The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-21
TOM REILLYS
Great SPEECH
IN CONGRESS
In Favor of Direct Election of u.
S. Senators-Refers to Dis
reimbursement of Electorate in
4 Connecticut
Especial to the FarnlerA

Washington, April Pin the spirit
ed debate upon the constitutional
amendment for the direct election of
United States Senators no remarks
attracted more attention than those
Of Hon. T. L. Reilly. the newly elect
ed representative from the Second Dis
trict and the mayor of Meriden, CT.
Most of the newly elected representa-
tives, and some of the "old guard
had never heard of Connecticut'S rot
ten borough system, and the facts Of
fered by Mr.. Reilly, as that the great
cities Of the state were practically
without representation, made them
gasp in surprise.
Mr.. Reilly's remarks covering the
topic were as follows:
Mr.. Speaker: One of the great DEM
ocratic issues in recent campaigns
was the proposition now before the
House-the election of United States
Senators by direct instead Of leg
| islatipe vote. Its advocacy was one
of the reasons why the Democratic
Party swept out of power in this
branch of the National Government
| the Republican Party in the elections
of 1910. The attitude of the Republi-
| can Party on this measure was shown
| in the last national convention when
| by an overwhelming vote the plank
was defeated. Aside from the great
issue of the high cost of living, in
creased under the Payne-Aldrich bam-
| boozle, it was the most powerful wea-
| pom in the hands of the Democracy
| in winning, it's splendid victory that
has restored this branch of the Ma
tional Legislature to the common peo-
| pie. That the Republican Party has
| learned, or is fast learning, the les
son of the 1910 election is proven by
| the passage of this bill similar
one by the last House, and the proof
will be again shown by the passage
of this bill by this House.
Parliamentary porcupines, bristling
with irritating points. may briefly in
terefere with it's passage, but can not
prevent it from becoming a law, for
! the States will largely ratify the con-
| stitutional change necessary to put
this great reform in operation. My own
| State furnishes the clearest proof of
the necessity Of the changes The sys-
TEN of representation under which
Connecticut is suffering makes it al
| most impossible to have the will of
| the people as to it's United States
Senators fairly expressed. With us
white birches, and not men, count in
| the election of our House of RepreSen-
| tatives; acres, not voters, decide who
shall make our laws in the alleged
popular branch of. our government.
L,
ter expression of what that branch
really is. In our State, as is we'll
known to many we have representa-
| ton in the House according to towns,
and not population. All the older
! towns no matter how small, have two
| Representatives in the Legislature; the
largest towns have no more. New Ha-
ven with $4,000 people; Bridgeport
with 102. 000 Hartford with $4,000; Wa
terbury with $4,000; New Britain with
$4,000 and Meriden, my own city, with
SO. 900, have each only two members
of the House while towns with less
| thans 100 voters and scarcely more than
that number of population, also have
| two Representatives each. These
small towns are in the great ma Gritty
| and, under the present system, abso-
lutely dominate our Legislature. They
decide who shall be elected.
| The fact that we have had an Or
vile Platt and a Joseph r. Hawley,
| for Senators does not furnish a JUS
| LITIGATION of this most unfair system.
1t is a system that offers to the un-
scrupulous man with money bags the
easiest and cheapest way to break in
| to the United States Senate. 1t is
| Acknowledgement of the people abso-
| lutte and complete so far as the lower
branch of our Legislature is concern
ed Our Republican friends need not
go below any imaginary line TO seek
/
white. They can go above that line,
into Connecticut, and find them by the
| thousand, black and white.
| If there were not broad general
reasons and unanswerable arguments
| that even Republicans now recognize
and admit for the election of United
States Senators by a direct vote Of
| the people, my own State furnishes
the proof of the need of the change
and warrants my earnest advocacy of
| the Rucker bill. With us an over
whelming majority of the voters of
the State may favor the election of a
man to the United States Senate, but
| the majority of the small towns can
prevent the will of the majority of the
voters from being effective. Pass this
| bill, 1 entreat you. and liberate the
voters of the Commonwealth of Con-
| necticut from the bondage of a sys-
tenn that cries to the god of political
| justice for redress. Pass this bill and
prove to the people that we meant
| what We said in this regard and make
/ it the precursor of redeemed pledges
to a people who placed US in power in
| the firm belief and with an abiding
faith that their confidence would not
| be misplaced nor betrayed.