Morning journal and courier., 1889-01-31

penseS or almshouse, town clerk, reglstrar, elections, etc., which are not within the dis cretion of the selectmen but are largely stat utory requirements.
 The bonded indebtedness of the town ($754, 400) is for war loans, Air Line railroad bonds, East Haven refunding bonds and Quinnipiac bridge bonds.
 Surely none of these were discretionary with the selectmen.
 Ths floating indebtedness, $241 ,561, the accumulation of many years, includes sol- diers' monument and new almshouse. But for the latter and change of grade crossing in Fair Haven ordered by the railroad com- missioners the floating indebtedness could have been reduced the past year about $75,- 900.
 To prevent any further possible increase pass law forbidding it.
 The city debt is constantly increainG. The report denies that the outlying dis ! tricts are enjoying improvements at the ex- pense of the city.
 The town has had to bear one-half of the cost of expensive work which only benefited l the city, such as grading Blake street to the city line to get easier access to the stone | crusher, the expense involved in straighten- ! ing West river in order to build the boule- yard sewer, and that involved in improving roads leading to the new almshouse, all of which is charged to Westville's account. ! Again, the roads on the east side are used very largely by pleasure drivers from the | city, and the improvements there have been almost wholly on demand of city residents. Again, the extraordinary expense of re- moval of grade crossings in Fair Haven (be- fore mentioned) necessitated immense amount of excavating solid rock, and was not discretionary expense.
 3. As to work charged to roads and bridges.
 This is in one sense an error, as it should largely be added to the outside poor account. Tn od6 Hn ha Has mi or less regular assistance from the town, | there are large number of men in the city | able to do some work, but by reason of age \ or infrmity unable to obtain regular employ \ ment. Query: Shall they be given contri- | buttons, or required to do some work. The latter has been thought best. Some, we are informed, are employed on city \ streets. Others are sent to the outlying dis | tricts. They accomplish but little, but be- \ ing paid average wages, the amount paid \ them and charged to work on roads in the | outlying districts make It appear that the | is a sum paid to the city pooZ ! and expended among the merchants of the city. The same work could | be accomplished under contract or by able bodied men for probably one-third the | amount. In that event these same men must be assisted without any return in the shape ! of labor.
 Ninth-Another popular error, fostered by newspaper articles and charged by parties before the committee (who admitted that they
 had not examined the subject), is that the l large sum collected by the town is placed at \ the disposal of the town agent, to expend \ pretty much as he pleases, and that large | number of persons may receive town bounty by favor. Nothing could be further from \ the fact. All matters are referred to the ap- propriate committees of the board of se1ect- ' men, on which the majority and minority ! are represented, and all bills must be proper \ ly approved before paid.
 No persons can be put upon the rolls to | receive assistance until passed upon by a | committee of the board and upon proof, this | committee being usually assisted by the agent of the Board of Associated Charities (Mr. I Preston at present), whose labors take him among the houses of the poor. Who can say that any commissioner ap- pointed by an irresponsible board Of city charities can adopt safer measure? Tenth. Nor is the question of taxation the only important one.
 The system of city government is unwieldy and far removed from the approach of the individual citizen. He votes but for @ small fraction of it's offices, and may not appear before it's legislative body to state his claims or grievances. It's commissions not re- sponsible to the people. The outskirts of a city rarely receive adequate attention, and in the western part of the city to-day principal
 
 have been, out of repair, not lighted and sub-
 stantially without police and fire protection. The old system of town government, on the other hand, is directly responsible one. It's officers elected annually must give an ac- count of their stewardship to the people, whose suffrages they seek.
 Any citizen may have his desire com plaint heard without delay and by the public servants whose term may depend on the pop ular will. Each town is 8 republic in itself and the most perfect embodiment of home rule extant.
 Many prominent citizens, even within the city limits, are attached to the old form of town government, to it's traditions and to its capacity for conducting affairs and doing justice to the public and the individual. To compel the outlying districts to surren- der the system under which they have always lived, against their will, seems neither fair nor expedient.
 When Fair Haven was annexed to the city the consent of g majority of the taxpayers was secured. Although the population there was then five thousand or upwards and the city had grown to their very borders, it was deemed necessary to obtain their consent be- fore asking the legislature to extend the city limits over their territory. Respectfully submitted, ELIHU L. MIX, WILLIAM s. BEEcHER, JAMES M. TOWNSEND.