New Britain herald., 1914-07-17
Lobbyists as Candidates. (RridgepOrt POst.)

The comment of our contemporary. the Hartford Post, upon the candidacy of Charles W. Comstock for governor on the democratic ticket, which we printed yesterday, indicates that some democratic leaders have at last walked up to the danger signal that candidacy presents. In our political notes we long ago pointed out what was going cn. At first the Comstock game was called a joke, but as the days went by and the activity became more open and secret promises, for due consid- eration, were secured, it became ap- parent that while Comstock's candi- dacy might be a joke from the stand point of fitness, it threatened to be- come mighty serious under practical manipulation.
 Of course no one can blame Com stock for going into the field. He sees in office now man who did just what he is known to have done. He also sees other men, in both parties, with whom he has worked for years, aspiring for nominations and he can- not understand why he should be
 barred while they are favored. Then again. he knows that such men who did not have the excuse of hire, but who have deliberately plotted to tllwart the will of the party and of the people, are even now asking his assistance secretly in order to gain further opportunity to fool the pub lie. Comstock knows all these things and further knows the hypocrisy be- hind some of the attacks made. upon him. He might, if he cared to, tell a tale or two, especially in connection with the fight against the public utili- ties commission legislation and the subsequent filling of that body. Any how, he sees no reason why a conven- tion which nominated Robertson ard Baldwin, should not select him, and he is right, from the. lobbyist point of view.
 Comstock's service as lobbyist the capital in the. interests of corpora tions before J. Henry Roraback was a voter. He was closely allied with the distinguished "king of the lobby" the Hon. Edward D. Robbins, whose fame has recently spread beyond the confines of his native state. When Robbins retired from prominence after 1907 and Roraback came to the fl ont as 'the king" Comstock repre- sented the democratic half of the "third house.
 All this has long been known at Hartford It was never, however, Llaced before the public until The Post told of it. The republican news papers never hinted at such thing as the lobby, while the democratic organs limited their exposures to stories about the republican third house" men. This was one of the in- teresting phases of the whole lobby situation You would pick up a dem ocratic newspaper and find a fierce as- sault upon Roraback and then near by some praise for Comstock. How those two worthies used to laugh over it, Again, you would see bitter at tacks upon Roraback for working in support of possible corporation ronination, while the same newspa- perSS were trying their best to elect a railroad director to the office of governor.
 All this is interesting political his- tory, and because of the record of the past in this direction the attack upon Comstock for his lobby affiliations in the Hartford Post is worthy of note. 1t marks a strikingly new departure.
 The whole controversy raised by the Comstock candidacy presents a striking factor in the political situa- ton for 1914. Not the least interest ing thing about it all is that the very attack upon Comstock may be prompt ed by those who have ambitions and yet who are tarred with exactly the same stick as he-the betrayal of public interest for corporation de- mandS.
 We shall watch closely the outcome of this whole controversy. There is still so much submarine work going on that one cannot tell what will be il the wind when the time comes to rise to the surface.