Litchfield enquirer., 1874-10-01
The Little Town Meetings.

meetings of the little republics which in New England bear much the same rela- tion to the State that, throughout the na- tion, the State bears to the federal republic. A good town government is a more vital necessity to the New Englaaaer than good State government. Those governments levy ten times the money from the citizen that is levied and expend- ed by the State government So inde- pendent are the several towns in the mat ter of taxation that there has never been a thorough system of equalizing and har- monizing the rates of assessment which are so manifestly different in different 1 towns, for the purpose of equalizing state 1 taxation.
 Besides the assessors and boards of re-
 lief who are to assess our property, the towns choose annually their executive au- thority in the selectmen; their prosecut- ing officers in the grand jurors, their peace officers in the constables, and, at the spring elections, their judiciary in the justices of the peace and judges of probate. Each little republic is so com plete within itself, and so independent in the exercise of its sovereignty, that many justify our most unequal system of repre- sentation upon the theory that Connecti- cut Is a confederation of small sovereign ties, each Of which is entitled to equal weight in her House of Representatives, just as each State is entitled to its two representatives in the Senate of the Uni ted States.
 While our towns thus elect the various branches of their local governments, 1t cannot but be matter of great regret that there Is no better system of election than now prevails. It IS here, on our local boards and in our local offices, that we feel most sensibly of anywhere the need ot some fair system of minority represen- tation. Because, by the addition Of the foreign born vote, the Democratic party in Litchield has seven votes where the Hd1IJ 1iIAo c4As 1o IiO IC<loOu why six out of every thirteen persons in this town should go without representa- tion on various boards of town officers, numbering from three to eight each Is 1t right that in Republican towns there should be no Democratic assessor, con- stable, selectman, justice of the peace, grand juror, or juryman? Yet such is of ten the case. It would seem that the as sessment of taxes, the prosecution of of fences, and the trial of local causes should be conducted with the least possible show of political partisanship. Yet how can we expect this when the holding of Re publican principles is practical disqual- ification for holding office in Democrat ic town, the holding of Democratic prin- ciples practical disqualification in a Republican town? The injustice of this thing is so rank that town boards are al- ways regarded with more CT less suspicion by about half the community they govern. Unfairness IS always being charged upon them; sometimes justly, sometime unjust ly.
 Worse yet, the men who are oftenest elected are timid persons who have fewest enemies and run best at elections. ''UE- popular officials, no matter how efficient. are dropped by party caucuses for the req son that 1t is not efficiency but ineficien- cy that can poll the fullest party vote. Look for example at the gross ineficien- cv that has characterized the conduct of our town officers in regard to the license law. In one of our most important towns its first selectmar, and the leader of his party. openly sells liquor without i- cense. No grand juror could prosecute and make an enemy of that man and lose standing ill his party! Gan We expect the average town officer to run any such risk? Suppose, however, that all parties were represented on the board Of prose- cutting officers. would such state of in Imidation have made the law dead let ter?
 With minority representation, We be- heye that efficiency would become a much more common characteristic Of the town officer than 1t now is. There is always a strong minority in every town that likes the man who does his dut.S regardless of persons, and which would, We think. elect a sprinhling of such on every town board. Our legislature dailies with this subject every year: when will 1t finally do some thing?