The examiner., 1885-12-19

Unequal Ta xalion n md Pnrtisa M ServiIiiy
A Universal Sample.
Shall it be Ever Thus 2

| Unequal Taxation and Partisan n ServiIiiy. AUniversal Sample.
 Shall it be Ever Thu.e At or near where the rushing Naugatuck | joins the placid Housatonic lie three ihriv- ing, pushing little borougns which together make the great manufac uring section of the Naugatuck Valley. They are respect ively Ansonia, Birmingham and Shellon The latter is in Fairfield Co. and dates it's history om the mpletion of the Hous- atomic dam ju>t above whose water is the | great motive power that turns the wheels and runs the mills on the banks below and then jolns the sluggish river on its course to the Sound. F.om a few rough slab buildings erected fer the accommodation of the laborers who built the dam in the early 70's, or thereabout, the march of | improvement has gone on with giant strides till in the ShOlt space of dozen years the has grown up settlement which possesses many of the attributes and characteristics of city, with many of city's curses and few blessings. And manufacture did all of this Strange that what might be bles sing is but a curse, | for there is discord now in Shelton. The village is in the throes of strike and public feeling is strung to its highest ten 1 sion. There is a strike in the silver shop. It's the old, old stt ry-old as civilization itself-Capital and Labor at variance. l Capital the el,'est born of Labor seeks to turn out from his birhright the author of it's being,-to die by the wayside, or drag out miserable existence on what is doled out by the unwilling fraud of this un- natural child. The old, old story of filial ingIatitud". A contemplation of this strike in all it's aspects, only confirms the writer of this article in bis belief that the man who can solve this great problem of Capital and Labor, and solve it aright, is | the coming man. But more on this anon. Birmingham is separated from Shelton | by the Housa' onic river, but is connected with it's sister borough by the Hunting on Bridge. It is of older birth than any of the other settlements and has @ solid and substantial look, betokening age.
 | Further up the Naugatuck is Ansonia, which takes it's name from Anson Phelps. the founder and promoter of the Ansonia Brass and Copper Co one of the largest concerns in this section.
 Ansonia and Birmingham are in the town of Derby, in New Haven county. The three bOroughs are so closely connect ed in industrial, social and political con- ditions that they may be considered practi- cally as one. Together they form the great manufacturing centre of the lower Naugatuck Valley and make a fair nucleus for future city.
 The history of this section is the history
 
 ing town, and the history of the New England we know is the history of man ufacture.
 But the story of this place in Western Conn. can have only local interest, and the writer desires to call the attention of his readers to a chapter III it's present his tory which should not be lightly passed over, for it is chapter replete with a great wrong to our public and political rights which is constantly growing evil, and which if not remedied may result in dis aster to large po tion of our people; but which if corrected would give a more cheering aspect 10 the alr. dy-to-be-pitied industrial and social condition of the wo: kers of this community and elsewhere. For this evil we venture to say, is not con- fined to this locality alone but exists in a greater or less degree in every Connecticut town. And the evil spreads Once in a while loud mu' terings are heard against it, and now and then popular uprising puts an end to it in one locality, but the end is not yet.
 Demagogues have ridden into position and power on the waves of public disap- probation aroused against it, on the loud protes ations of hatred for the wrong and of their desire to put an end to it made on the eve of election; but when elected these "patriotS for revenue only' forget to keep their promises, or arc unable to do so, for the evil is deeply rooted in our govern mental system and needs earnest and united efforts to uproot it.
 Conservativeism, which oftentimes IS but old-fogyism is it's champion and de- fender and class-p ivilege is it's god father, while it's lineal descendants by a process of evolution are saves and slavery.
 It is a plant of foreign origin, but by transpanting and hot-house nursing has become a thriving growth; or perhaps it is a stray weed which the Revolution failed to pull uo and destroy. We aboi h d tax ation without Representation, but we did not say word about TdIdtion a1ithOut Equalization and hence this widespread wrong of unequal taxation which bears so heavily on th5 poor man of this town and of this sta' e and which is fast transforming our people into upper and lower classes the arstocrats and nudsills of society.
 At this season of the year in nearly every town in the Commonwealth three or more respectable gray headed old men are gathered together in room and are seated about a table on which three or four ponderous volumes lie. These leather faced men are the town assessors, and those leather-covered books are the asses ment books of the town and contain a list of all and such persons property liable to taxation. At least it is supposed SD.
 These officials are supposed also to be busy with their duties, but that consis's of sitting around the table, smoking poor cigars, (union-over-the-left) sipping hot toddy, cracking jokes, and spinning racy yarns by the hour under the combined inspiration of this peculiar decoction of Adams curse and the consciousness of their pay going on at the rate of four dollars per day. The muscles of their faces which have not be n faxed for a year since they met before, actually creak like the rusty hinges of an old weather bea' en ga'e when they essay to laugh.