The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-09
"DRuMMINe UP REFORM"

distrusts the people and hates popu- lar government, has the impotence to. refer ito the almost total indiffer- ence of nearly 1s,0o0 persons' to the bonding referendum. There was no such indifference, but on the. con trary a very lively interest, on the part of a great many men. The ref erendum petitions were signed by some of the leading men of Bridge port, who cut out the coupons and brought them into the Farmer office. There were scores of such men, and hundreds less we'll known. Manufac- turers sent for the petitions and as- sisted in their circulation. Merchants signed them and presented them to their clerks. Every man present at the Labor Day outing signed them. and those men included the intelli- gent leaders of labor in this end of Connecticut sSEFs xgss'
 We advise our contemporary to make a visit to the office of the town clerk, and scrutinize the names of the men it insults with it's accusation of indifference, and its constant slurring of the capacity of the people for self government.
 It is quite true that the American people do not get excited over every reform that is proposed. whether political, social, economic or other wise. Tn the first place men are specialists Each Is devoted to his own pursuit. In the second place every man who knows anything knows that any reform that is worth talking about, or that is possible of accom- plishment will have an organization to back 1t. It is preposterous tothink that each man in any society, CT one man in three in any society, cau give his first hand attention to every pro- position, even for his own benefit The function of the man not interest ed esbecially in the particular work is to decide upon presentation of, srkumentp and facts if he wants the thing offered to him. The most use- full applianee e of modern life proceed from few men, who teach other men their utility. This applies equal ly to telephones. trolley cars, type writers. carpet sweepers and sausage cutters. Economic, social and politi- cal reforms are not different. Men did not change. from kings to Re- publics in a, night. Chattel slavery did rot disappear in this country un- til there had been fifty years of agita- tien. It took 20 years to get the Australian ballot. Manhood suffrage did not arrive upon these shores until long after the copstitutfon.Was formu- lated. z There probably never was a tima in the history. of any of these great changes in which. one-third of an entire population. not united by organization, could spontaneously, by individual unexplained action, have brought the new orders into being.
 For our part" says Stupidity. 'it seems a waste of time and money to follow any such plan, unless more than 50 percent of the voters are Anxious for it, or at at the very lowest one- third of them" referring of course to the bonding referendum.
 Stupidity might as we'll say, let us have no telephones unless third of the people are anxious for them. But the telephone company sends its agents out to show the people that telephone is a convenience that they cannot. dispense with. This Is the rrecte method pursued by persons wher know thst sbahiess ought to have rure milk. that water ought to be filtered. that social hygiene ought to be taught to the young, it is even the plan pursued by those who believe that the merits of a spineless news paper are not sufficiently appreciated by the public. In fact there is no other method of securing the general adoption of new things.
 Stupidity may receive this informa- ton, freely given for it's improvem ent, that when two men, two organiza- tions or two newspapers, go out to teach the people. that will ultimately have the largest following which teaches them the truth, that shows them the way to the most useful soc- jal contrivances. and the manner in which the people may attain the best results for themselves
 This newspaper says that the in- itiative. referendum and recall are mechanisms of popular gov ernmeHt. They are so valuable that they haysfmk5tasastsAed in hundreds of American cities and in a third of American states, constitutionally.
 1t is a base slander against the citizens of Bridgeport to assert that the-e was no p1hlic. interest in the bond referendum. There was a large public interest, much larger than usual otherwise fifth qshe elec-
 Snocf01 ~.