The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-03
CUNN STRONG
 FOR UTILITIES
Suggests to Business Mems Asso. ciation Certain Changes in
 Their Bill
FOR ELECTIVE COMMISSION
Governmental Affairs, He Says, Should be Kept Close to
 the People

The State Business Mems Associa- tion has received the following letter from Attorney George M. Gum of Mill ford, in reply to inquiry with refer ence to his attitude toward the pub lie utilities bill:
 '1 am in receipt of your communf-
 cation of July 15 with reference to the act for the regulation of public service | corporations as per copy enclosed in your letter
 ''The possibility of my nomination
 and election as Governor next fall is
 so remote that I refuse to consider your bill from that standpoint. 'As a citizen of the State, however,
 entire harmony with the general pur- poses of the act in question. ''In 1907, while acting as member
 of the General Assembly, I exerted
 myself in every way to bring about the enactment of some legislation of
 this character. or, at least an investf- gation of the conditions existing in
 this State with reference to its public service corporations. which would lead
 to such legislation. The idea was re- ceived with scorn by many who are now loud in it's advocacy and I am | naturally very much pleased with the aroused conditions of public opinion in these matters.
 'T have some question in my mind | whether commission. appointed as you suggest, will in the long run ac- | complish what is intended. It is usu- ally only question of time before the nominating power is controlled by the parties most interested to the extent | at least of providing that the men | named shall at least not be unfriend- ly to them. It is not necessary to throw stones at the honorable gentle | men now serving in various capacities on commissions in this State, but I think an examination of their mental attitude will show that they are with | out exception entirely friendly to the interests which they are expected to supervise.
 "1 think that any commission, chosen as you propose. will in the long run,
 be found made up of men of a similar bias. This seems part of the natural or der of things and is in no way intend
 ed as criticism of their personal in- tegrity. honesty or ability. .1 think a portion at least of the commission should be elected by the
 people. and I believe that in this way
 the commission could be kept more in | touch with the interests they are call ed upon to protect: for the whole pur- pose of your commission, as I under stand it, is to protect the interest of
 the public generally, not assuming,
 however. that this interest is necessar- fly hostile to the corporations involv-
 ed: for I heartily believe that the in terests of the two are one. when prop l erly considered.
 "The general public wants efficient | service at as economical rates as are ] consistent with the reasonable profit of honestly invested capital. They have no right to ask anything more. They ought not to be expected to sub
 init to anything less.
 Your commission. if appointed by hn xr~fII fv1 -I,< <y-r time, in my opinion. be found as sub servient to the interests involved as they are at present constituted 'In part l, section 3. your bill pro- vides that no officer. employe. attor- ney or agent of any public service
 ploye of said commission. I would add the words nor shall any person
 who has at any time been member
 of any State Central committee of
 either political party within period
 of five years from the date of his ap- pointment be a member or employe of such commission
 'The public service corporations of the State have for many years kept
 their hands on the throat of the pub
 Central committees of political parties. would place an obstacle in the way of this. if possible.
 '"The whole tendency of the times seems to be towards government by
 commission rather than by the people. I suppose it is idle to protest or fight
 against this tendency. I still believe,
 however, that the closer governmental
 affairs are kept in touch with every day men the better off we will be in
 the long run. The people make mis-
 takes undoubtedly, but the mistakes of
 commissioners are apt to be inten-
 tional. I do not think that the mis-
 takes of the people are as subject to
 that criticism.
 After all the Governor of the State
 of Connecticut has very little power to impress himself upon legislation
 and I think that your inquiries should
 be directed more particularly to men
 who are expecting to represent you
 in the General Assembly, more partic-
 ularly in the Senate at its next ses-
 sion.''