Morning journal and courier., 1886-12-15
WEST HAVEN BOROUGH.

There has been nothing within the last six months which has interested the borough of West Haven more than the matter of having new lamps, in which subject interest has deepened greatly within the last few weeks. Not even the 'fbicycle question" with all it's 1 discussion and hubbub has taken such a hold on the good citizens of the borough.
 The lamp matter originated about a month l ago, when few enterprising citizens of the 1 borough ''put their heads" together and | having the interests of the borough at heart got up petition, which was widely circu-
 lated, to have some lamps procured and erected about the borough streets The 1 great lack of these necessary adju nets to a village were recognized by the citizens who got the petition up. The lamp question was talked up considerably and the matter finally re- ceived considerable support among the more enterprising and prominent citizens. It was decided to call borough meeting in which the friends of the lamps managed | to pass vote to have fifty naptha lamps, erected Those opposed to having lamps thinking it would be an additional burden to the taxpayers, as taxpayers of the 1 borough of West Haven, wouldn't have it. So they, the non-supporters of the lamp mat
 ter, called town meeting and man. ag0Q CO nave tuo NOG0 Ol the first meeting, which had passed
 order for fifty lamps, Iescinded. The re-
 scinding of the vote riled those who favored
 having lamps, and they determined to have
 lamps even if the other side couldn't, as
 Artemus Ward put it, ''see it in those
 lamps" Another meeting was called which
 was one of the liyeliest in the history of the
 borough. Said citizen about it: Ut beat
 any circus" Both sides of-the question
 were hotly agitated. MT. Hine, who thought
 the procuring of lamps would be too heavy
 burden for the taxpayers, was the principal
 leader of the opposing party; The matter
 was very thoroughly ventilated and it was vot- ed by exclamation to have one hundred and fifty nsptha lamps procured
 and erected throughout the borough, even in the most remote parts, where it is but scarce ly inhabited, and where the roads are quite lonely in the night. The result of the meet ing caused considerable temporary i'll feeling among many of the citizens, instance of which occurred shortly after the lively meet ing. Two well known citizens of the borough, who took opposite sides on the question, ,jost- led against each other in coming out of the hall. One of them addressed the other in 8 tone of voice which might be mildly put as very ironical, and said he: q thought you had one honest hair on your head" "Well," said citizen No. 2, Chats more than give you credit for" But, of course, the feeling is only temporary, and when the one hun dred and fifty naptha lamps are shedding their refulgent rays over the pretty borough and this improvement being followed by many others then, of course, there will be general handshaking all around. Rumors were thick about the streets of the borough yesterday which have caused the lamp 'tSo- Ions" no amount of unpleasant talk again. It now transpires, according to one version of it, that when the one hundred and fifty lamps were voted for it was Ey exclamation and ought to have been by ballot. The cit izens whs opposed the lamps say that there was motion pending before the meeting, which was that the lamp question should be decided by ballot. As above stated, it was decided by acclsmation. The rumor in cir
 culation yesterday was to the effect that an- other meeting would have to be called before what some of the borough citizens mildly term the 'kickers'' could be satisfied. Some say that the one hundred and fifty lamps will
 be purchased all the me, while still others say that the lamp question will be squelched and the borough will have no effulgent rays aforesaid, but cimmerian darkness as heretofore. The ques-
 tion whether the meetings decision was legal nas beeu the all talked of topic at the
 firesides and by the gossips of the borough. J. Gardner Clark the conveyancer of thls city,
 property holder and seashore cottage resi- dent, is in favor of having lamps He said at the last meeting of the borough that it would improve property. At the present time it is hard matter to get loan on real estate in the borough. If the lamps were procured it would materially advance the value of property. Senator Graham said at the last meeting that there would be only half a dollar addition on a mans tax who pays $5 tax.
 At the present time there are only about half a dozen lamps in the borough. They are at Drs. Barnett and Shepard's, Senator Graham's, one at J. G. Clark's and few others. At the present time it is said by many that travelling by carriage in the night time is very dangerous, especially on dark nights.
 In the line of improvements MT. R. W. Hine comes forward with proposition. He says: 'tWe should first build suitable public hall wherein public meetings can be held, and leave our present small contracted, hired rooms, barely sufficient to seat comfortably one hundred people. To show that I am in earnest, I hereby offer for the next thirty days to convey free of cost or encumbrance to the town or borough finely located, central corner lot on Main street, one block from the Roman Catholic church, if the town or bor- ough will erect and maintain thereon a suit able building for general town or borough purposes. submit to the intelligent voters of West Haven whether or not this is a bet ter way to expend several thousand dollars in the next year or two than in partially lighting and sprinkling the horse railroad company's tracks, and few of our principal streets. While we are so poorly accommo- dated at so high a rent is it wise to send up in smoke about $4,000 per year, which is the estimated cost of 150 lamps, the smallest number that should be thought ofF'