New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1921-08-06
"VOICE OF THE PEOPLE,

"VO1CE OF THE People,"
At the hearing to modify Judge
Thomas restraining order to prevent
with the jitneys, the Attorney General
is reported to have referred to the
! legislature as 1.-The voice of the peo-
j ple.'' He stated also that the legisla-
J ture, as such voice had given the
! verdict that of the two systems Of
! transportation the trolleys should stay
and the jitneys should go.
There are two interesting sugges-
lions contained in this remark. First,
! it having been pretty well shown as
| far as New Britain and some other
cities of the state are concerned that
s'the people" want either a decided re-
| duction in trolley fares and better
Iaervice, or they want the jitneys-
this having been shown, the Attorney
General, in calling the legislature "The
, voice of the people must have felt
that the voice" must have spoken
prompted not by what the people say
they want, but by what the legislature,
s.the voice." thought was best for the
people.
Some believe this is the true
theory of q republican government.
They believe that in some matters
legislators, being more familiar with
what is best, should decide for the
people according to what is best for
them and not in accordance with
what the people think and say Is best
for them. They, the legislators, ac-
cording to this theory, believe that the
people have elected them as they
would choose physician. lawyer
that the people should obey and be
satisfied with the decision of the legis-
lature, as they would with that of the
doctor OF lawyer.
Whatever may be said In favor Of
this theory OF government, there are
points on which the people themselves
know best what is best for them.
Such a matter is that OF transport
tation.
to do the riding. They are the ones
who have to be carried to work daily
by street car or jitney-or they have
to walk
Thus, If the voice Of the people"
has decided that the trolley must stay
and the jitney must go, it must have
been the subconscious voice" that
spoke.
The other rather surprising state
ment Of the attorney general, as re-
ported, was that the legislature had
decided that the trolleys must stay
and the jitneys must go.
For some reason it was the popular
belief that the law passed by the leg
islature left it to the people to decide
this matter.
1t was the impression that the law
stated that certificates would be grant
ske jitneys if they were shown to be
n public necessity.
1t was under this theory that the
Hearings were held before the public
abilities commission. That commission
seemed to be gravely considering
whether or not the jitneys were a
Spublic necessity. The commission
sEranted few certificates, presuma-
Fbly on that ground-that they were
u public necessity and the people had
.shown them to be such.
II the voice OF the people" as seen
in the legislature, had already decid ed
khat 1.-The trolley must stay and the
sjitney must co." the statement at
xributed to the Attorney General,
1t seems a strange act on the
part Of the public utilities commission
to appear to recognize the fact that
the voice of the people had not al
ready decided that the jitneys must
90.
But it is quite possible that the leg
isIature has decided that the jitneys
must go.
II the legislature has so decided
certainly it has not spoken with 1.-The
voice OF the people"