The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-17


 well satisfied with the existing statutes, and l know of no important measure of this sort, which might ask for your consideration. There are other meas ures, however, which may be propos- ed concerning our municipal well being, which will demand general attention. One relates to our election laws, Our experience in this city has brought to light one grievance in the election laws which I believe needs only to be pointed out to be admitted and reme- died. It is the obstruction which the several election laws, when taken to- gether, put in the way of the combined action of citizens for the purpose of electtng Q single candidate on a split ticket If all the business men along Chapel street, for example, should wish to combine for the purpose of protecting their interests by electing one of their number to the board of public works, while wishing to vote the rest of the ticket according to their party affiliations, they would find that under the existing laws they could not put so much as a paster in the ballot
 
 to them they could get with the name of their candidate would be some seV- enty-five feet from the polls. The law does not facilitate the expression of the mind of the independent voter But while our election laws should be so framed as to render corruption difficult, should they not also be framed so as to afford the voter every possible facility in expressing his will at the polls? It might be better to run the risk even of little corruption than to insure the certainty of confusing and obstructing the honest voter in delivering his mind by his ballot
 The mooted question of charter revi- sion will raappear again this winter. It may not be possible under existing po- litical conditions to secure, as many of us would wish, an entirely new charter, up to date in it's constructive ideas, and scientifically designed to insure more personal responsibility in city govern ment It may be necessary for this city to put up for some years longer with it's present conglomerate, or pud- ding stone, charter But this year it
 
 ferences and concessions for the people of New Haven to go up to the legisla- ture with sufficient unanimity to obtain the remedy for some of the more ob- vious causes of waste and inefficiency in our municipal government, The board of public works of late has furn- ished to the public view so unveiled an example of the beauty of the present method of either dividing patronage equally all around or else of holding the whole business up, that many of our citizens who, heretofore have hes itated to change the existing system, may now be ready to see something less partisan and more responsible substituted for it. Without therefore, abandoning the hope that some day this city may secure a simple charter equal to the best which are now being worked out and adopted in the most enlightened and best governed cities of the world--and New Haven ought to be among the first and not the last in this goodIy company of cties-noW as a, good government club we stand ready to cooperate with all who are disposed to secure any improvements in our present charter and to obtain, if pos sible, some immediate relief from dem- onstrated evils It seems to me, there fore, of great importance that the club should appoint an able committee on legislation, and that all these measures rela ting to the election of commission CTS, and other features of the charter, should be taken by them under irnme- diate consideration
 Other lines of practical work for the interests of the city may be suggested by different committees of the club; whatever pertains to the moral and material well-being of the city may be- come our interest and our business as a Good Government club.
 I might mention but will not en- large upon some other subjects of pub- lie interest which this club during the coming season might protitably discuss such as the necessity for hospital somewhere for contagious diseases and such minor but not unimportant topics as the proper care of our trees or mod eration in the sprinkling of our streets, and other matters affecting the salub- rity and beauty of the city. There are gentlemen connected with the club who are thoroughly competent to discuss the uses and abuses of our city fran chises, and the legal questions involv- ed in the taxation of municipal corpor- ations, as well as the interesting sub ject of the effect of taxes upon the pub lie spirit of different classes of citi- zens
 notice in the prospectus of a Lon don school of economics and political science that especial attention is given to their courses for the training of mu- nicipal officers. We may wonder what high state of municipal civilization can have been reached, which justifies a London college in advertising a school of training for municipal officers; the only school of training we know any thing about in our cities is the school of practical politics; but few years of patriotic work by citizens who are waking up to the needs of our Ameri- can cities may result in making such | schooling a not unknown part of edu- cation in this country, and in giving us trained officials to conduct our mu- | nicipal business The Good Govern ment club will have a mission until something like this shall be accom- 1 plished.
 | by election to it's presidency I think | that it is time that I should be permit l ted to yield this position to some one