The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-12
LIGHT PLAYS G. 0. P. RULE BY RAILROAD
Attorney General Unnerci- full In Condemnation of C.. O. P. Methods In State at Progressive Rally In Mid dletown.
Special to the Farmer. )

Special to the Farmer.3
 Mfddletowny Oct. 12-Unmeasured condemnation of the bosses of the Re publican state machine and what he termed their utter subserviance to the railroad lobby formed the keynote or an address here Saturday night by Attorney John H. Light, of Norwalk, in opening the Progressive campaign MT. Lights address has proved the sensation of the political activities hereabouts and politicians today dis cussed nothing other than his scath- ing arraignment of the Republican party and it's alleged alliance with the railroad.
 MT Light went after J. Henry Roraback, chairman of the Republican state central committee, with especial vigor. "A boss without power is a po- HticaI bankrupt" said the speaker None of the big interests care to get under the umbrella of a boss whose party is out of power, for his ser vices are worthless.
 Hence he continued, ''ft is obvious why MT. J. Henry Roraback would liks the Republican party to win this fall He does not care to lose fat retain CTS. A 5000 fee does not grow on every bush.
 MT Light said he. did not remem- Der when the Republican party was not led in this state by one or more
  ton affecting railroads enacted from time to time shows absolute subser- viency to such interests. The schemes and specuIations which have almost ruined the N. r., N. H. & H. R. R. Co were made possible by Republican les- islation, he said, and notwithstanding this, the legislative agent of the road is still leading the party, and what is painful about it, he doesn't see any good reason why he should not do so.
 The speaker called attention to the interview which appeared in the Hart ford Courant after MT. Melien testified that MT. Roraback was the legislative agent of the company. Tn this in terview MT. RoraBack asserted that he hadn't thought of resigning the chairmanship of the Republican state son why he should have such a thought. He said, t'the things he had done for the railroad were things that any lawyer ought to have done and no state chairman need have hesitated to do.''
 He was asked if the special servrces to the road were rendered after he be- came chairman, and he said, they were. But they were not directly leg islative services. They were services as an attorney and not rendered in any legislative capacity 'tOf course, p said Mr. Light, <tthey were not rem dered as a legislator. but we have his employers testimony to the fact that they were rendered as the legislative agent of the road.''
 Mfr. Roraback was further asked, MT. Light pointed out, if he were not l in the capitol quite frequently during the last session of the legislature, and he said that he was there because he was very much interested in defeating the direct primary bill.
 1 A l-rI,& I,d<. 1,YI sider whether the railroad did not also want to defeat the direct primary bill, for, he added, Git is clear to every thoughtful person that, if we had a direct primary law, bossism would be done away with, and the railroad agents could not longer purchase leg 1slative favors by bartering governor ships''
 ''It is painful to see that the Repub- 1 lican party has not been taught by its defeats in 1910 and 1912. The same old lstandpatters seem to be in the lead still throughout the country. Think l of the Pennsylvania Republicans re- nominating Senator Penrose in view of the fact that the Progressive party carried the state in 1912I And Can non, Mckinley and Rodenberg are again running for Congress-! In New
 York and this state the machines nom mated the ticket from top to bottom. 1 The bosses are like Borbouns, they never take on any new ideas. They 1 seem to think they can fool all the people all of the time.''
 MT Light said he had found 1t a bootless task to try to reform his par ty from the inside; that history shows Ithat men have always been obliged to 1 leave their party or become insurgent 1 to bring about reform, and that the only sure cure for boss rule must be found at the polls.'
 I He said he found it really exhtIerat- I ing to stand upon a progressive plat form, and to be supported by a pro- l gressive party; that heretofore has voice had been stif1ed by party condf- tions. but he now felt free to speak his mind without reservation, and he assured his audience that 1t was an lagreeab1e experience.
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