The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-25
Governor Wilson
 On Corruption
 Of Legislatures

Minneapolis. M1nn., May 24-GOV. woodrow Wilson addressed the Pub licity Club of this city at luncheon to- day. Governor Wilson devoted most of his address to a discussion of the connections between business and leg islation, speaking particularly about the business interference with legtsla- tion which has created some of the worst influences in our recent politics He said in part:
 The modern world is, of course. a business world A great many of the older and more fundamental questions of our politics we regard as long ago settled The business of politics is nowadays a business of adjustment, of meeting new conditions as they arise and making law suitable to our changing life. The most remarkable and influential changes that have ta- ken place in recent years in America have been economic rather than polit- ical Business has bulked larger and larger and has consequently been more and more interlaced not only with national policy but with legisla- tive change throughout the country.
 It is perfectly legitimate, of course. that the business interests of the country should enjoy the protection of the law not only, but that they should be in every way furthered and strengthened and facilitated by legls- lation. The country has no jealousy of any connection between business and politics which is a legitimate con- nection. It is not in the least averse from open efforts to accommodate law to the material development which has so strengthened the country in all that ii has undertaken by supplying its ex- traordinary life with its physical foun- dation.
 But the illegitimate connections be- tween business and legislation are an- other matter. Every community IS vaguely aware that the political ma chine upon which it looks askance has certain very definite connections with men who are engaged in business on a large scale. and the suspicion which attaches to the machine itself has be- gun to attach also to business enter prises just because these connections are known to exist. If these connec- tions were open and avowed, if every boC-v knew just what they involved and just what use was being made of the alliance there would be no difH- culty in keeping an eye upon affairs and in controlling them by public oninion. But unfortunately the whole process of law-making in America is very obscure one. There is no high way of legislation. but there are many hv-ways Parties are not organized in such way in our legislatures as to make any one group of men aVow- edlv responsible for the course of leg islation. The bills introduced into cur legislatures are introduced upon private initiative, either the initia- tive of individuals outside the leg islature who desire certain changes in the law for their own convenience .~- benefit ar the initiative of indi- viduaI members of the legislatures themselves The whole process of discussion. if any discussion at all takes place is private and shut away iron. public scrutiny and knowledge There are so many circles within cir cIes there are so many indirect and private ways of getting at legislative action that our communities are con- stantly uneasy during legislative ses- sions.
 It is this confusion and obscurity and privacy of our legislative method that gives the political machine its op- portunitv Apparently nothing but the political machine can bring order out of the chaos. There is no central force in any legislature which can itself guide the course of lawmaking. There is no publicly responsible man or group of men who are known to formulate legislation and to take charge of it from the time of its in troduction until the time of its enact- ment It has. therefore. been pos sible for an outside fOrce-the politi- cal machine. the body of men who nominated the legislators and who conducted the contest for their cleo tion to assume the role of control Business men who desired something done by way of changing the law un- der which they were acting or who wished to prevent legislation which interests have known that there was this definite bOdy of persons to resort