Morning journal and courier., 1892-04-21
THE BIG FOUR CASE.
GcoNr1NUED FROM FIRST PAGE.
 ATTORNEY DAILEY'S ARGUMENT.

| 'enses to secure signatures to al ,ave done. We have tried to get evidence from Messrs. Hill and Wald- .on, but with what success you know. We claim that the testimony of these two wit nesses on the stand was false and we shall attempt to prove it by the record. Under the law of 1870 the city surveyor, after ward city engineer. was elected for three years. A change was made in this law in l 1880 and it was further amended in 1883, giving the board of aldermen the power to elect the members of these various boards. Another feature of the change was that the members of the board of public works were given leave to remove the city engi- neer or any other official at will. This is the charter under which the gentlemen &C., cused acted and acted legally. In 1870 or thereab9uts celebrated engineer, city of New Haven" Here MT. Daley in troduced the chart of the system on which | were the plans for the Willow street and 1 Mechanic street sewers. This was MT. l Cheeseborough's final report. Mr.Dailey's argument in the main was in refutation of l the evidence of City Engineer Hill on the witness stand in reference to the Mechanic street and Gamer street sewers, claiming that MT. Hills engineering mistake at this sewer had cost the city some $4 500 dam ages to Marlin's Arm company ct al. and that the sewer had not been built in any respect with the plans and specifications set forth by Mir. Cheeseborough. He re- viewed at length the evidence upon this subject brought out during the course of the trial principally by Wit nesses Worthington and Marlin, and the refusal of Contractor O'Brien to do the work at the location and on the plans laid down. He also dwelt upon the re- complaint of MT. Marlin in reference to it.
 In reference to MT. Waldron MT. Daley said: "He was elected to his office by the full board of commissioners. During the examination he has been very guarded in his statements and has done his best to keep his own secrets. In the sewer
 permit book which has been put in evi- dence it has been shown that large per centage of permits were issued by other parties during hours when MT. Wal dron should have been in the office, investigation was begun MT. Waldron went into the office of the board of pub ! lie works, and took this book out and then brought it back with several of the figures changed. In one of these permits the | time was changed by MT. Waldron from | 2:30 p. m. to 12:30 p. m. In some of these | pencil marks were made over the original figures, giving the figures the appearance | of having been made at some previous time | instead of recently. In all these entries, | and there are many of them, the figures
 have been tempered with and changed" l (Mr. Daley here presented each member of l the board of aldermen with a printed pa | per showing the changes made in the va | rious entries.) 'I say MT. Waldron took
 the book out and changed the figures. I
 do not ask you to take my word
 for it. Take the book itself and glass
 and look it over for yourselves. And yet
 a man capable of doing this and one who
 has done it has been for years clerk of the board of public works. These gentlemen
 are charged with misuse and abuse of
 power in removing him."
 MT. Dailey's argument made profound
 impression upon his auditors. His efforts
 were greeted with much applause by all l present.
 l ATTORNEY HAMILTON ARGUES.
 Attorney Hamilton then followed for the
 defense. He commenced by reciting ir
 his own inimitable manner several stories
 of humorous nature, at which the mem
 bers of the board laughed heartily. Ht
 said that it was impossible to put any ont
 out of office in the board of public worki l except by 8 combine, and this they call 6
 ring. And yet this act is sanctioned, yea
 authorized, by the legislature of the state
 and the charter of the city of New Haven
 "Mr. Holcomb," said MT. Hamilton
 "who- comes here and testifes against
 this so-called Big Four,' voted several
 years ago against appointing MT. Hill te
 the position. The petitioners allege that
 the city's interests will suffer in conse
 quence of the removal of these three men
 depend dpon the lives of three men. Ii
 Pat Kent had been removed alone we
 would never have heard anything of thii
 investigation. Two poor souls, Hill and Wal
 dron, have been hurled into political eter
 nifty, and Pat Kent has lost his job. Thert
 has not particle of evidence been intro
 duced to show that any of the accused me1 gained anything personally or political, by the removal. The talk about s, ,OOl ) Big Four is humbug. say that MT Hills testimony on the witness stand wa , distorted, changed and falsifed in orde
 to make out case against these four gen tlemen." Here MT. Hamilton referred t
 the Mansfield street matter, all of whicl l has been printed in full in the CoURIEl
 during the trial. MT. Hamilton was als
 applauded as he closed his argument.
 STATE ATTORNEY DooL1TTLK. The final argument for the defense wa
 made by State Attorney Doolittle, wh' , said substantially: "All political powe , is inherent in the people, not in the bette classes alone, but in all the people. Whel , @ person is desired to be removed from of !, fee the members of the council becom
 the accusers and you are the tribuna t ! which tries the charges. You have sworl
 to determine this case by the law and tn charter. These men are accused of havin abused their power, but they have no done it. A portion of the charter say
 own appointees, and this is all thes
 men nave done. They have the powe to remove their servant which they hay 5 appointed and they have done so, as the , have the right to do. The remedy is t. turn them out at the end of their time their acts are not agreeable to the majorit of the people. When City Engineer Hil
 was first appointed he was appointed b. e just such a deal or combine as recentl
 turned him out. Sylvanus Butler, wh needed the position and money with whicl ] to care for his blind wife, and who was 8 most excellent engineer, was beaten out o D the position by MT. Hill making bargain
 with some of the commissioners. Nov
 MT. Hill thinks he owns the city and tn 2 position of city engineer. Is he to be kep t there for lifea l guess when he dies it will , be with one hand on the office an'
 the other on his last quarter salary. This is the man wh 7 now complains because he is removed b. - just such 8 combine as he was appointed
 In 1870 the legislature abolished the ofic . of city surveyor and city inspector by m, U introducing the measure in the halls of tn a legislature. I did this for my own per : sonal, political and private ends. It contrary to the mugwump doctrine, . know, but have done it for forty year ,. and shall probably continue to do SO. !, say it was absolutely necessary to mak
 this combine in order to turn the men ou O and there was nothing criminal in it . Shall these men be kept in office for life t. suck at the public tit whether they ar t competent or not7 The power of re n moval is imbedded in the law ant ! if you don't like it you can pc tition the legislature to change it 2 but it will be many years before it vii
 change the offices in democratic city ik Q this. There is no claim that these mel have made anything out of this deal o
 that there is any corruption connecte, 2 l with it. Mir. Atwater has proposed som notifications to the present form of con I tract and these proposed notifications ar V ! Sc