The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-02-11
ARE THE PEOPLE OF BRIDGEPORT COMPETENT
TO MANAGE THEIR OWN WATER WORKS?
MONOPOLY AND THE RAVEN LOBBY
SAY, ono"

The events of the few weeks in Bridgeport and
at Hartford will be highly instructive to those who in
terested the structure of and who wish to
compare government in theory with government as it is
Bridgeport has population of a hundred thousand
and women, perhaps ten thousand than that
figure Bridgeport in population wealth, in industrial
progress, is one-tenth Of the whole state
government no people are IF the government of
Bridgeport ought to be in the hands of of
the special interests then ought to be in
such hands.
There is likeness between and women, when
they are considered in large which esops the the
that hundred thousand people in Connecticut
able to manage their affairs if the people Of Bridge
the people of Bridgeport desire to conduct their
OWN R gne Ra Nts T5sX especially anxious to
In this they but desire to tread the way which has
been played by the people of every important city in the
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington Bal
Anaea 7 o LOS
In Connecticut, Hartford Meriden New Britain,
Danbury, Norwich, and Waterbury own their water
Bridgeport is held subject to group of private per
sons who take the position that the Almighty His wis
DOM has entrusted the destnes of this city to their
hands, and who variety of by the of wealth
shall not supply itself with water that funda
mental necessity OF LIFE commodity necessary air
itself
Only the legislature can give this city power
lacks to its water supply. In the legislature,
T be the e
special privilege interests of Connecticut to stop any leg
Already the BRIDGEPORT END Of the lobby is on
the ground Already the whsperings and the plottings
have begun Already the effort progress to wean
members of the Bridgeport delegation itself from feay
to their party and to the people Of Bridgeport.
The position that all these forces take taking and
must take If they longer delay municipal ownership
of water in Bridgeport is this:
That the people of Bridgeport must not be allowed to
vote the question whether they want supply them
selves with water not
This is where they take their stand Thisss where
they will fight the ghtto prevent the will of the citizens
of this city being expressed upon this great question of
public policy at the ballot box.
It will be interesting to who viii appear upon the
and the lobby denouncng the people of Bridgeport
too to determine for themselves questions Of pub
lie policy peculiar to themselves
The right to loot the people Of Bridgeport is the gor
ous principle for which side will contend The right
OF the people to be free from overehargng and extortion
necessity Of life and to set public in place
of private monopoly is the principle actually involved
The fate of Democratic forms of government
cerned in the issue. What going on Bridgeport
going one form another all this country.
The forces of monopoly everywhere threaten the state
by their sinister distortion of those powers people,
which, intended for their protection, turned against
them by influences which have been disclosed in
cisco, and being turned to New York
Upon the side is Democracy. Upon the other is
the horde of monopoly cheek by joN with the lob
by and all that is implied by such an alliance
nTrTT aTr1rrm :.