Morning journal and courier., 1883-11-22
TOWN AND CITY.

The legislature is soon to assemble. New Haven will be represented in it with unusual ability. No better occasion could be chosen to ask the legislature to abolish the awk ward system of town and city government. Why have two machines to do that which one can do? We have in fact two very different machines doing almost exactly the same work. With the exception of the care of the poor and the assessment of taxes, the tive corporations perform substantially the same functions. Add to the city government 8 board of charities and board of assessors and the work would be duplicated. We have then one rude and simple machine adapted to small and primitive community, and another more refined and complicated usachins adapt ed to a populous and advanced community, doing the same work in the same community. One of these machines Is doing the work of government as if New Haven were little town with few interests. The other is doing it as if New Haven were city with many and great interests. One of these machines was constructed over Q hundred years ago for state of society that has ceased to exist here. The other is g modem invention and was devised expressly fox the state of society that exists here now. It does not really seem as If we needed both of these machines. Which one can we best afford to spare
 No better illustration of the workings of these two machines could be chosen than their respective legislative departments. The legislative department of the city Is the Court of Common Council, that of ths town is the town meeting. In small town this mse ting is fairly representative body. In city it is a farce. Of the fifteen tho usand voters in the town of New Haven, on an average not more than two hundred as- semble in the town meeting. Still this meeting can and does lay taxes and vote sala- riss and appropriations. The meetin g doss not usually last over an hour. There Is no time to discuss or consider anything. The town meeting is very easily packed. Any body who wants measure passed has only to kring his friends along with him. The Court of Common Council is a representative body It may perhaps be influenced, but it cannot be packed. The estimates for the expenses of city government are carefully prepared by executive boards before they are presented to it, and are fully debated afterwards. There Is time and opportunity to investigate every. thing. Individual citizens can make them selves heard on most matters before it's com mittees. How many can make themselves heard ct a town meeting? An appropriation of fifty thousand dollars for soldiers' monu. nent was rushed through the last town meet. ing. Not two per cent. of the voters of the town had anything to say about it or knew anything about 1t. The Common Council has been asked to give the city public libra ry. The matter has been considered for months and all shades of opinion have been heard. Which machine works best as leg isIative machine, the town meeting or the Court of Common Council :? Which is the best piece of executive machinery-that which consists of various boards which give their time and attention each to it's special department, or Board Of Selectmen which combines all departments in one, which Is read maker, bridge builder, helper of the poor and board of finance and judge of the qualifications of electors all at once7 If we have good machine adapted to the wants of city, why pay for @ poor machine too, which is only adapted to the wants of 8 small town?