The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-07
Bridgeport Philosophical so- ciety >Arranges Interesting
 Symposium During Which K Local Conditions Are Dis
 cussed.
Robinson Takes Credit to Re publican Administration for Record of the Past Two Years and Dwells On Street Paving.

Jasper McLe1y. J. A. H. Robinson, Lyfln W. Wilson and Theodore r. Phillips, addressed the members of the Bridgeport PhiIosophical society, last night, on Political Issues.e E. |. Whitney, president of the society, presided Each speaker hssd 25 minutes and five minutes for reply. The order of speaking was decided. by lot, and MT. Robinson, who is city clerk as well as chairman of the Re- publican town committee. was first heard.
 He thought the Republican party ought to be returned to power be- cause of it's interest in schools and paveInents. He said the schools had been improved under a Republican administration and that the streets Ihad been put i'm fne#-shape Ue thought his party would do even bet ter, should it return to city hall for two years more. MT. Robinson ap- peared in place Of John T King, who is enjoying a vacation in the Maine woods
 Lynn W. Wilson said that the func- ton of the great dominant parties in any country was mainly to carry on the HSha1 and ordinary work of the nation. The really great issues, he said, such as prohibition. woman suf- frage, socialism, municipal ownership, were usually in agitation for many years before they appeared in the platforms of parties in power, as matters for immediate determine tion.
 Re said that the usual and ~Drdin-
 ary business of. country constituted
 more than 99 1-2 per cent. of all business. and thought MT. Robinson in error in thinking that any party should be much praised for doing Y-fx1 -,1x
 well. With respect to pavements, he
 suggested that the Republican ma
 chine was somewhat to blame be- cause there were notA more and bet ter streets and attributed the de- fiency to the circumstance that con tracts had been let, without bidding, or competition, in very unusual way Jasper McLevy spoke directly for the Socialist party, as a necessary means of solving the problems of pro- duction and distribution, and as a l means of organizing the workers un-
 til they will be able to obtain their fair share of production. He thought this reform more necessary than any other, and regarded it as taking pre- k cedence over woman suffrage and all
 other issues. MT. McLevy expressed the opinion that the municipaIizatio1l of public utilities is a necessary step to the socialization of property used ! 1OL~ PTOlL IdhlnS purposes lie Q0- I clared that socialism is a matter of
 evolution, and said that the socialist 1 state is bound to arrive, whether or not there is conscious cooperation 1 with the forces that are bringing it l to pass Mr. McLevy spoke with au- | thoritys for he has been several times 1 the candidate of his party for may | or.
 I MT. Phillips, who has represented 1 the Prohibition party in more than I one campaign. said that before the l economic problem can be solved, the
 evil of the trade in alcohol must be l eliminated. He declared that the so- 1 cia1ist party would be better able to 1 organize sober, than intemperate l workmen, and thought that many so- cial ills would disappear should the l traffic be abolished. He thought l state laws insufficient to accomplish i prohibition, and considered it. very necessary for the Federal govern 1 ment to pass prohibition laws, espect-
 ally such as would prevent interstate l commerce. in alcoholic drinks, with ] dry states. He referred to MT. Bry- l ans agitation in favor of prohibition, | with approval.
 A musical program was given by
 Mrs. John Lindho1m and Miss Vida
 Stearns.
 The Bridgeport Philosophical so- l cfety is in it's second season. It is organized for the free discussion of l questions of economy. science and in
 dustry, and has arranged a course of l lectures for the season.