The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-09-20
THE REMEDY.

The lobby becomes more reckless,
more impudent and more dangerous
to the state. As the session Of the
black gentry of legislation-for-ca
ply their pursuit with a shameless
vigor, which shows them men of lusty
ignorance, who read little, and whose
imaginations are in an embryonic
state. Were the mental condition of
the commercial lobby otherwise, the
members of it would have San Fran
cisco In mind, Pittsburg and Pennsyl-
vania. and the many other states, or
cities, in which an indignant people
have turned them to their prisons as
the last resource against corruption
In tbs state 'a'a9
ST wish to voice my disgust with
hwyers and lobbyists employed by
the Connecticut River Company. They
have held up. the business Of the
whole state and have delayed our fin
al adjournment. They have caused
senators to be absent when the cause
Of the lobby was in doubt. They walk
In and out among us and tell US what
to do. This is a sovereign state. Was
q state ever in more utter disgrace"
This is the language, not of a Soc
ialist, not of a reformer, not ia man
out of office and seeking it. 1t is
the language Of member of the sem
ate, former mayor of Hartford. 1t
Ii the language of Former Mayor Ed
ward r. Hooker, drawn from him
yesterday by the uncomfortable specta-
Gle Of notorious lobbyists one by one
calling senator's from the Chamber
until not enough were left to do bust
ness Republican and Democratic
senators were responsive to the
shameful summons, though the last
to go. the senator who finally COM
PEELED an adjournment was Spellacy
of Hartford, a Democrat sad to say.
All this effort was expended to gain
another day on the Connecticut River
grab, a bill which Governor Baldwin
had vetoed because it presented pub
lie values worth s4,000,000 to private
persons without money and without
price.
The lobby found itself without a
majority in the senate to override the
governors veto of the steal. Hence
it was necessary to secure an ad-
jou-nment Hence the disgraceful
scenes which brought from Senator
Hooker's lips an outburst of indig-
nant protest. a.
The lobby should know that the
end of it's raven pursuit is near.
Such protests as Senator Hooker's
everywhere have preceded the resort
to the usual means employed to ap-
prehend those who commit secret
crimes.
The lobbyist who comes with mon
ey in his hand, with promises of pre-
ferment, or other emoluments, is a
brides are criminals. The offense is
secret, but it is not beyond detection.
Only the effort to detect is needed.
The clues are there. The crime IS
there. The evidence is to be had.
The lobby in Connecticut should
use its Imagination. If it does do SO
it will realize that in Connecticut the
time of protest is over and the time.
of action, detection and punishment
is near. Even now there must be
members of the commercial lobby
more fanciful than their fellows, less
oetuse to events elsewhere, who
awake in their beds in the still watch
es of the night, out of an awful Wis.,
ion, in which they have heard the
tomblike clang of iron doors, have
seen the long line of striped felons,
and have suffered the agonies of
those whose diet is the hash that
felons eat.