The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-01-24
BALDWIN UPHOLDS
new HAVEN ROAD
HOSTILE INFLUENCES
WOULD PARALYzE NEW ENG
LANDS SYSTEM.
Urges Business Men, At Banquet, to
Stand BY Big Business
Interests.

South Manchester, Jan. 24-Speaking
before the twelfth annual banquet of
| the Manchester Business Mems Asso-
ciation last night, Governor Simeon E.
Baldwin said there was too much
muck raling'' going on just now in
regard to President Me1len of the New
Haven road. He declared: SIT looks
to me as if the influences hostile to
/ the trade of New England were NOV
/ ing in underground currents to para
| lyze or disruernber New EngIand'5 rail-
road system, and as il many New
4 Highlander has been carried away by
these currents without knowing whence
they come, and without realizing what
1 they mean.
There are not many towns in Con-
/ necticut that have grown as fast as
Manchester during the last thirty or
forty years, or grown as rich. With
nearly 1900 inha bitants and a grand
list of sixteen millions you can chal-
lenge comparison with some of our
older cities.
/ s'Middietown, for instance, which
dates back to 1851, and has more in
! I1abitants by ha1f-21, 600 to your a.
| millions, and Da.nbury. also with TO-
/ coo more people than Manchester, has
| a smaller grand list It looks as II
| your grand list was made up, as the
4 law directs on actual values, and not
| on actual values, arbitrarily scaled
| down.
Tax Burden Unequal.
why is It everybody grudges every
it to himself, as much as to anybody
else. He is paying it to be used for
his own benefit, in common with the
rest of his fellow citizens. He is pay
ing it to support the government Of
| his State which ought to be dearer
| to him than any other human fnstf-
/ tuition.
Il will tell you why he grudges it.
1t is because the burden OF taxes is
| borne unequaI1y. and because the
money raised is not always spent with
wisdom and economy. It is hard for
assessors to put fair value on the
lands in their town, If the assessors
at only three-quarters or half what it
is actually worth. It is hard, paTtic-
u1arly when there is~a State tax to be
Laid; and this year one ought to pc
State nearly $500, 600 We had. a large
i income-largeF than ever before. with
year we are likely to get less out Of
some of our subjects Of taxation. For
one thing, the stock OF our main
steam railroad has gone down in mar
ket price, and we are likely, there
fore. to have to get along with less.
| from the concern which IS our largest
| taxpayer
rs there not, by the way, a little
too much muck rsking going on just
now, In regard to President MeIlen
and the men under him?
Connecticut Is the birthplace of the
New York, New Haven & Hartford
railroad. It has grown to be q. great
| system, but it's home Is stiH here.
And New Haven Is still pretty near
/ the center OF It's business, when you
count it's long traclkage in New. York,
running up to Lake Ontario. 1t has
become the heart OF New England.
All New England business pulses
through it. The arteries bring us our
new materials to work up. and our
food to eat The veins distribute the
/ r.
ners of the country and the world.
cit looks to me as if Influences hos
/ tile to the trade OF New England were
moving in underground currents to
railroad system and as if many q New
Highlander has been carried away by
these currents without knowing whence
theys come, and without realizing what
they mean. They mean, it seems to
me. loss to New England, whether
they dc or do not make for gain to
New York and other States. Any
thing that tends to stoppage of the
the circulation.
Not Catspaw of WalI st.
ct believe the prosperity of New
England makes for the prosperity of
the whole county: but I believe also
there are those who do not think So
and would lessen, if they could, our
prosperity, in the hope of increasing
their own.
Associations in Connecticut stand by
the business. interests of New England
Let us not be eager to find fault, un-t
necessarily with any. forces that pro-
that we are not made the catspaw of
Wall street Spectators, or OF any or
ganization, large or small, open or Sc
cret, which is moved by spirit I'M
friendly to the prosperity of Connec-
ticut.''