that the Demo- cratic state convention will make the position of the party sufficiently plain. The few Democratic leaders who lob bied against the public utilities bill at the last session of the general as- opinion on this matter any more than the railroad agents at that session represented the rank and file of the Republican party"