The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-10-01
TO LAY A THREE MILL TAX
DECISION or 4 TEMPESTUOUS DIS.
TRICT MEETING.

1hICF M EETING.
Several Periods When the Meeting Was in
an Uproar-Poiice Called In 500 Voters
Present-Speakers Hurled Personalities
at One Another In Furious Fashion
Alderman Rourke as Moderator.
There was rousing hot time in War
ner hall last night at the adjourned
district meeting, and at one time it
seemed inevitable that the meeting
would break up in disorder. PERSONAL
ties flew thick and fast and pedestrians
crowded in from the street to ascertain
the cause of all the uproar Finally,
however, the police were called in and
with their assistance order was secured,
After the din of battle had died down
on the first round it was ascertained
that the meeting voted to lay tax OF
three mills on the dollar upon the polls
and ratable estate of the New Haven
city school district on the grand list of
1897 payable July 1, 1897.
Immediately after this vote was an
nounced the uproar was resumed and 1t
was not until the end of this second
round that it was decided that the
meeting had adjourned sine die, al
though Alexander Troup had moved
that when the meeting adjourn 1t be
subject to the call of the chairman This
motion was amended by Alderman
Chillingworth to provide for an ad-
journment sine die The question was
put on the amendment and resulted in
it's being lost Mr.. Troup then, evi
IDENTIFY misunderstanding the purport of
the vote that had just been taken NOV
ed to adjourn, and the motion was car
ried.
1t was o'clock when the meeting was
called to order by Moderator Rourke.
The hall was filled at that time, every
chair being taken, while the rear of the
hall and the aisles were filled with
those standing fully 800 voters, not 800
men, being present. Among the num-
ber of voters was lady, evidently the
only one in the city with courage
enough to exercise her right of fran
chise in such a bowling mob. Indeed
it was an occasion to strike terror to
the hearts of the boldest, but the lady
manfully held her place in the crowd
and beyond an occasional blanching of
the cheek when the pandemonium was
at it's height and when the roof began
to raise from the uproar she showed
great fortitude.
The ball opened by the moderator
calling for the report of the committee
appointed to call upon the board of
finance. Chairman .Troup reported for
the committee and said: "Mr. Chair
man and gentlemen-The next day af-
ter the district meeting was held it was
announced in the papers that the town
OF New Haven stood ready to pay over
to the school district one mill on the
grand list, amounting to about $50,000
although it had been stated at the
meeting that the district would receive
nothing from the town. When the an
nouncement was made that the district
would receive town money, Alderman
Chillingworth, a member of II commit
tee, was appointed a subcommittee TO
wait upon the town officials and ascer-
tain the truth of the statement. w. J.
Atwater was appointed O sub-commit-
tee to call upon the school fund com
mittee to see if there was any money
in that fund for the district. The COM
mittee then addressed a. letter to the
board of finance asking when it would
be convenient to that board to meet it."
Mr. Troup then stated that the CON-
mittee had met the board of finance and
called the attention of that body to sec
nf IA pl of,ta Nyi, ba
committee thought gave the board of
finance ample power to provide money
for the schools. He then read the letter
which he received from the city clerk,
notifying the committee that the board
of finance did not consider that it had
authority to act as the committee de-
sired
Mr.. Troup then said: Your commit
tee desires to call the attention of this
meeting to section 113 of the charter.
The corporation counsel has decided
that section to 167 inclusive took effect
Immediately after the passage of the
charter. The school meeting was called
to lay a special tax to meet the ex-
penses of the district from July IA to
December 81, 1897. Section 113 says that
the board OF finance shall annually ap-
propriate for the purposes of the dis
trict such amount as it may deem nee
essary for such purposes. The charter
went into effect June 1, the school year
ended July IA and we, the members of
your committee, think that it is within
the province of the board of finance to
provide money for the district needs.
The city clerk says in his letter that
the board thinks, not that it don't
know, that it has no authority to do
So"
AS Mr.. Troup finished his report,
Isaac M. Ullman rose to the floor and
said: "Inasmuch as the charter pro-
vides that a district meeting shall be
held in September to lay tax to meet
school expenses from July IA to Decem-
ber 81, and as the town will give a one
mill tax and the board of education
thinks that four mills will be necessary
for the expenses -
Anthony Carroll here rose to a point
of order and called attention to the fact
that the report of the committee had
not yet been accepted.
Mr.. Ullman moved that the report be
accepted and the committee be dis
charged with thanks. This motion was
carried and Mr.. Ullman then continued
his uninterrupted remarks by moving
the passage of the following vote:
Voted, That a tax of three mills on
the dollar be laid upon the polls and
IL IL.