Waterbury Democrat., 1900-12-18
LIGHTING IHE OUTSIDE.
Aldermen Vote to Make an
 Appropriation of $1,OOO.


 Set People to Thinking and Talking If the Suburban Residents Want Lights, Police and Sewers the Tax Will Also Have to Apply to Them.
 The action of the board of aldermen i i'll appropriating $1 .OOO for electric lights in the new city limits ought to 1 De an eye opener for people in side the old city lines who are talking 1 consolidation of the town ard city gov 1 ernlnehtS. It was stated in the Dem- ocrat the other day that, with consoli- 1 dation, it would be among the possibil- ltles to sec men in the aIdermanc I chamDer With sufficient outside inter- cStS over and above what they have on the inside to prompt them Ia appropri- 1 atlng large sums of money for the ben ] eht oi the outlying districts. although 1 the people might not have to contribute d cent to the fund from which this | money was to be taken. some of our nelghborS considered this a pretty far fetched idea, and We desire to call the attention of all who thought so to the vote passed by the aldermen last night
 
 1 III tile new district. more than has been 1 spent for that purpose inside the old | city lines during the present year. al- though people have been look ing for lights in all parts of the cify. and at present there are in the neighborhoud of twen- 1y petitions for electric lights in thick l lN settled portions of the city which the city officials would like 10 act upon favor2bly if they had the money to pay for them. Imagine how these pc l titiOnerS must feel when they learn l that they cannot have lights next year either, and that it has been decided to i light up property that is not taxed one I cent for this purpose.
 The matter was introduced by AL | derman White. who stated that if the 1 people on the outside are not paying l :iS much taxes as they ought to that was no fault of theirs. and that ITO 1 doubt thcy would be ready and willing to pay more if the law called for it. He cited an incident that happened | recently near the terminus of the trol- | ley line oil North Main street. where John Blair came near colliding with live Wire that fell to the ground. but the place was so dark it was imposSi- ble to see il. Mir White said these peo- pie ought to get something and made
 
 motion that he won all the members to his way of thinking with the eXcep- ton of Aldermen Norris and Goss. men who are too keen to be caught mapping.
 ".rhe outside people ought to get something" said Mir White. Of course they ought. No one but a footpld would try to gainsay that. But isn't it d fair deal to give them all they are entitled to? They are paying their school taxes; that's all it amounts to-. no matter what way you regard it.. The school expresses amount to one half the sum raised by direct taxation, and property in the new district being taxed but one-half the amount assessed against property inside the old lines it must be plain tu everybody il!ut all the rest of the money is raised by the peo- pie inside the old lines. Residents in the outside districts have the same school accommodation as those who live in Exchange place. and inasnGch as this is all they are paying for it s difficult 10 understand why they should feel aggrieved at not getting more than that. Does any one suppose that prop rty owners inside the old lines are so well fixed that they can afford to donate $l .OU0 to their neigh borS? That's exactly what 1t amounts to. and the worst feature of 1t Is that the money is being wrung from people who can i'll afford to meet it. Think of the man with a little home on one of our city streets. mortgaged for prac- ticully all he can get on it. paying full | taxes and yet he must get along Wl1h- out an electric light i'll front of his promises while the man who pays but half taxes is enjoying this luxury, These people would net dream of ask ing their neighbnrs to pay their gro cer'S or butchers bills. but they make no bones of coming along and setting up the claim that they are entitled to nublic improvements whether they cost : them anything or net. Porter street , with a grade crossing that is men :, ace to life and limb, other places III . tle Brooklyn district, where there are no lights must wait: various petition- CTS in other districts. people who are footing the bills. cannot be accOmmo- dated. but forsOoth, because q few people who have no just claim upon the city for such service have pull the lights must go to them, no matter who footS the bills.
 There is nothing new in this theory It was publicly proclaimed by Mayor , Barlow when he was in office. who openly stated that no administration I would give the outside district public , improvements of any nature under ine , present system of taxation. and that :, this matter would be strengthened out , at the next session of the general as semblv: but it was not. and We are not aware that any one is looking to- wards an equitable adjustment of the tax question now. If the people on , the outside want public improvements they have no right to get them at tine expense of their neighbors. The state ment has been made by more than one alderman during the past few months that residents of the outside districts = would prefer to pay more taxes and B get the improvements. Probably that lis true but judging by the way the game is being worked they will not be ' likely to make move in that direction so long fis they can get the improve ments without corresponding in crease in the size of their rate bills , There is big howl on the part of some people on account of the high rate of taxation in Waterbury. but it should be remembered that tue burden is moi