Litchfield enquirer., 1873-10-02

l. IF 0.AAoAottA l8lETopFkkEAHB 2 $1UU,UUU tion khe ci of Hartford m Sfsa Y sI.a aa not nr IesS bn;1d;n 5ha oqe0 d for I s fgf said Rnala'se aartfa Eea D o hs.y .,sd of that if the Board sf Uomnn1iss;tsslsssrs sbonld eiecs new sitea&or State House, that in 'llat event thespEesident of said board is empowered and authorized, upon the completion of said State Hoy.se to convey so- -the eaty ef. Hartford all the right. title ana interest of the State of Connecticut. eo the state House now located ill Hart lord, ana the appurtenances therereof.
 Ill 1of2 New Haven made it's offer to t4e Legislature to build a new State
 mouse 1ouse at It's own expense, but this was proposed foI aunnendmen to the Con stltutloH eonstitut ting Hartford the sole and by two thirds vote in 1s73 which 'ss ssgs9lls ssEgs5 ssals & aIS E. gJ toDer Do,-'o = = e'10 WI 0a 7e- ;: The people of this State are tired of this question, and the chronic contest over it atieach session of the Beeislasure since 1869, which would appear and be proven by their apathy and indifference if left to themselves on the day of voting. Who has disturbed and perplexed them with this question? Is it Hartford or New Haven? Let the foregoing facts and legislative records answer? That New Haven has never proposed an amend hent to make her the sole capital. How IS 1t with Hartford? She has agitated and annoyed the Legislature with the ques- tion for five years; she has been twice vot- ed down by members representing a large popular majority against her, and now she is on a third trial of the question. We marvel not that the people are weary of this question. .G&t .t..-t*
 How does the account stand with Hart fords pretended liberality in providing site free of expense to the State. In 1871 she obtained of the State $500, ,OOO, the site cost $500, 900, and the city appropri- ated $500, her outlay would appear to be $1, 100, ,00O, but the resolutions approved July 17th, 1871, provides that if the Board of Commissioners shall elect new site, then, and in that event, the President of said Board is hereby authorized and en- powered, upon the completion of the said new State House, to convey to the city of Hartford all the right, title and inter est of the State of Connecticut in and to the State House now located in the city of Hartford and the appurtenances there of. The present site of which she is to become owner is estimated to be worth ,1nore than a million of dollars, so that for the outlay of $500, ,000 which she appro- .priated, and $6OO,OOO for the new site. Hartford receives and becomes owner of the old site, and thus has expended noth- ing. sr,
 . Again, the Common Council of Hartford, in addition to voting the sum of $500, 900, passed a resolution pledging the faith of 4the city to the completion of the building. lio matter what the cost might be, upon the appropriation by the State of $500
 600, and in the debate on the resolution
 appropriating $500, 900 to the city of Hart, .f0fa, eae=of hek representatives said he proposed to take from the State $500, ,00C iand expend as much as necessary to erect a suitable building if it took H$5 coo, 900.
 Has this pledge been kept? No; it has -beenlbroken and. violated, for in 1873 we find HartfoKd applypgto the Legislature for an additional appropriation of $5OO, 900, and she obtained it. Thus with the bar rier, of plghted faith once broken doRn, the people will see there may be no limit tp this expenditure by the state till the 5000, 900, which amount the representa- tives named above in 1871, shall have been reached; and as an example we will present the State House now being built at Albany, The amount original intend sea atto be e4pende edy { it is atd, has .already been expended on the foundations-say
 g 800, ,000-dnd one of otlr most distin. eg9lished citizens who has had much ex- 4perience in building, one4 of our largest real estate owners. ~wlo, has lately ex- amined the foundations, says it will cost $l2, 100000 to complete the building. Whatever amount is expended on the State House at Hartford by appropriations from the State treasury, one-quarter would come from New'Haven county.r'i 2.
 As to the general taxation or the people
 throughout the State the people can judge
 for themselves with this suggestion to as.
 sist them, that the effect of voting down
 the amendment oh October 9th would be
 to cut down the expenditures by the State
 on State House in Hartford to reasona
 hle limits, say $f,500,O00.
 We would invite especial attention to the fact that the people of this State have never petitioned the Legislature, nor sig
 nifed to that body, in any manner, theil desire to abolish of1e capital of the State,
 and establish sole, capital, but this move s1lent has come wholly from the city of Hartford. .r---ts -,tr. -. ..4.-.. z By this grossly unfair and unjust amendment, to be voted oH October G., Hartford has all to gain in hecoming the sDle capital, if the. amendment is voted iby the people, but nothing to lose, as she continues one of tho capitals of the State if the amendment is- voted down by the people. But not so with New Haven, she has all to lose, if the amendment is voted, for she ceases to be one of the capitals of the State; but nothing to gain, since, by the amendment, she cannot become the sole capital ? f. r. .'a.1
 : The effect of two capitals located, in the two largest cities of the State is, that a
 wholesome and salutary restraint Is 'exer- scised by one over the other, to prevent either from foisting upon the State treas ury schemes and projects for the ~munici- pal aggrandizement of the one at the ex- pense of the whole people of the State, and to their detriment, by increased tax ation. Cannot the people see safety for themselves from dangerous central pow
 er in sole capital .s"'.-'N ,s<,
 Your committee cannot resist the con viction that the above plain statement of facts which cannot be eontroEerted, lean
 not but. open the eyes. of thes people of this State upon this important question: j Your committee therefore recommend to your honorable body the adoption of such measures as will supply the people with the information contained in this re- port, to be supplied if practicable imprint Cd form or any other information on the subject calculated to defeat a project so idetrmet1tal,, and so fraught with disaster to the best interests, of the city of New Haveni,' and State of eonnectfctft;; 'togeths CT with printed ballots, with the word sfNo," to be used on the first Monday of October next. .4,..s,s.
 i In behalf of the committee on the Con- stitutional Amendment. ,>.. ....s .~.,. .,... .
 ...... Y. T. BUSHNELL, Secretary.
 ', -sE,,tr, -4---fj"' tjss. ,.73
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