During the early 1900’s, politics in Connecticut, particularly the growing metropolis of Hartford, were generally similar to the rest of the nation. Connecticut was run by Democrats and Republicans, and partially influenced by political machines. In order to compare and contrast the difference between the politics in Connecticut and the politics in the rest of the country, one must provide answers to a few questions. How active and successful were progressive efforts in Connecticut? Were there political machines in Hartford? Were they powerful? How active and successful was the Progressive party in Connecticut? Is there evidence of corruption in Hartford politics? Answers to these questions will be provided below in this essay.
Progressivism was prominent in Hartford in the early twentieth century by middle class citizens. These citizens were predominately white, Protestant, long time citizens of the state and country, and were concerned in the decline of the American way of life, and they’re individual role in that lifestyle. One of their chief concerns was that of the population regulations in determining how many senators and representatives from individual towns were sent to Hartford. Every town was allowed two r
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Spellacy continued to fight but lost on a 16-10 vote. The odds against reapportionment in the lower house were so bad that the Democrats tried to get their way by asking for the creation of large numbers of new towns within the metropolitan areas of New Haven and Hartford in order to increase their representation. The situation in the senate was a little better, but it still took only about one-third of the states voters to elect a majority. Since the legislature’s committee was jointly composed of members of both houses, the Republicans were generally in majority. This estimates that only twelve percent of the states population could elect the majority of the lawmakers in the lower house. Henry Roraback was the president of the Connecticut Light and Power Company, and was concerned with protection of the rural Yankee protestant and to protect the vested interests of the state’s powerful manufacturing and commercial concerns. Henry Roraback dominated the Republican Party with wealth and power over many other politicians, even some from the Democratic Party. Even these efforts failed, and the reapportionment had to wait until a Supreme Court ruling in 1964. Connecticut’s political system was not perfect, but no state at the time, or, for that matter, no states political system in present time is perfect. The largest senatorial district had a population that was seven times that of the smallest. As chairman and treasurer of the state central committee and a Republican national committeeman, Roraback was practically the ruler of the Republican Party at the state capitol. This made for unbalanced representation in the House. Brayton from Rhode Island, the Republican Party was transformed into an organization, which sought to defend the status quo against the onslaught of the urban, new stock working class.
Approximate Word count =
960
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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