Morning journal and courier., 1888-11-16
AoTreN oErHKAGDERmEN. OF


 Thousand Dollars for Repairing the
 old State House-The Vote a Tie
 Mayor York3s Vote Decides she Mat
 Ger-The Aldermen VIII Take Jaunt
 on she Derby ROad-Gas, Electric
 Light ana NapIha Light Contracts
 Passed.
 A special meeting of the board of aldermen was held last night to wrestle with the report of the State House committee, which has found that to repair the building will take more than $30, 900, the amount voted for that purpose at special city election. The oom- mittee reported that s65,000 would be needed.
 Alderman Winchell, in order to bring the matter in tangible shape before the board, offered three orders to be acted on. The first one provided that the State House commits sion be authorized and empowered to make contracts on behalf of the city for the repair ing and altering of said State House substan tially in accordance with the plans and spec ci6cations submitted to the commission, and that the cost of such repairs not exceed $65,- 900.
 The second order provides that when the building shall have been completed it shall be placed in possession and at the disposal of the board of directors of the free public 1i- brary; provided, however, that so long as the needs of said library and reading rooms do not require the use of the whole of the sec ond story, and the library directors are ad. vised that amieab1e arrangements be made with the Historical society and the New Ha- ven posts of the G. A. R. for the occupation of such room in the second story as not taken up by the library.
 The third order provided that special tax be laid on the grand list, next completed, sufficient to raise the sum of $65, ,000 for re- pairing the building, and the board of finance be ordered to make the estimates required for such special tax.
 Alderman Winchell then reviewed the ac- tion of the committee in the course it had taken. The committee had decided that the old State House could not be we'll, thorough ly and creditably repaired for much less than S65, 900. He wished to state that this money was not intended, as some think, to fix up the building for the library with furniture. He though there might be question ss to whether the common council had the right to expend more than $50, 600.
 Alderman Daley was of the opinion that the common council had such right, but he had been authoratively told that the library directors would not keep it in repairs. It will cost four or five thousand dollars year for that purpose.
 Alderman Sam Barnes made vigorous ad- dress in favor of appropriating the amount. The people havo voted on the question and they want the building repaired. The board of aldermen, as servants of the people, should not stand in the way of the will of the peo- pie. One thing, he said, the building would never be pulled down.
 When Alderman Barnes had finished AL derman Bushnell played havoc with his col leagues. He said he was no friend of the State House; he voted to tear it down and | 1kA k@ kk.ora thirty thousand dollars. 1T wouldn't expsnd thirty cents on it." forcibly exclaim- ed the alderman, 'ffor it will be 8 bone of contention certainly. I wish to correct the gentleman from the Fifth. The building never will be torn down. It isn't necessary. Let it alone long enough and it will drop down. don't believe we have right to re- pair ib unless we know what the future ex pense will be. It will probably cost from $5, ,000 to $10, 900 yearly to keep it in repairs.
 Alderman Whitmore made an eloquent appeal for the old building. He was heartily in accord with the report of the committee, and with the orders. He said that if $65,- 900 was not expended DOW for library building, in five years' time the city would be to an expense of $150,000 to put up suitable library building.
 At this juncture Alderman Barnes shouted in true halIelujah style, ''Amen."
 As to the city's having to keep the old OIhI6 uOus0 IN T6pA1F, buOu1u tue uur0Ty OI- rectors take it, why the city at present takes care of the building the library now occu- pies, and the oity is supposed to care for all her public buildings.
 ''Now is the tine," the alderman said, in a sudden burst of oratory, flor the Chamber of Commerce to show that it has the inter ests of the city at heart. (The speaker pointed at Alderman Bushnell, who is @ member of that body) The speaker gave some figures to show that it would be cheap CT to repair the Old State House than to build new building.
 Alderman Kleiner also had something to say about the matter. He said the question was: Whether the city shall now expend $65, ,000 for a library building or $150. .000 hereafter. It is a matter of dollars and cents, and it would be money in the city's treasury to vote to expend this amount. Alderman Sheridan voted to tear the old State House down. He was & member of the State House commission. He had visited the building and was of the opinion chat it had outlived it's usefulness. He thought the question was whether it would be wise to expend this money, for it would be @ waste, he said, to lay it out on such an old building. He would be in favor of @ library building no matter if 1t did cost $150, 900. It should be of modern architecture, one a credit to the city, and the people would be better satisfied.
 Alderman Winchell then spoke again. He said he had voted to tear the structure down, but he had given up his individual opinion for the opinion of the majority of the people. ''The building will not be destroyed, !" he concluded. Ut stands there a growing dis grace, a ruin, making us the laughing stock of everybody. The will of the people is that 1t be repaired. It is our duty to carry out this will of the people"
 The motion to pass Alderman Winohell's resolution was then put, the ayes and nays being taken, with the following result: Ayes-Aldermen Diokerman, Kenney, Barnes, Kleiner, Clerkin, Whitmore, Win chsll and Blakeslee-S.
 Nays-AldeEmen Watrous, Bushnell. Sheridan, Doyle, Daley, Callahan, Groark and Kent-S.
 As the vote was tie, the casting vote lay with Mayor York. He voted in the nega- tive, and the board had voted not to expend $65, ,OO0.
 Previous to the discussion on the old State House question, some routine business was done.
 A communication from President Steven ] soon of the New Haven and Derby railroad, inviting the common council and city off cers to take trip over the whole length of that road before it is opened to the public. The board accepted the invitation. The ! train will leave the new depot at 8. n. on l the 21st inst.
 Mayor York appointed Aldermen Daley and Sheridan on the committee on conference with the board of eelOctmen to take action as to what shall be done with tramps. A petition from Morris Lynch for drink ing fountain in TroWbridge square was re- ferred to the committee on squares. The contracts made out by the lamp oom- mittee for the lighting of the city, which at the last meeting were tabled for printing, were taken mp separately and acted upon. In the gas contract Alderman Kleiner moved that the words Clamp inspector" be stricken out and the words Clamp commit tee" substituted in lieu thereof. He claimed that the lamp committee should be the re- sponsible party and not the inspector. The amendment was adopted.
 A motion to pass the contract as amended was made, when the question was raised as to whether the common council had the power to make contracts for three years, as were those made out by the committee.
 Alderman Watrous said that some con- tracts heretofore had been made for that time, and he said that the city could make 6 better contract for three years than for one.
 The contract was passed. By it the com pany will furnish the gas at the rate $19.75 per lamp per annum, and $5.25 for each lamp for taking care of it.
 AL sAl- IL