The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-11-27
PUBLIC OPINION

To the Editor of The Farmer:
Commission Government is at least
one year further off. If it were not
handicapped by the go per cent. clause
1t would have become a fact in the
special election Of last Saturday.
Bridgeport has had other referen-
dums that carried with less votes
| cast. The enemies of a change IN
government played their hand we'll.
First they refused to have the matter
brought up at the regular election
and secondly they quietly passed the
word down the line for their bench
men to stay at home and not not
vote.
/ Hundreds of thousands Of men
have fought, bled and died for the
| right of the ballot in America and
| in this instance about $4,000 voters
! in Bridgeport refused to go to the
polls and register their rights as free
| men, leaving the impression that they
were not interested enough in the
| matter to vote or that they were sat
isfied with the present charter.
AS a matter Of fact there were sew
eral hundred sincere men behind the
movement for the new charter and
ASA
passage. Many of them never took
| hand in the game of politics before
| and they are now much wiser.
These men are today asking them
selves: what is the matter with
Bridgeport" They cannot under
stand why the voters did not rally to
their support for they thought they
had a good thing for the city-at
least a better form Of government
than that which exists.
The trouble with the friends OF
Commission Government. if I may be
permitted to advance a reason for
their defeat. is that they did not deal
with the human side Of the question.
They did not show how the new
charter would enable factions to ap-
point policemen and firemen as
easily as under the present charter.
They left the impression that it was
going to be harder than ever to get
jobs from the city.
They failed to drive home the idea
that the system Of nomination by pc
tition was more democratic and di-
rect than the present system of party
government by convention.
Somehow or other the friends OF
the proposed government drove home
the idea too strongly that they were
out wholly for q governmental sys-
tenn that was without heart or feeling
for human weaknesses, and that they
intended to have an administratio on
as hide-bound as the management of
a Chicago beef packing corporation.
Nothing doing for such a strict
system with the average factory man.
He may have number in the factory
where he works but they have to call
him by his name and prefix it with
mister on election day.
Mr.. workingman would rather pay
his shot for government and know
the alderman who lives in the dis
trict than to have to bow his way
into the presence Of a $1,000 COM
missioner when he wants the street
fixed in front Of his house.
They handed the common people
lemon when they fixed the rights
of the Board of Apportionment by
charter and the average worker is a
little scary when someone hands
him a perfectly good charter. The
Board Of Apportionment really has
more power today than the council
elected by Inc people.
Then again a large number Of the
gentlemen associated with the pro
posed new charter plan were highly
respected Republicans who want to
get rid Of the King management of
the the Republican party, and they
were suspected of having devised the
charter scheme as a round about way
to put the skids under Mr.. John T..
King. Whether this Is true or not
does not alter the fact that this belief
existed in the minds of many who
dislike Mr. Kings methods as well
in the heads Of many of his support
ers.
Kings supporters and friends stay
ed away from the polls to show their
contempt for the new charter and
those not interested in Mr.. King s
destinies stayed, away In order to tell
Mr. Kings highly respected citizen
enemies that they had better fight
Mr. King within the folds Of the Re-
publican party.
In the past they have been too dig
nified to give Mr.. King, tussle for
supremacy in the Republican pri-
maries, but they have always gone
Jul OI1 CACStaO1i uny aIAO olu iAAS UAO"
ding.
This same crowd has supported
regular Republican nominations al
ways and they have allowed Mr.. King
to make the nominations, for about
six years without a murmur.
If these same gentlemen want a
new charter for Bridgeport their way
is very clear. They should go into
the primaries of the Republican
party and have something to say
about the management of that party.
If they had any influence with the
party they supported at the polls on
Nov. Z, last, they could have forced
Mayor Wilson to have had the ques-
ton of the city charter submitted to
the people on that day.
The only way these commission
charter people, can get a square deal
for themselves is to first restore party
government to Bridgeport. They
first must be men enough to redeem
the Republican party through the
machinery Of that party.
If there is anything the matter
with Mr.. Kings methods, Mr.. G. B.
Wilson'S government, or Warrenite
contracts, these same gentlemen who
fight for a new charter quite valiantly
but who are too proud to fight for
their party's control are the ones
that should be blamed for the present
condition of the city,