The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-29

In addressing the convention MT Wilson spoke as follows:
 Gent1emen-We are met here today upon the eve of one of those monen- tous, times that come in the history of nations. Old wrongs have been analysed and studied and are about to be corrected. Old lines and old landmarks are being eliminated. The minds of men are turned toward jus tice. Democracy and privilege are coming to reckoning. And privilege will get the worst of the conbat t. Government by purchase is about to cease. Rule by and for rnonopolies is near it's end.
 Judging by the occurrences in re- lags somewhat in Connecticut, which has 'aot yet had it's San Francisco, it's Pittsburg, or it's Albany. One lobby ist or corrupt legislator in jail is better than two at the Capitol.
 But Republican States attorney is now investigating some of those charges and if he does his duty, as have no doubt he may, Connecticut to the long line of those in other states already in penitentiaries or headed toward them. Even in Con necticuts the end of corruption is near.
 No nominations in this state will ever be accomplished again as some of the nominations were brought about in the last Republican State epnven- tion.
 Never again, after this election, will the people of the state be asked to elect as their chief executive a young man of whom in a public way little is known, except that he lacks the ex- perienee to equip him for such an of flee, and that he is a cadet of the House of Morgan. To make the suc- cession sure. we are givent as a can didate for lieutenant governor, a gen. t1eman who is best known to us as 8 large contractor for our Connecti- cut sovereign, the railroad monopoly.
 The time is about here when it will be well to remember that the state was not made for railroads, but rail- roads for the state.
 Now MT Hill who is a candidate for Congress for the eighth or ninth time was also chairman of the con- vention which nominated the Repub- Iican state ticket, and as he made the apology there for the failure of the leaders of his party to keep their word to their party I shall consider briefly some of the matters to which he referred.
 Curiously enough this gentleman be- gan his speech before the state con- extravagance in Connecticut during the past Is years.
 Never until last year. he said. dur ing this time, did his party lay di- said that in N16 years the state debt has been reduced $70o.O00.
 Now am not going to take up the question of extravagance at this time
  and one to which he scarcely refer red. mean the question of taxation. the manner in which. his party, or more accurately the machine which calls itself his party, has raised the revenues, both for the necessary ex- penses of the state and for the unne- cessary expenses into which the Com monwea1th has been plunged.
 The power to tax is necessary to a state. It is the life of the state and without it no organized govern tax is also the power to destroy. The power to tax is the power to take from one person and give to another. Just taxation by Just government mt property, according to the amount of protection each owner receives from the state, measured by the value of his property.
 But taxation in Connecticut during the last Is years has not been just, it has been unjust.
 The climax of injustice was reach ed when, in the session of 1909, a, state tax was laid upon the grand lists of the cities and towns, so that in the city of Bridgeport the people of some S85, GOO in addition to their own proper bills for the conduct of the affairs of the city and county. ; The Democratic party says, in it's platform, that if you put it in power it will abolish the direct state tax on the property of the towns. In oth- CT words the Democratic party de- clares this tax an unjust tax. If 1t is unjust of course it should not be imposed. If it isY not an unjust tax then it is as good as any other tax.
 Of course if the property in cities and towns was already unfairly tax ed in relation to other property, then that other property should have borne the burden of the state tax
 Let us see There is in Bridgeport certain property of public service cor porations, which the city is not per mitted to tax. The state taxes this property and uses the revenue. And there is no objection to this if it is fairly done. But it is not fairly done.
 For local purposes the city would the local rate of some IT mills. And the same would be true of similar in other cities and towns. But the state does not tax the proper property, and then it imposes a tax of but per cent. upon this under val ,Ia ton.
 necticut Railway and Lighting Com pany, the very company that owns the trolley tracks in this city. We road Commissioners under oath. in f9O9 that they have property valued at $3o. 572, 3o9. 50. We shall find them profits from the public on We shall, find them paying in taxes less than $20o,oo9 annually.
 Here, then, is a corporation which has it's property in the cities and towns and which is supported by the people of the cities and towns. But the state will not permit the towns to tax this property. And the state will not tax this property itself ex- sept at one per cent and upon less than two thirds of it's value. And what the state does with this prop erty it does with the property of oth- ar trolley nonopoIies, with the prop erty of the railroad monopoly and