Show DUTIES OF CITIZENS t Cleveland on the Evils of Special Legislation CARELESSNESS OF THE PEOPLE This Hat Xnca to Do With B LawaTo Jack Reliance on Government Aid The Remedy PROVTDEXCE R Juno 27The dinner of the Commercial club this evening was the last of the season and a distinguished assemblage sat at its board Private and and special legislation was the themeof the evening ExChief Justice Darfee was the first speaker He lamented the corruptness or the lobby and emphasized the importance of citizens and businessmen business-men taking a more active Interest in politics ExPresident Cleveland spoke at length in the same strain He said this unfortunate unfortu-nate neglect of matters politics and legis leg ton has actually reached such a pass that business men think and speak of politics a something quite outside of their Interest In-terest and duty which if not actually disreputable may be well left to those who have taste a tto for it The exPresident sought to remind his hearers of the interest which all of us have a members of ourAmerican body politic in wholesome general laws and honest admin istration In order that the patriotism and intelligence of the country should prevail in our legislation the patriotic and intelli gent men of the country must see to it that they are properly represented in our na tional councils Mr Cleveland says it seems to him pri vate and special legislation as It at present prevails is an evil chargeable to a great extent to the listlessness and carelessness I of the people The people have the right to claim irom their representatives their best I care and attention to the great objects of I legislation in which the entire country is I interested This is denied to them if their representatives take their seats burdened with private bills in which their immediate I im-mediate neighbors are exclusively in I terested and which they feel they must be diligent in advancing if I they would secure their continuance I in public life They are led by the exigencies exi-gencies of their situation as they view it not only to the support of private bills of questionable propriety but to the neglect jf important questions involved in general legislation Furthermore the importance of the successful championship of these private bills seems so vital to them that they are easily led to barter their votes for measures as bad or worse than theirs and thus is inaugurated the system called logrolling log-rolling which comes frightfully near actual corruption and the people at large lose not only attention to their affairs but are often no better than robbed of the money in the public treasury Another and more pernicious aspect of special and private legislation is the habit It engenders among the people of looking toward the government for aid in the accomplishment ac-complishment of special and individual schemes and the expectation which It cie ates that legislation may ba invoked for the securing of individual advantages and unearned benefits No thoughtful American Ameri-can should shut his eyes to the truth that when our people regard the government as a source of individual benefit and favoritism favor-itism our popular government is in dangerous dan-gerous hands and its entire perversion alarmingly imminent These perils are not alone chargeable to confessedly private and special legislation Measures of a general character apparently appar-ently proposed for the public good fre quentiy originate in selfish calculation and neither the cry of protection to Amer lean interests nor pretended solicitude fox the public good ought to succeed in concealing conceal-ing a scheme to favor the few at the expense of the many nor should the importance im-portance to the country of legislative action upon any subject divert us from inquiry concerning selfish motives and purposes which may be hidden behind the proposal of such legislation It is quite time that cur business men and all American citizens who love their country bestir themselves for the battle against the evil tendencies of private and special legislation whatever guise it may assume |