Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-11
SonnaI a1lb Guurisr.
Local News.
[For other Local News see Second Pagal
At The State Capitol.

AOCtk1 N0WBs
 Tor other Local News see Second Pagal
 At The State Capitol.
 The Proposed Amendment to the New EIa-
 ven City Charter-A Large Delegation
 Of Petitioners and Respondents Before the Committee-Statemen Made Bee l. fore the Comm fttee.
 HARTFORD, March 10, 1881. Especial to the JOURNAL CoURIER.l
 The principal interest at the Capitol today centered in the Committee on Cities and Boroughs. where the substitute for House bill PIP, which is the amendments to New Haven's city charter, was under considera- tion. The committee met at 2:3O o'clock, a large number of interested politicians of both the dominant parties being in attendance. R. s. Pickett and John s. Fowler appeared for the petitioners, while ex-Judge Henry Stoddard and Colonel A. H. Robertson looked after the interests of the opponents of ! the bill. .. ...
 John s. Fowler. in opening for the peti- | tioners, said he was in favor of incorporat- ' ing the substitute before the committee into the original bill. He said that in 1870 the ' ! ner as this substitute proposes, making them strictly non-partisan, with the Mayor as president er-offcio. The Board of Road Com | missioners was composed differently, there | being one Aldermen and one Councilman and | two elected from outside. The 1874 act was | introduced. This was framed by partisans Y and turned out of office the three non-parti- san boards We, therefore. have precedent ! in introducing this bill. In 1874 we had a Mayor who was largely elected by Republi- I can votes (Henry G. Lewis), and he contin- ued in a great measure the non- partisan boards. l This continued to 1874, when MT. Shelton I was elected Mayor, and recognizing the ser- vices of his friends he attempted to do away l with the non-partisan feature. To this end he appointed Greenback man, (Anderson), who afterwntd identified himself with the Republican party. This condition of things continued down to 1880, when our present worthy Mayor saw fit, either through the in- structions of the Democratic journals or through fealty to his party, to change the course of things by appointing men en- tirely of his own political faith to the differ ent commissions. Now, said MT. Fowler, we
 
 should have some voice in the management of the affairs of the city, as we believe that the larger proportion of the taxpayers be- long to the Republican party He then re- ferred to the division of the wards, in the strongly Democratic ones, of which, he said, the Republicans did not haveSa fair show. He said the Republicans could not hold 8 meeting in the Democratic wards without be- | ing insulted, stoned and otherwise treated in a contemptible manner. The Republican torchlight procession last October was re- | ferred to, when the insult was almost be- yond description. The police force, he said, was entirely inadequate to suppress these dis orderly proceedings, and the Republicans now ask that they may be permitted to have police force that will protect the minority from this class of disorderly persons. This he thought they could get under the substi- tute bill. Referring to the road department, he said it was run too much in the interest of the Democratic party, and Republican labor CTS did not gain fair share of work on the streets. The fire department is also in need of pruning, there being many men on that force that are useless and had better not be there at all He then referred tc the polling places selected ir the different Democratic wards
 which he said were of such character that
 respectable people would not go to them tc
 vote. For this reason it was proposed tc
 have the Police Commissioners select the
 polling places. The appointment of Com
 missioners and the selection of the fifth by
 the County Commissioners in case the foul fail to elect was referred to. He said he
 thought the occasion would seldom arise
 when this would be necessary. Then it did not follow that the County Commissioners
 would always be Republicans, especially as it was proposed to change the Senatorial dis
 tricts At this point MT. Fowler offered an
 amendment to the substitute bill which pro-
 vides that any person who is in any way en-
 gagged in the sale of liquors or lager beer
 shall not be appointed on either the Boards 1 of Police or Fire Commissioners. He said
 that the fact of such person having been
 on the commissions had worked to the injury
 of the taxpayers.
 MT. Stoddard inquired if the statement of | Mir. Fowler was to be taken as testimony or
 simply as statement. If the former, then l the respondents desired to cross-uuestiop
 him.
 Senator Colt said as chairman of the com
 mittee he did not favor an indiscriminate
 talk on this subject, but the committee would
 like to hear evidence and to move along as
 rapidly as possible. He thought that the re-
 spondents should be permitted to cross-ques
 tion MT. Fowler if they chose to do so.
 Mr. Stoddard then cross-examined MT.
 Fowler. In reply to questions MT. Fowler
 said that he believed that MT. Hooker did
 vote for Garfield and Bigelow, although he
 understood him to be Democrat He said also that three of the present members of | k1o z
 pointed blythe present Governor BigeIow) and late Mayor of New Haven. As to the road department he said that last year there was Republican majority, but this year ! there was one Democratic majority. Three of the five he said were selected by Repub- lican administration. A majority of the present fire commission was also selected by a Republican administration. In reply to another question Mr. Fowler said that he be- ieved that four persons in the Surveyors department were Republicans He also said in reply to Mir Stoddard that ordinarily the police force were efficient, but in heated elections the Republicans did not receive the protection they were entitled to.
 ! Adjutant General Harmon was next called l He said he was Police Commissioner about | two years and Alderman about three years He said, in reply to MT. Pickett, that the pro- l posed changes were important, and he be- | ieved necessary. While he was member of f the Board of Police Commissioners men were placed on the force on account of their poll tics. Referring to the appointment of com missioners he thought the four members se- lected under the substitute bill for the vari- ous commissions would have no trouble in selecting the fifth man, especially if this se- lection is made by ballot. The election by ballot for all officers he thought would SC cure the best men for all the offices. He fa- vored the grading of the police force as pro- vided in section 8, and considered it import ant Regarding the present force he thought | that one-third of them were inefficient and they demoralized the good men on the force Therefore he favored legislating out the entire force in order to get rid of the in- | efficient officers. General Harmon referred State deputy marshal in one of the lower wards of the city at the Presidential election, | where he was surrounded by 8 mob who threatened him, and the police at this place | were entirely inefficient. While ex-Mayor Anl