26 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



lieve in town representation, and so do I; you believe in local 

 self-government, and so do I most thoroughly. Our fathers 

 believed that the State of Connecticut should be governed by 

 the people of Connecticut, and I agree with them. In 1818 

 every town in Connecticut had one representative or more, 

 and the General Assembly represented the people of this 

 State. No tax could be laid, no law passed unless approved 

 by the representatives representing a majority of the people. 

 Today, owing to this increase in our larger towns, it is pos- 

 sible for less than twenty per cent, to tax and make laws for 

 the other eighty per cent. Now, it seems to me, that that is 

 not in accordance with the notions that our fathers had. 

 Occupying the position that I do, the servant of the people of 

 Connecticut, it is my duty to act for the people where I am 

 qualified to do so. I believe in local self-government, and 

 in town representation. No man believes in it more 

 thoroughly than I do, but I believe that the people of this 

 State believe that the present apportionment of representa- 

 tion is unfair, and I believe that; it is so unfair that the farmers 

 of Connecticut should avail themselves of the opportunity they 

 will have this winter to save what is sacred to them, or what 

 is their right, and, at the same time, give to Connecticut a 

 constitution that will be fair to the people. I do not believe 

 that the rumor that the farmers are afraid of the people is 

 true. What does this great increase and growth of Con- 

 necticut mean? It means safety, and not injury to the farm- 

 ers; it means that in this great industrial democracy and union 

 of states there are forty-two states larger than Connecticut 

 territorially, and thirty-three states smaller than Connecticut 

 commercially. It means that Connecticut, by reason of her 

 ingenuity, her industry, her honesty, and her public spirit, has 

 kept Connecticut to the very forefront in the union, and that 

 today she weighs more in the industrial balance than Texas. 

 It means progress and civilization and happiness; it means 

 honest employment and homes for thousands of our men and 



