Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-07
sr. PAUL,s pARIsa CLUB.

ST. PAUL,s PARISH CLUB. New Haven,s Proposed New Charter
 -The Subject as Discussed by MT.
 White.
 At the recent meeting of the St. Paul's Parish club the society was addressed by Attorney H. 0. White on sfThe Proposed New Charter for New Haven." Quite .
 large representation of the club was
 present. Mr. White is member of the
 committee for the reviaion of the charter,
 the other members of the commission
 being Mr. States, MT. Eli Whitney, jr., Mr. George D. Watrous and Hr. Frank G.
 Beach.
 In introducing the speaker Colonel Ed
 ward E. Bradley said: Tho revision of
 the city charter is question in which all
 citizens have, or should have, an interest.
 The members of the legislative committee
 are particularly anxious to have the views
 and ideas of the citizens expressed in the
 matter, and on this account MT. White had been asked to speak on the subject ing was greeted with applause and spoke substantially as follows:
 A little over year ago, in making out the report for the common council, 8 clause was inserted asking the legislature to look over the city charter.
 For some time DO interest was taken in the matter, until in February, 1893, when draft of the bill was drawn up by the committee in MT. Whites office, providing | that c commission be formed to see If we | could inaugurate better municipal gov ernment for New Haven. This was the ! substance of the bill. Meetings of the commission were first held in the fall to see what was the general opinion of the ! Q member at that time. The commission ! now have some idea as to what the people | require, and the question is now an open | one for the ideas of citizens.
 In any community if the people are bad l no matter how good the laws, the results will be bad for the community. So in considsring this commission the character ! of the people must be consulted. We must see how best the wishes of the people can be observed.
 We wish to get as good men to govern ! this community as possible, as under good government the same people will get bet I ter results than under bad. Some people say when government Is quite good, to let 1t alone, but this cannot be. Lst us keep sndeavoring to raise standards of govern ment. City government is not properly government; 1t Is business. It Is control of schools, supervision of different depart ments, etc., and as in a business corpora tion there must be some authoritative head of affairs, 30 in 8 city government there must be centrslizstion of the municipal business in the hands of as few officials as possible who can carry on the business with dispatch.
 The government of any community is what the people make 1t. so it corresponds to character of the people. No matter how bad the law if the people are good, they will receive some good effects.
 No city government has to do with ques- tions of revenues or with legislation to any extent. We can see that state legislatures have the making of most laws which affect life proper. Local governments ex'st for business purposes, for public buildings and care of public safety through depart ments of police, public works, etc. We must get the financial machine to- gether, must have authority to say when debt shall be incurred by the people, and havs some way for appropriation. One evil of city government is that 1t be- comes partisan, and the politicians leave out the essential principles which should govern. If political parties must enter into local government let one party at 8 time govern; then, if affairs are not satis- factory, at the next election that party can be turned out. Too many people care for party. And this being true, there can be no danger of an unsatisfsetory partisan local government continuing for any length of time.
 The present quite good government of this city is due to the good character of the people.
 A simple machine Is better than a com plicated one if all the essential parts are there; so in business matters ss we'll as others this holds true; the more simple the methods of all the essential parts, the bet ter. We now have practically three gov ernments over the same people. Each one has the right of levying taxes on property. | Two of these sections can be easily dis | can hold responsible. Now what do we propose to doi This all depends on the wishes of the people. We will not get this charter unless the people make up their | minds that this is what we want and inter- est themselves in 1t. What l now say is ! my own idea, not that of the committee.
 It seems to me that the time has now come
 for 6 single power to levy taxes and make appropriations. The number of officers
 can be reduced. At present the court of common council consists of sixty mem bers. In New York city there are only twenty | six. We also say that one head of 6 de- l pertinent is sufficient, whereas at present l there are six.
 By reducing the number of officials, l $50. .000 year can be saved to the city. The present plan of government csn be ! simplified by reducing the members of the | common council, and increase the power of l the mayor. We wish to extend this power ! in appointment, veto, etc.
 To mako the voting power efficient, we must concentrate 1t The general body of ! electors cannot look up for themselves the 1 qualities of fifteen or twenty men, while power be used as far as effective. ! The appointing power, which has never been used to any extent in New Haven, can be developed to advantage. Finally the main thing is to get the people of the oity interested iu good mu nicipal government. The bill for 8 re- vision of the present charter mus be re- ported to the common council at least four | months before the general assembly con- l venes. Since this is a question of univer- sal interest, the committee requests that all citizens having ideas on the subject l will come before them and make known their preferences on the subject. The common council will be asked to the next two meetings, and after that the meetings will be general. They are held in city
 hall.
 At the close of the address @ vote of thanks was rendered MT. White, and the
 meeting was thrown open to questions from the members.
 The preliminary meeting for the organi-
 zstion of the St. PauPs club was held in March, 1893, and it Is proposed to make interest. It had been intended that Dr. Newman Smyth would address the club on ''St. Patrick" on this occasion, but as this ! is the date of a lecture of the Mechsnics' court the date of this address will proba- bly, be changed. Due notice will be given. Personal.
 William T. Fields, cashier of the Ma tional Tradesmen's bank, has besn elected | . director in the bank to succeed the late Andrew L. Kidston.
 Miss Caroline 0. Sweet, who has been . teacher for twenty-five years in the Amer ican Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, has
 been unanimously selected principal of the Portland School for the Deaf. l. is said che will accept.
 Miss Caroline Miskel, whose beauty and dramatic talent have been much talked and l written about, was not in the production l of "A Temperance Town" last night. She
 Is in New York city, at the residence of her mother, and will not be seen again at present, at least, as she is soon to become
 the wife of Charles Fl. Hoyt, on March 1. | Geor0e L. StreeteP for furantv. 6 uo vaora