The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-03
Beware New Plans Of
Government Says
Chandler
Former Senator Manwaring and
Other Bridgeporters Address
the Judiciary Committee
Wisconsin Professor Praises
LaFOllette and Tells How
Regulation Works in Badger
State

u.
The Hon. George B. Chandler, rep
resentative from Rocky Hill, sound
ed the keynote on behalf Of the adj
xocates Of the public utilities legisla-
ton at the hearing before the judi
ciary committee in the hall of the
capitol at 2 o'clock yesterday after
noon He characterized the utilities
movement as typical Of a general
movement among modern states to
adjust old laws and practices to the
new industrial situation.
Mr.. Chandler declared that because
of the agitation which had preceded
1t and the powerful forces arrayed for
and against it, 1t now involves the
whole question of the efficacy of rep
xesentative government.
Mr. Chandler paid a high compli
,nent to the judiciary committee as
"enjoying to an enviable degree the
confidence of the assembly and of the
state at large" He said in substance:
The people of this state understand
little OF the minute details and log
zeal ref1nements of this measure, but
they are tremendously in earnest in
their scrutiny of the spirit in which
1he task is undertaken. In other
words. gentlemen, the real issue is not
- utilities bill, but representative gov
eminent
value OF Confidence
have said upon various occasions
IN public addresses, and wish to re-
peat now, that it is not a question
OF such vital moment to this common
wealth whether your bill, or my bill,
or some other mans bill becomes en-
acted into a law. The state will not
60 to rack and ruin if not a line is
changed upon its statute books in the
next quarter of century. But 1T will
go to rack and ruin, as will any other
state founded upon similar principles.
IL the time ever comes that the people
permanently lose confidence in the eff
cacy of delegated power.
Better that technically unwise
law be enacted by the peoples repre-
sentatives in response to the popular
will. than that a technically wise law
be enacted in defiance of the popular
will Laws can be amended laws
can be repealed: but confidence in the
institutions under which the people
live is the very rock upon. which or
derby liberty rests; and its loss is.
something which can be neither
amended nor repealed. tits largely
the impatience caused by this suspi-
cion that is leading some American
states TO, rush precipitately into the
initiative. the referendum and the re-
call-experiments in pure democracy
which appeal to the popular fancy, but
have by no means demonstrated their
safety or efficiency as applied to vary
ing conditions and long periods of
time.
Searching Test"
1t is probably true that issues Of
enthusiastically greater Importance than
the establishment of a public service
comm; ssion have been submitted to the
general assembly during its long and
honorable history, but 1 submit that
seldom, if ever, has there been pre-
affords fairer or more searching
test of the efficacy and responsive
ness of our law-making methods. The
delegated power of representative gov
eminent is on trial
The Rival Forces.
On the one side you are confronted
by a group of corporations represent
ing values Of possibly half a billion
dollars They ramify to the remor-
est sections of the state. They en-
ploy thousands of men. They are
represented by the ablest attorneys
that the citizenship of the state can
produce. They have intimate cor
neeticn with the other great financial
certersf of the nation. They en-
brace the invested savings of thous-
an>is of individuals and institutions.
Upon occasion they are able to sum-
mon into requisftion influences of the
anost subtle and potent characterize
fue1ces whose very existence cannot
be detected nor in some instances ev-
an suspected There is hardly a man
IN this assembly upon whom they can
not bring to bear powerful pressure
OF a character peculiarly difficult to
resist-persona1 friendship. political
ambition, fear of diminished dividends
personal greed and honest doubt. They
Justify this motley and formidable
marshaling of forces on the ground lf
self-defense. Their officers recognize
n two-fold responsibility, on the one
hand to their patrons and on the 9TH
ct hand to their stockholders. They
believe that they are right in resist
ing supervision and are ready to fight
hard and tenaciously for their conv!c-
tions. Nobody blames them for that
They have an indubitable right to
their day in court. To injure them.
to cripple them. unjustly or ignorant
" to attack them. is foolish exhi-
bition of the familiar process of saw
5pg off the limb that one is sitting
on Practically all of them under
stand. are opposed to the form of reg
ulation provided for in the bill franz !
ed by the temporary commission and
its successor submitted by the State
Business Mems association. The de- |
sire to be let alone is common to all |
mankind There may have been in |
people whom it was proposed to SUI !
pervise were in favor of supervision. |
but never have heard of one Of |
them.
The Peoples Forces.
On the other side we have that in |
discriminate entity called 1.-THE people, |
or public sentiment" Of this mass |
OF individuals. institutions and inter- |
ests. a very large majority are i'm ia |
of nT- nf har nf tha hi Hell
TO which the corporations are opposed |
But they are loosely organized The
measures which they support have re- |
ceiyed the official recommendation OF |
the last three elective governors of (
the state--the occupants OF that high
Office which his excellency, Governor |
Baldwin, has accurately characterized |
- being solely representative of the