Morning journal and courier., 1894-03-02
MUNICIPAL HEroHms.

Calvary Baptist church, a. the hrst
speaker.
After few introductory remarks Mr..
Poteat went on to say:
It has been said that the appearance of
the machine politician is an evidence of
the stability and fxation of society. That
is cold comfort, you may say. It shows,
however, that administrations have sunk
to low level. The revelations which have
been laid before this community during
the past few weeks have startled and
shocked my whole being. never cav
such an utter collapse of all civic moral
feeling as saw In the city court last sum-
mer and as has been recently revealed.
President Eliot in one of his annual re-
ports said that lawlessness among students
was one of the most serious signs of the
times. did not know then what lawlees-
to the city court I saw crea-
ture, to all appearances q man. And az
I looked at him thought how he had de-
liberately read the city ordinance against
gambling and had reasoned that he could
make money out of violating that law and
had gone to work and equipped his place in
defiance of all law. And this creature
went on the witness stand and after swear
ing that he would tell the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth, lied as
though there was no God on the throne of
the universe. New Haven doesn't seem to
have any conscience, and she will pay the
penalty If she does not retrieve herself.
We have only to look to Hamburg to see
how by neglect of her sanitary conditions
she paid hard penalty. The rattle of the
death cart was heard daily in her streets
Is the dreaded cholera thinned her popu-
latioD. No less a danger threatens us. So
let us strive to educate ourselves and the
community to civic moral sense"
Judge Robinson of the Yale Law school
was then introduced by Dr.. Smyth as the
next speaker. He said In part:
Ladies' and gentlsmen-The importance
of good local government cannot be
overesttmated. For the security of our
property, for the safety of our persons,
for the education of our children and the
saving of our young men and women
from the temptations which will ruin
them, do We depend on q sound and intel
ligent administration of our local govern
ment- This ia really more important to
us than the administration of the state or
general government. During the presi-
Dental campaign we have manifestations
of great enthusiasm. But who ever heard
"New Haven is q city peculiarly blessed
In many ways. And many of ue are sur
prised that things have been going on in
such q way. 1t Ia hard to place our hands
upon the single man whose fault all this
Is, but We can place our hands on the men
who are indirectly to blame for it. The
revelations which have been made during
the past week by the researches of our
president have surprised all to think that
1t was possible for such enterprises to be
| conducted under the very eyes of the city
officials. And it depends upon you, men
| of New Haven, to use the power of your
| franchise to rid the city of these evils.
| after the last city election day, while
| walking across the green met a man, who
to my knowledge had been for some time
dependent on charity. he never gained
any education but that received by hard
knocks. His principal ambition is to get
money enough for drink. says to him,
Jimmy, what did you think of the result
of the election yesterday
"'Oh, liked it, he replied.
Did you voteV then asked.
the polls all day and worked for Clarity,
and Clarity was elected and now Clarity
will keep me-
"That was just the measure of his ambi
ton. And l wondered If 1t was possible
in this country, founded by the Puritsns Of
New England, the cavaliers of Virginia
and brought to Independence by such q
man as George Washington, that 1t had
come to such q state of affairs that the
vote of euch q man counted as much IL
municipal affairs as the vote of man like
President Dwight. Of course this ia ar
evil We cannot remedy. But also
thought how much less interest do many
oSo az xobn 10, nj al har
did this man.
"Here in New Haven we have two courts
with judges and q police force of over {
hundred uniformed men for the enforce
ment of the law. But how far short dc
they faila A few keen sighted and intelli
gent detectives could do more TO- ferretine
out crime and enforcing the law than $50,
900 policemen.
'Our multiform government is one of thu
principal difficulties we are dealing with a
| present. The committee on new charter
is holding meetings, and we hope tha
much will be accomplished by it in the in
terest of simpler government.
II want to say a few words about oul
present system of nominating. When {
man wants an Office he gets his friends to
gether at the caucus and easily secures thu
nomination, and then we citizens blindlJ
vote any ticket which is given tc us, only
/ hSklDR WuotuoE ~ ID IopuUAcAu VI uoIuO
cratic, either ticket carrying with 1t as II
may. all the possible evils of corrup
ton or inefacienoy, or both.
tell you, gentlemen, what we wan,
is to get men into politics who are not
dragged at the heels of any party. II
there was an organization of 1000 voters
in the city of New Haven who would vote
against all undesirable candidates We would
carry the day at every election. By thii
1 III
moral suasion could possibly attain. These
things are important, and 1t seems to me
might be effective"
DR.. Smyth then said that he might If he
chose, say some pleasant things of even the
police commissioners, but that he feared II
he did he would be accused of being like
the mad bull, who chased the farmer until
he found protection behind q stone val
The bull put his head over the wall, ehak.
ing his horns in impotent rage. The farm
or thought that he was apolog,zng fol
having chased him. But he did not pro
pose to be bull-dozed, and shaking his fist
at the bull, he said, Don't take 1t back;
You meant 1t, you did, you coote,' How.
ever, have the pleasure of introducing tc
you an ex- police commissioner, q gentle
man highly respected for his honor and
integrity and efficiency while q member Of
the board of police commissioners.
Eek Police Commissioner Baldwin ther
arose and spoke briefly % follows:
sit has been my fortune to be q police
commissioner and so know something OF
the ins and outs of that important part Of
our political machine. think that one
remarkable fact is the indifference of the
people of New Haven in regard to theil
public servants. Things go along very
easily with perhaps q little scandal now
and then. The majority of them leave
them alone. Our defective city govern.
ment has bsen mentioned here tonight
and would say that have no confidence
whatever in any system of city govern
ment which is not properly administered.
We should not be bound in municipal af
fairs by any national party affairs what
ever. In regard to the administra
ton of the affairs of the po-
lice department there il not much
more to say than has been said. But it ID
true that just as the police commissioner
are morally Indifferent so will the police
officers be morally Indifferent. It IL great
temptation to be police officer. He can
procure refreshments at any time FREQ.
And If he puts himself under the least oh.
legation to anyone he is supposed to recip-
rocate. The gambling houses, the saloons,
| and all immoral resorts stand ready to
bride him at any time. So that II needs Q
man morally strong-respondble and
moral men-to compose the police force of
our city. Some good might be accom-
plished by reducing the number Of police
commissioners. And this might do good
In all departments of the city government.
Il l.