Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-17
RIGHT OR MIGHT.

If the charter question were to be de- cided on the merits of the arguments pre- sented to the committee on cities and borouGhs yesterday there would be no doubt as to the result. because the discus- sion was a one-sided affair throughout The charter makers were on the defensive, and aside from a memorial" signed by the republican members of the council and a tilt with Mayor Ki,duff. by Alderman Cross. they had practically nothing to say Colonel Burpee's speech was of a historical order and Brother TSrry's brevity was re. msrkable. for him. Occasionally he in terupted with questions calculated to confuse the speakers. but was given Roland for his Oliver every time. They did not offer a single argument in favor of their scheme Before the hearing opened Chairman Marigold intimated that the com. mittee would hear everybody who had a suggestion to offer, but that the less said the better they would like it
 City Attorney Burpee set the ball roll ing He said that he and Mir Terry had spent three days remodeling the original charter and cutting out the consolidation features. It was suggested to the m that the charter would give far better results with five wards instead of four and as there were more voters in the third and fourth wards than in the others they thought it best to cut up those two into three. They did so. but Monday night the democratic councilmen refused to attend a meeting of the aldermen to hear the char ter discussed. MT Burpee then explained the action taken by the aldermen in ap- pointing a committee to look over the charter and read the majority report of the committee, which was adopted by the aldermen Wednesday night, instructiug the city attorney to present the charter to the committee on cities and boroughS. and | urge it's passage The vote was attested by City Clerk Grady. but also contained this: Not approved by the mayor" In | conclusion Mir Burpee said: 1t is the charter which was prepared by the regu- larly appointed committee of last winter after great deal of deliberation, with cer- tain changes. One section possibly we will want to add, providing means of declar- ing the vote"
 Ex-Mayor kendrick asked: Do you mean to have the committee understand that the manner of cutting up the wards is the same as the old committee reported? " MT Burpee: No. Under the proposed | charter the third ward will contain about 900 voters; the fourth 1900, and the fifth | 900. The first and second are unchanged.
 Attorney John Kellogg said he liked the charter so far as its general features were conceived, but would like time to look it I over.
 Attorney John O'Nein said that he believed It was q very unfair charter to the majority of vot- CTS. It proposed to hand over to the re- publican party the board of aldermen and the disposition of all the appointive offices of the city, He argued that every vote in the city should have eqIal weight. If | We must turn everything over 10 the re- publicans we will. suppose. have to grin | and bear it. But If you are disposed to do what is fair and say that the people shall rule. would suggest as an amendment that in each of the five wards there shall 1 be one alderman elected for each five hun dred voters or fraction thereof over one or two hundred. to be elected by the voters therein. Unless some party begins this honest work and not gerrymander the way they do out west among barbarians there will be riot down III Waterbury some day"
 Mir Terry broke ID. saying that such a scheme would be ta incentive to tke colo nlZAtion of voters
 Well then e.. q. n Il Mir Neil, If this plan does hut E4r,t with your favor divide the wards on fair lines Gut of more from the fourth We fud on cleo ton day two or three hun fred around the 1 voting place of the {, ullh ~4ri Whr q the | polls are closed who were unatl to vote If you are not willing to d. that let the whole city elect aldermen at large Drop tbis tomfoolery and be honest Don't in sist that seventeen democratic votes shall be worth uot more than four republicans. 1 don't remember that the democrats ever got up such a scheme, CT anybody else un- til Terry, Burpee and Cross came along l Cntll three or four weeks thera was dis position to be fair, but now they are ready to take the pennies of dead mans eyes.
 Mayor kIlduff then faced the committee II want it understood" he said, that this is notthe original charter. winch was in troduced to give the people ot Waterbury good government The original charter proposed four wards with three aldermen from each. and three aldermen at large, Waterbury is a democratic city of three or four hundred majority. yet democrats have not held the appointIve offices for sixteen years We haven had a democratic city attorney for eighteen years. The heads of our departments, except street inspector, are republicans. l maintain that the ma. jority ought to rule, It pro posed 10 carve up the city to mako it republican; in other words, so that the minority will rule the majority. The original draft provided that the city engineer should be appointed by the board.of public works, and. leaving pol ltlcs entirely aside, l think the engineer ought to be appointed by that body. which is in touch with tliS department. l also object to the clause which provides tha: the engineer shall hold office during good behavior. We have other model officers, such as Auditor Cassin and Street Inspec tor Kelley. Why are they discriminated against? Simply because they are demo, I 'rbia nhaFter alsn that thE board of aldermen shall elect city attor ney for ten years. want to know if this doesn't legislate Mir Burpee into office.
 At this point Attorney Burpee with ar injured ar declared that it was nothing oi the sort. If passed the charter would noi take effect until January l, 1896.
 The mayor then offered several amend ments. One provided that the division ot wards should be the same as the city is at present divided; another providing for three aldermen at large. no person tC vote for more than two: another providing for the appointment of the engineer by the board of public works, to hold office during the pleasure of said department, and an other striking out the words nov 1T office" which legislate the fire department into office. The mayor then denounced th' scheme of dividing the wards and produced figures showing that the proposed plar would leave an excess of voters in tht fourth ward and make the third ward ire coverably republican.
 Ex-MAyor Kendrick opposed the gerry. mander. The nearer We get to the peo pie in municipal affairs" he said. "th, better it will be. It wlll do we'll enough fol associate justices of the supreme court tG hold office during good behavior. but 1 sn opposed to hereditary monarchiesia muni clpal affairs. It is an un-American princi pie. The tendency is to get the offices al far removed from the people AS possible and it is wrong. believe this is the tlrs charter ever offered hero. of which the peo r,In knnur rnAhinr u AIr k anNrink aniH fhn