The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-03-31
NEW CHARTER OPPOSED
COMMITTEE LISTEN
 TO SPEECHES.


 Himself With the Amendments-severaI
 Alleged Defects Pointed Out-CounoiI-
 man Peaker Thinks the Mayor Will Have
 too Much Power.
 The adjourned hearing on the charter amendments for this city before the committee on cities and boroughs yes- terday afternoon at Hartford was att tended by large delegation of inter- ested citizens. The opposition to the change in the management of the city's affairs as indicated by the proposed amendments developed some strength and great deal of oratory yesterday.
 The hearing was opened by MT. Ely on the part of the city's committee. He said that he and the committee, repre- senting the committee of fifty, had agreed upon all amendments except the one proposed for section 66, concerning the appointment of liquor dealers on boards of commissions. This they were considering.
 Senator Goodrich announced that Mr. Carroll, who was speaking when an ad- WdS uctQ lctSL IAuISOdyy was entitled to be heard at the present time. He asked MT. Carroll how much time he wanted, to which MT. Carroll replied, All that you can give me"
 Alderman Chillingworth begged of MT. Carroll to allow him just one-half minute MT. Carroll said that he had no time to spare, and that he should take just that much longer if he was interrupted
 But the Tenth ward alderman was not to be put off in this way, and he got before the committee his complaint. MT. Chillingworth objects to the remov- al of the three park commissioners be- ing placed in the hands of the mayor. The mayor has no power to remove any of the commissioners at present except the ones appointed from the court of common council.
 Mr. Troup managed to get word with the committee when the Tenth ward alderman had ceased speaking4 He wanted to know if the committees would favor the submission of the char ter to the people. The committee could not answer this question, and Mr. Troup in reply said that if this was tha case then there were several men who would like to be heard.
 MT. Carroll resumed his speech, and quoted from an array of books of char- ters and from transcripts of the rec- ords.
 MT. Merwin of the committee, at the end of an hour, asked the speaker if he had studied the charter and knew it's provisions, and on being answered in the negative, he moved that the speaker be furnished with a copy of the proposed act so that he could inform himself and that the hearing so far as he (Mr. CarrolD was concerned, be clos- ed temporarily.
 The motion prevailed.
 George l.. Fox suggested that sec- tions ', and g on page 20 be amended so that it should read from the citizens of New Haven" This would give the wards an opportunity to go outside of their boundaries for a representation. It Is on the plan of the general ticket. It will meet with opposition. Alderman Rourke objected to the change that 1t was proposed to make in the fire board, making the number three instead of six, as Is now the case. He also objected to the citizens being represented on the board of finance. He did not believe that any set of men were so competent to do this work as the members of the court of common council.
 The Seventh ward alderman also ob- jected to the appointment of an assist- ant corporation counsel. It was use- less office.
 He then turned his attention to the sixty-sixth section-the whisky amend- | ment. as some one had named if. He opposed this measure as being un- | American and piece of hjgh-handed politics.
 Fire Commissioner Mcdonald oppos- ed the adoption of the amendment res lating to that commission. Ex-Councilman Peaker was opposed to giving the mayor so much power. James B. Martin, chairman of the silver democratic town committee, ma ia 1 a strong plea in favor of substituting | the amendments to the people. Ex-Judge Sheldon spoke against the charter as a whole, and then took up some of the principal sections in de- tail.
 Mir Troup of New Haven was the last speaker He arrayed the charter oom- mittees for their desire to keep the charter from the people. The men who had adopted the instrument did not know to-day what they wanted to- morrow. They even amended the doc- ument since the committee sat this af- ternoon. "Why, gentlemen" said MT. Troup, "do you know that when the | first draft of the charter was made that it provided that the corporation counsel should have been resident ten years. It was then discovered that my friend. MT. Ely, had not lived in the city ten years, and then, gentlemen, what work there was to get that num- Der changed to five.'
 | As to the liquor dealer, he was noH half so potent 8 power for evil on the police board as an attorney could be. John Jones, the attorney and police commissioner. defending a client, as example. The officer Is positive, but when the finger of the attorney com- missioner is lifted he Is not so sure, and then when the clinched fist of the all- powerful police commissioner, looking through the attorney, is raised, the memory of the officer is completely