The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-11
NEW HAvEN,s REVISED CHARTER.
Upon Which Action Is Now Pending Comments on Reflections on the Subject.

Comments on Reflections on the Subject.
 As the legislature will next Thursday
 give hearing to all persons interested
 in procuring new charter for the city
 of New Haven, 1t may be appropriate to
 inquire into the revised charter upon
 which action is now pending in the gen.
 eral assembly.
 In the first place a new charter for the
 city Of New Haven has never been de-
 manded by any considerable number of
 the citizens of New Haven, notwith-
 standing all anhouncements on the title
 page of the proposed revision to the
 contrary. The proposed new charter is
 the work principally of Henry c. White,
 and other alleged reformers, who, it is
 said, without so much as inquiring into
 the manner in which the affairs of the
 city government were conducted, rush
 ed to the last general assembly and
 frantically appealed for new charter
 for the city of New Haven.
 The application of this much needed
 improvement. so called. was made at
 the instance of perhaps dozen gentle
 men, who subsequently, became known
 to the citizens and taxpayers of the city as reformers. Despite all state
 ments to the contrary, and especially the one contained in the commencement
 of the proposed new charter as revised
 by the members of the charter commits
 sion, there was no application made to the general assembly for new charter until March, 1S93 The announcement
 of the charter commission is that the application was made at a much earlier date. in December 1890, but this is un- true as cam be easily seen by reference to the records. The claim is made that the application was originally made in 1S90 but there is absolutely no truth is this statement.
 After the application had been finally made by this handful of so called re- formers a commission was appointed consisting of Henry c. White, James N. States, Eli Whitney, jr., Francis G. Beach and George D. Watrous. After the commission had been appointed and instructed to give hearing on the sub ject they sent out invitations and the proposed new charter is the result of the suggestions of their friends instead of those of the general public. In fact, the suggestions made by the latter class were for the most part entirely ignored in the compiling of the new charter.
 Again this commission was instructed to revise the charter, not to submit new one, but it deliberately violated it's instructions, and instead of revising the charter at present in use, recommended the adoption of charter practically new in all its departments.
 That this commission had decided what it would recommend prior to the compilation of the so called revised charter is proved by the fact that Henry c. White, the prime mover in the work, gave public lecture at St. PauFs church In this city prior to there being any public hearing on the subject At this lecture he gave substantially every change in the city government provided 1 for by the revision. At this time views on the subject expressed by him on what the new charter should consist of | were in almost every respect identical l with those subsequently adopted by the | charter commission. The date on which | he delivered this lecture was February 6, 1894, and the date of the first public | hearing on the proposed revision of | the charter February IS, 1894. Other | members of the commission also ex- pressed their views on the subject prior | to a public hearing.
 The proposed new charter is entirely | too radical in all it's provisions, and if | adopted would prove the worst curse that could possibly happen to our fair city, By it's provisions the mayor is given altogether too much power, and | becomes invested with almost as much | power as the czar of Russia. Its adop- tion would mean the intrenching of ring rule in this city worse, infinitely worse, even than that which exists to- day, and I unhesitatingly affirm that l to-day there exists in New Haven a ring of politicians which is worse and more corrupt than that even of Tam many in it's palmiest days.
 The writer has from time to time brought charges against various city officials, but has never met with any satisfaction, although it is known be- yond a reasonable doubt that the evils which he complained of did exist, and some of them exist even at the present time. Had the principles he contended for been followed out many thousands 0f dollars would have been saved to the ,ity, but the ring was too strong and he was never given a satisfactory chance to prove his charges. Every obstacle was thrown in his way and whenever any investigation of charges were held le was compelled to pay all the expenses of the investigation. Yet when Dr. Smyth or any other citizen brings charges the expenses are defrayed by he city.
 Now, let us again look at the proposed lew charter, for, having been resident md taxpayer in this city since 186S the / writer feels that he is entitled to ex- press an opinion even of criticism, and lot be choked off as he was at the hear ng before the charter commission when ' he proposed new charter was under The present charter, while not perfect is infinitely superior ' O the one proposed The new charter n practically takes the power of govern nent out of the hands of the people and I uts it into the hands of few. The establishment of such precedent T would be dangerous in the extreme and