Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-01-01
HoTse,HoT AT .IlHE BOARDS

HOHsGiHOT Az sIDHE- BOARDS
DANIEL Altman Ips,.ts rha, Pol,.,ea.
fSgoAhes are Nurtursd ~ the Expensys
otfher Taxpayers. Il II
Editor Of the DENocRLI:
: 1tAs Customary at the close of the old |
year and on the eve OF the new, to review
tha.chias events which have taken place /
within thA last twelve months. To the |
citizens Of Waterbury. the past year has |
been frsught with events. the most inn
portant in the city's history. We have at |
an outlay Of some millions Of dollars. |
undertook to perform and partially COM |
plete enormous public works-such as an |
additional water supply, sewers. streets. |
etc. To these gentlemen on whose
shoulders was placed the great responsible
ity of governing and expanding the city's
finances during the past year, it remains
for them to learn from future bond bear-
ing generations il there actions were
governed by q sordid. selfish greed. or
honest economic principleS The past
year We have seen our merchants man
fully struggling to supply the wants of
their nnoneyless customers. The past
year we have seen the property holders of
the city unable to meet the demands of
the tax collector. because the tenants who
occupied the teEements were unable to
secure employment whereby they could
earn enough to pay the rent. The past
year we have seen the laborers of the city,
psnniless and hungry. vainly seeking en-
/ pl .yment from out of town contractors
| who we're performing work for the city.
The past year We have seen many of our
honest and reliable home contractors
brought to the verge OF bankruptcy and f.
naneial ruin by attempting to compete
II .,.,kk IS nW.k Is ,kran kAHk,
who never did or never will contribute
one cent in taxes towards the payment of
the 81 ZOO. 900 for that new water supply
ON which they have made some thousands
i of dollars.
"By giving the preference of every con-
tract on the water works to home contrac-
| tors, even if the bid was a few hundred
dollars higher than the out of town con-
tractors. he city would have saved thou
sands of dollars" Such was the state
ment of one of our most prominent local
merchants in speaking, on the subject of
home labor, the other day. because"
he said, home contractors, will always, if
they possibly can afford it, give employ
ment to home laborers, and 1t is needless
TO say that the home contractor or the home
laborsr will not 60 to New York or Boston
TO put their money in circulation"
Il Now tor a few words more, Mr. Editor,
and have done. There is one more evil
which Is fast taking root here in our city
that is the custom of some of our munIcI.
pal boards in the awarding of contracts. to
always give the preference to some politl-
cal tAvorite on the ptetsxt that the other
would-be contractors were not as compe-
tent Though thsir bids may be lower AS
, so and so, whose chief ability is in reality
, political favoritism." The following Is
L Aknk ka &c Pa
, some tune ago a well known member oil
the board of health was speaking to citi.
zen with regard to tue contract for the col.
, lection of garbage. Judge of the citizen Z
J establishment when, during the course Of
their conversation, the board of health
, official emphatIcally stated that under nc
circumstances would he vote to award the
/ contract to any person outside the present
, collector, Mr. Rigney. Now. here is d
: clear case of political fayoritism. Even il
3 it does cost the taxpayers few hundred
q dollars this member of the board of health
3 has pledged himself to support this man
s no matter how low the figures of othei
: competing contractors shall be. In thu
a awarding of city contracts does not thu
5 city require a bond from the contractor Il
e insure the satisfactory performance of tn
e work. Then in the name of common
q sense what do the members of the differ
8 emit municipal boards mean from time 4
Q time, when they reject the bids of eompe
Is tent contractors and award contracts t
d men whose bids in many cases are som
y hundreds of dollars higher? If you ques
II ton any of the city officials on this sui
iect YOU are met with that old stareotype
e expression that the board has the RICH
% 10 reject any or all bids" That is a
70 right, gentlemen. but the public expeC
You to use justice and economy. The
are sick of your old plea of contractor
: inability to satisfactorily perform tn
}. work. Have you not a bond furnished b
every CONTRACTOR II the contractor doe
10 not fulhll his contract, what Is to hindt
you from Selling on his bond?
9 Beginning the New Year it is the duty
ID the members of the common council an
% board of aldermen to see that the men
% bers of the different committees and minC
% boards do not confer such favors as TIL
member of the board Of health is willin
" to confer on his political favorite. If an
10 member of the different boards or con
- mittees have favors to confer on the
u friends, let them do so-but not at Ii
a taxpayers expense. Members of the CON
y ing years city government insist and II
% by every means in your power to abolls
~ those abuses which have crept into OF
70 municipal government. Do your dut.
u Do it honestly aud you will do it well.
DANIEL ALTMAN.
70 Waterbury, Dec 81, 1894.