The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-02-16
TO DRAFT A NEW CHARTER
CITIZENS COMMITTEE or FIFTY
 ORGANIzED LAST EVENING.

ORGANIZED LAST EVENING.
 Sharp Discussion on the Question of Con
 Sultlng Court of Common CounciI-The
 Chairman Favored the Plan-sub Com
 mittee Appointed to Draft Charter Must
 Report Not Later Than February 27.
 The committee of fifty appointed by Mayor Farnsworth, in accordance with ar order passed by the court of com mon council, for the purpose of con- sidering the revision of the, city char ter and to urge upon the general assem- bly, at Hartford the advisability of passing bill enacting a new charter, met last evening in the council cham ber The roll call demonstrated the fact that large proportion of the gen. tlemen named by the mayor to serve the city in this capacity had consid- cred it their duty to respond to the call. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Farnsworth who said that iiC tiiOoSiI 4NCh itoNCil "ss' NS 'SA- governed as any city in the United States; that it's affairs were admins tered with as much judgment as those of any corporation. During the six years that he had served the city on the various boards he had always found that the city received all that 1t paid for and that it's affairs had been wisely and economically administered. There had grown up feeling, how ever, that the charter under which the city had worked for so many years was inadequate and that it might have a better one. It was in response to this demand that the court of common coun- cil had passed the resolution instruct ing him to appoint the committee of fifty. He asked the gentlemen present to name chairman.
 Ex-Mayor Sargent nominated George D. Watrous, saying that the service MT. Watrous rendered on the charter com mission of 1893 had made him pre-emi- nently the best man for the place. There was no opposition to the selection of MT. Watrous, who assumed the control of the meeting.
 A. Mcclellan Matthewson was select ed for secretary.
 The following gentlemen answered to the call of the roll: Ex-Mayors Sar- gent, Peck and York, Commissioners of Public Works McGann, Johnson and States, Selectmen Baldwin, Kinney and Sucher, Police Commissioner James T. Moran, Councilman Norris, Professor Arthur T. Hadley Morris F. Tyler, George B. Martin, ex-Chief of Police C. F. Bollmann, ex-City Engineer Hill, Eli Whitney, eX-member of the charter commission, ex-Alderman Hitler, ex- Councilman Peaker, Thomas Hooker, member of the board of education, James A. Howarth, Frank c. Bushnell, Henry c. White, James F. Carr, Isaac Wolfe, Isaac Ullman. John T. Manson of the board of education, ex-Commis- sioner of Public Works Thomas H. Sui- livan, Daniel McWilliams, Chairman of the Silver Democratic Town Committee James B. Martin,C. S. Morehouse, Lor- rin A. Stannard, member of the board of health, Henry T. Blake park con- missioner, James H. Macdonald, chair man of republican town committee, George F. Newcombe and William A.
 Wright.
 When the roll call was finished Pro- lessor Watrous said that the committee had been appointed in pursuance of a vote of the common council. Tt is to be observed that the court of common council has put itself on record as fa- voring new charter" he said. "The kind of charter, however, is left to this committee. The court of common coun- Gil does not say, how the charte shall be obtained" Professor Watrous then went into a summary of the history of the charter which was recommended by the charter commission appointed three years ago. There was still another charter, the speaker said, that the citizens had been asked to consider. It was the work of certain gentlemen, who thought the one already mentioned needed some amend ments. This was now before the gen. eral assembly. Possibly there were other bills that the committee would be called upon to consider. Personally the speaker said he thought no charter should be passed by the general assem- bly, which had not been before the court of common council. If the committed ! would pardon the suggestion a com- ! mittee of say five should be appointed to act in conjunction with the court ot common council, the mayor and the cor. poration counsel. It was not necessary that this committee should close it's dis s cussion upon the charter before March E g and by that time the court of com
 mon council could pass upon it.
 MT Moran offered the following reso- < lution, which was in accordance with the sentiments expressed by the chair man: Whereas-This committee has been ap pointed by the mayor under authority iron and at the request of the court of common
 council ito cooperate with the mayor an( corporation counsel in efforts to induce the general assembly of 1897 to pass an ac E making such changes in the charter of the q city of New Haven as shall be considered for the citys best advantage; and
 Whereas, this committee is desirous o1 obtaining the advice and opinion of the ! court of common council as to the form o1 charter which should be asked from the gen ? eral assembly, before taking action in ref
 erence thereto; and
 s Whereas it is deemed expedient that tht s hearings in relation to such charter before z the committee on cities and boroughs should q begin not later than the middle of March; Resolved: That the court of common coun cil be respectfully requested to express it: e wishes with reference to the form of char 2 ter which it deems to be for the city'S bes ; interests, and especially with reference tC