Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-24
DEER THE POOR.

DEFRAUDING THE POOR.
 There was recently before the New York Board of Aldermen an ordinance making it | obligatory for all retail grocers to sell veg etables, fruits, berries and bread by weight | A similar ordinance has been passed by 1 the Brooklyn, N. Y., Aldermen. Is there any local power or authority by which like decree could be enforced in Water bury? The movement in New York was started by the Retail Grocers' Association as one of series of measures by which it has sought to secure honesty in the trade.
 There is no business ill which small frauds are easily perpetrated and so generally practiced as in the retail grocery trade. Competition is keen, profits are small, and the honest dealer has a hard time of it. The public ought to be pro- tected; and if the ordinance will help to accomplish this end it should be enforced The measures recommended by the Retail Grocers' Association of New York should be carefully considered in our smaller com munity They come from practical men who have done good deal in the past to clip the claws of dishonest members of their trade, and surely we have in our city men in the business just as jealous of their good name.
 But then there is an important point in connection with this weighing and measur- ing system. What power is there to weigh the weights and measure the meas | ic dard here for testing the accuracy of solid | CT liquid weights and measures-nO means of judging whether a pound avoirdupois contains the given number of ounces whether the ounce itself is of the due quantity of pennyweights and grains or whether as Sir Boyle Roche once proposed in the Irish House of Commons, a quart
 bottle holds quart. This is matter to
 which our multiplicity of local governing
 boards should apply themselves; and if
 they have not the power of interfering and
 adjusting, seek it. It looks we'll to cry
 out for the sale of groceries &c. by weight;
 we believe the process of weighing is in
 most cases observed now; the great desid-
 eratum for protection of the poor is that
 when put in the balance, the weight shall
 not be found wanting.
 To Aldermen and Councillors and Boards
 of Commissioners and Selectmen-to all and
 every who have taken in hand the management of our Municipal affairs, we
 would suggest this matter as one of more importance than tinkering with the ques-
 tion of our hour more or less for the night sale of liquors.
 ''VOx ct pr;eterea nihil,'' who describes . himself as "a straight Democratic voter fol thirty years,' sends us a pretty long letter on the Troup affair The communication iE not authenticated by name, as required by the standing rule at the head of our edito | rial columns; and under ordinary circum ' stances the Waste Basket should be it's des tination. But as there is a good word fo - iIr Troup we make departure in this case ''Vox ct pr;eterea nihiI' justifes his ''non . de, plume.' He writes
 u In days gone by the humble writer of this art q cle has fit to differ with Mir Troup for hi 9 course, or rather his political opinions on tn !. currency question: It Troup and eight thou
 sand Irish votes that defeated Richard D. Hull
 bard for Governor. The Irish liked him brett s well then. Ex-Gov Hubbard win r stood by the Irish people all his lfe but they de " serted him by 1oeks. MT Troup has always stoo ' by the Irish, and is to-day competent faithfu
 officer.
 't Had ''Vox ct preterea nihil' given Il j. his name in confidence we should hay y endeavored to print his letter in en $ tirety. As it is we have simply to say h l. is illogical. Men change their opinion a and falsify former favors; and the natura U result is a change of estimate by forme Is friends The Irish would have remaine l. faithful had MT Troup remained true.