Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-11-12
VOTE DOWN THE SCHEME.

The City Is Already Carrying Large
 Debt-The Question One of Economy
 Not Politics-why Are the Other
 Papers Dumb9
 The article in last evenings DEMOCRAT upon the question of bonding the city to raise money for water and paving pur- poses has been the one topic of discus sion to-day, and we have been showered with congratulations from all quarters, for the position taken by the DEMOCRAT upon the question, which is of vital inn portance not only to every taxpayer, but also to every citizen, however hum- ble, who has the city's welfare at heart. No other paper in Waterbury has had a word to say for or agalnst the gigantic scheme by which it is proposed to add a burden of $350, ,O00 to the city's already heavy debt. A DEMOCRAT reporter went among the people to-day and found almost general opposition to the scheme. It was the general opinion that there was deep laid plot to buy the Hop brook water time is not far distant when the water system will have to be extended, are still op- posed to issuing bouds until the source of the increased supply is decided upon. Others, and they are in the majority, believe that by placing proper restrictions upon the use of water the present supply will meet all require ments for years to come.
 Patrick Holohan is one of this latter class. By exercising little care in the and the use of self-closing faucets in his block on South Main street, he has reduced his water bill more than fifty per cent. Others have had a similar experience. MT Holohan is in favor of street paving but thinks it can be done without running the city in debt, by slightly increasing the city tax.
 F. B. Rice, president of the board of trade, and large property owner puts himself on record as follows:
 Vote It Down.
 To the Editor of the DEMOCRAT:
 was pleased to read your article against bonding our city for S350, ,00O. Now had been waiting to see if we did not have one paper that would object to this increase in our debt and taxes. It seems to me that it is time to call halt in this bonding and floating indebted ness business. Bonding as you say 'should be used only as last resort" Our motto should be ''pay as you go."
 We shall soon be in such a condition that if any ss,lden emergency should arise, we would not be able to raise dollar. In order to pay the interest on the bonds VIC must have at least an extra tax of two mills on the dollar If we raise this extra two mills and ex- pend 1t on the streets and paving we shall soon be in a good condition and not have the increased debt. As a tax payer and citizen interested in the future growth and welfare of our city, l protest against this overlooking our city with debt and taxes, so that no new manufacturing company will come near us. We should do as we do in our own business, pay as we go.
 F. B. RICE.
 R. K. Brown, another large property owner, is opposed to bonding the city, and believes in the pay as we go system of street building.
 Others who are decidedly opposed to issuing bonds are, James Coughlan. Geo Panneton, James Horigan, Fire Commis- c. O'Brien, Joseph Archambault and Charles Jackson.
 As we stated yesterday the DEMOCRAT is not opposed to street improvement, but our claim is that a section of road can be paved each year without running the city head over heels in debt. The interest on 5000 bonds will amount to S4 ,OOO, or in other words a tax of one mill would have to be laid each year to pay the interest on the bonds If in- stead of paying interest we place this small tax aside for paving purposes and add to it the property owners share of the expense we have a fund of SIP, ,OOO for paving, with no immense debt to carry for generation. If the tax was placed at two mills the fund would be $A ,000 yearly and the burden would not be heavy. The motto of every success full business man is, pay as you go, or buy for cash.
 When the taxpayers and citizens of Waterbury step up to the polls to-mor- row let them remember that our tax rate for next year will probably be thirty mills on the dollar, to which two mills will be added the following year to pay interest on the bonds of $35O ,000 which it is proposed to issue.
 And it is doubtful whether the matter would end there. It is not beyond reason to expect that in two or three years our water commissioners would discover that somebody had made another blun- der and that their estimate of the ex- pense of securing an additional water supply fell short $1O0,OOO or $2OO ,OOO. The history of the water board is one series of blunders and it is time citizens and taxpayers generally had say1in the matter.