Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-29

oeeueu theif authority ana Tor this reason that they were personally liable to him. Had the selectmen the rigft to employ lawyers to defend the individual members Of the board of health against actions for their wrong doing? Has not the supreme court already decided that a common council of the city has not the right to appropriate money to pay to a policeman counsel fees for his defense when he was charged by a prisoner with assault and battery and he defended him. self by saying that he was a policeman ar resting party for some offsnse? In this item l find a payment of S67 to Brother Kellogg for his expense to Washington in looking after the interest of the town of Waterbury in obtaining an appropriation for public postoffiee here. Where did the selectmen get authority to pay money for such purpose? There was no vote in town meeting making this appropriation; there is no statute law which authorizes the selectmen to do this. Indeed do not know what right the se- lectmen had to take this money out of the ] town treasury for this purpose more than they would take it out of my pocket. It IS plain case of stealing and I wonder
 that Brother Kellogg would consent to ask | ing the selectmen for this money. It will be remembered that this same bill has been before the common councilsa number
 of times and before the board of
 finance also but neither of these
 boards could find any authority
 in law to make the expenditure. Of course
 Brother Kellogg went to Washington and | has done his best to get en appropriation
 and personally know that his services in
 this direction are more valuable than those
 of any other man that could bn named in | this community and I would be willing personally to contribute my share towards
 defraying his expenses, still would not
 be willing to put my hands down in the | till of another man and steal the amount
 necessary to make him good
 For outside poor the selectmen exceeded
 the appropriation by s5.646.43. Will any body say that this excess was expended
 after the appropriation was exhausted,
 fairly keeping the statute law in mind. Tn ere was appropriated two sums of ilO, = | 900. each in addition to the above, one of | which was expended on the Naugatuck
 road and the other appropriation in other places. These additional appropriations
 have not even yet been wholly exhausted. This therefore is evidence, strong evil
 dence of the intention of these men | to lavish expenditure. The next
 item that calls for comment is in
 the matter of temporary loans. The se- lectmen stated Tn their annual book last
 year. that they had s7 ,OSO of unpaid bills.
 On investigation the committee appointed
 by the town meeting found that the money
 was needed to pay these bills and they
 therefore provided for a temporary loan of S4 900, and this sum was appropriated in
 town meeting. On further investi- gation, however. it was found l that the selectmen had un- paid bills of about s2O, 900, which aston | ished and surprised the committee and the atar ala |. T
 said nothing about it in their report and
 no mention of this fact had been made | even to the committee of investigation; | and the selectmsn when asked why they | did not include 1t in their report answer | ed that the sums were not then due be-
 cause the almskouse contract had not been
 wholly completed. And when later the
 town meeting after appointing still another
 committee 10 investigate finally ordered
 the almshouse bills paid they at the same
 time made an appropriation of another
 eighteen thousand dollars to complete
 the same. It was therefore intended
 fully to provide for all of the needs of the | town without borrowing any money. But
 notwithstanding all of the efforts the se- lectmen have used up not only the S4. .OO0 appropriated but S2G, ,OUO besides. The
 next item of excess of expenditure is on
 the almshouse appropriation. The town
 meeting first appropriated SiO.O0O. then s20.OO0 more. then at that stormy
 town meeting SlS.OOO more, making SIS. .000 for that almshouse. But the se-
 lectmen did not stop here Hut expended | S6. .406 15 in excess of even this appropri-
 ation according to their own showing. but
 we believe we have some figures which
 will show when tabulated that the aims | house has cost this town about 500, ,0OO We trust that the voters will come down | to town meeting on Monday and say by
 their ballots what they think about these
 matters. We believe Mir Pinney has been in
 office long enough; he has grown too great
 for that place; he believes himself to be above the people and that he knows their
 wants and how their money should be ex-
 pended better than they do themselves We believe new man will grace | the place with more humility | and with a sincere desire to use the peoples money as the law requires and
 as the people say he shall. We trust es-
 pecially that the people will come down to lay the tax and to make the appropriations
 which it will be their privilege to do. es- peclally in view of the fact that the school district committee are asking for ten mills on a dollar.