The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-10
TO PRINT MAYORS MESSAGE
DEFENCE By ASSISTANT SUPERyN.
TENDENT OF STREETS.
Councilmen Did Not Follow AIdermens,
Lead-Councilman Shepard Thought
That Birds Were F1uttertng-Favor-
able Action ON Chapel Street Paving
Business OF Last Meeting of the Old
Board.

""Ae Action on Chapel street PavtnE-
Business Of Last Meeting of the Old
Board.
The councilmen at the last meeting
of the old board, held last night, in
stead Of tabling the mayors message,
as was done by the board of aldermen
at it's last meeting, voted to table the
document for printing in the journal Of
the board. The assistant city clerk an
nounced, as he took up the message for
reading, that it had come from the
board of aldermen with no endorse
ment. Councilman White moved as
soon as the reading had finished that
the message be tabled for printing in
the journal. Mr.. White then began q.
lengthy speech, in the course Of which
he severely attacked Alderman Dewell
for that gentleman's criticism at the
last meeting of the board of aldermen
OF the portion of the mayors quarterly
message which referred to the unjust
criticism of the board of education."
Mr.. White was recently appointed as
sistant superintendent of streets by
Mayor Farnsworth. He said: II wish
to say word or two about the recep-
ton of the mayors message at the last
meeting of the aldermen. T was pres
ent at that time and was amused at
the reception which the document re-
ceived. 1t was almost like a red flag
Haunted. I dom t know what to call it.
A number of members got up and ex-
pressed opinions, as they had a per-
feet right to do. When the gentlemen
from the Third and from the Seventh
got up and said that they disagreed
with the mayor, it was all right. I
don't believe in some of the message
myself. The gentlemen from the Third
and Seventh gave illustrations as to
why they disagreed with the mayor,
yet a little later came a voice out of the
east saying, Mr.. President would like
to hear that paragraph about the board
of education read again. The mayor
said that the board Of education receiv-
ed unjust criticism He then said that
the board of education had not been
criticised enough and that the chill
SAl Cll . liCoOo 1lcbQ pCCll 1lllSu Will SLuILs
not practical. Well, I will be as hon
est with him as with the others. He
has a right to his criticism, but 1 pros
pose to analyze his remarks. sup
pose you all know to whom / refer.
The gentleman is too young to have
parents go to him for advice as to their
children's education, therefore his
views must be based on personal
reasons, that is, he probably knows Of
one child who was turned out Of
school with his head full of stuff Of no
use to him in the world. There is one
thing that the board of education can't
do and that is to furnish brains to
scholars. I believe that no man has a
right to stand on this floor and say
anything about members Of the coun-
ell, or Of the city government, or about
citizens, who can't prove it. I want to-
say that am prepared to substantiate
and prove every statement make here
tonight. I believe that all lawyers
will agree with me that the burden Of
proof rests with the one who brings
the charges. Well, assume the re-
sponsibility publicly and I mean this.
I am serious. am ready to substantf-
ate it on this basis: 1 will allow the
gentleman to whom refer to select a.
physician, the president of the board
of councilmen and the president of the
board Of aldermen to each select one.
Then I want to be present and when.
they open his head if they find brains
in it I will acknowledge that 1 am
| wrong
Then after giving detailed autobiog-
raphy, in the course of which he refer
red to his experience in the common
schools during his younger days, he
said: II differ from the mayor on one
point in regard to his conclusions on
| the charter. When the charter was
first drafted and the final touches were
put on it I happened to be one Of the
| ten who had the unfortunate matter in
hand. Coming to the point, believe
| that the section which says that there
shall be two aldermen and three coun-
cilmen from each ward is one of the
| biggest farces city legislation has ever
had. ask any Of you who have spent
any time here If we have legislated to
| the advantage of the city. Wouldn't
! it be better if there was one board?
How many times during the past year
| have we been here and gone away be-
| cause no quorum was present? Some
Of the best legislation we have tried to
enact this year has been tied up. That
| sprinkling matter-no one knows where
| it is. What about the Chapel street
| drawbridge? I say that provision for
| two aldermen and three councilmen is
one of the biggest farces that has ever
| existed in the city. hope the time
will come when the citizens will wipe
! out one board. There should never be
more than two representatives from
| each ward.
''It seems to me that there is mis-
understanding in regard to this mes
sage-an understanding that it is one
of the papers which we can table and
| ignore. think not The charter says
| that the mayor must transmit quarters
| ly reports of the doings of the various
| boards. We have right to criticise OF
| ignore what he suggests. but we have
no right to refuse to print it in the
| journal, the record of the city. l am
not defending the message, but the
right of this council. 1 hope that you
will not be carried away as wildly as
were our friends, the aldermen"
Councilman Stein-"What is the en-
dorsement of the aldermen on this doc
ument?''
! Assistant city clerk-"Nothing.