New Britain herald., 1927-04-08

the practical truth of the political adage that eternal vigilance is the price of safety in civil life as well as in war"
 A majority of the people of Con- necticut have long been indifferent to the schemes of U. Henry or ln- deed have believed them to spell "prosperity;" but the truth is final ly becoming apparent even to the indifferent citizen. But meanwhile by sheer political influence and Tn fact a certain personal charm. the big boss has acquired control or public utility franchises which have become worth millions Of dollafs, by his able management ill part, to be sure, but primarily based on outright gifts of franchises Whlch have enabled him to control mll- lions Of values in property and es- pecially stocks,-valt2ts which. and the chief fruits thereof, ought nor mally to belong to the people. and under patriotic instead of grasplns monopolistic control would belong to the people.
 The apparent incapacity of the people to stop these monopollstlc schemes does not change the fact that the designing men who so use political power are in effect public enemies, and by their conduct lnfilct srievious burdens upon their fellow citizens.
 This fact vas made very plain through that special report made to the General Assembly of 1909 by Atty.-Gen. Marcus H. Holcomb. Controller Thomas D. Bradstreet and former State Secretary Charles Phelps-certainly outstanding c@u- zens of the highest character and undoubted party loyalty: but thelr report was calmly ignored by the big boss" not only in 1909 but again in the Assembly of 192o, when Representative John C. Brins- made of Washington offered an amendment to the electric charter to give control of stock issues to the public utility commission. The special report above alluded to is really a scathing indictment Of the burdens inflicted upon the public by the political manipulators Of public franchises.
 It is not difficult to understand how "J. Henry" gets and holds his power. He is very clever political leader and makes q business or II. He deliberately plans the election of sufficient members Of the Leglsla- ture to give him absolute control Of it's actions. As a member Of the AS semby of 1925 it was my privilege to observe just how that control worked. Several of the melnbers ot that session made efforts to check some of the pet schemes Of tne boss" AS to my own experience, ] can testify that when l had been beaten on some measure (and l was five times choked off by the pre- yious question" and once by ad iournment of the House while l was speaking and entirely within my rights as member) members would come to me out in the lobby after adjournment and complain of | the rotten" treatment accorded a member; and when l asked. Why didn't you protest on the floor where it would do some good ?' they would invariably reply in sub stance tand mark this. for it is the nub of the whole matter): "Oh. you see, l was the candidate of my party 1 in the election, and 1 had the sup port of the state committee, and m fact they put in little money to 1 help me through and l cannot well go back on the organization after l that"
 In the matter of trying to get l fair consideration for Ashford, the ! only town in the state which has no motor tloroughfare or railway or trolley, or even bus line, l was three
 times approached by Republicans
 and told that if would come in on certain schemes favored by the
 boss you will get your road" At the present time. the gang seems
 likely to favor "another trunk line
 to Union," instead of providing for
 Ashford, the cast-andWest trunk
 line protected many years ago and 1 which will far better serve Ashford
 and the through traffic than ''an-