Waterbury Democrat., 1900-11-12
CONSOLIDATION.
Aldermen Will Discuss the Sub-
 ject This Evening.
THE DRAFT OF THE BILL.

torney John P. Kellogg-Yet Repub-
 hcans Are Rowling and Crying
 About the Measure Being For the
 Good of All-Appoint Non Partisan Committed
 It is very likely that the aldermen
 Will take some action tonight on the peutlon regarding the consolidation of me town and city governments, and Hi consequence it is important that all the members should be present and
 nave something to say on the subject, one way or the other. The republi- cans claim that they do not want to
 make political capital out of it and the democrats are not in position to make q political job out of it if they cared to, so that if the bill finally agreed upon should not turn out to be
 non partisan the public will know where to place the responsibility Of course 1t sounds well to hear the re- publican aldermen, who are in the ma pority. declare that they do not want any politics in this measure. but some or them are so anxious to inject lit lie politics into it that they are afraid | any one but John P. Kellogg. chairman
 of the republican town committed will get peep at it, to say nothing about haFlhg anything to do with drafting such bill aS would meet the case. W hen the matter was first brought to the attention of the aldermen one of 1 the republican members moved that it | De referred to John Kellogg with in | struction that he prepare consolida- l ton 4blll and present the same to the | next session of the general assembly, | One of the democrats asked if the mover of the motion intended to have | 1t come before the aldermen when MT l Kellogg had got through with it. and before sending it to Hartford, and the gentleman was candid enough to ac- knowledge that he did not. There's |. the kind of a consolida ton bill they | want to send to the legislature while | at the same time proclaimng that no | man shall dare even think of politics l in connection with this move. The 1 democratic members of, the board | thought the question of sufficient i'm l portance to be submitted to the people
 and reminded their neighbors that this could be done a little or no expense. l This was three or four weeks before 1 election and the aldermen would have l lots of time to learn whether the peo-, | Die wanted it or not before instructing 1 the city attorney to draft the bill but | the republicans gave this the deaf ear. | They thought this would be dragging
 it into politics but. of course in their l Judgment. there would be no chance
 to say anything like that in case the | whole thing should be left in the hands
 of the chairman of the republican town
 committee.
 What howl of indignation would | go up from every republican in the | city if the democrats Should demand
 consolidation along lines mapped out | by the chairman of the democratic 1 town committee. even though he might | be city attorney and just as competent to draft such a measure as Mr Kellogg | is admitted to he. Why. it would be | regarded as a joke and would never
 be heard of second time in the alder l manic chamber Absurd as this may
 appear that is just exactly what more
 than one republican member of the
 board of aldermen would like to see
 done. and in the event of such action | they stand ready to say that the demo- l cratS have no cause to complain.
 IT the republicans of Waterbury
 mean to be fair about this question of | cOnSolida ton. and no doubt many of
 them do. why don't they refer it to q 1 nOn-partiSan committee and let them
 get opinions upon it in any way they | see fit call a public meeting to dis 1 cusS the pros and cons of the matter | if they so desire. and then draft a
 measure which would give neither | party any advantage over the other. l and submit the same to the aldermen? | This would show a disposition to do
 the right thing. but so long as they in
 SiSt upon a bill being drafted by Mir
 Kellogg, democrats and honest repub- | licanS will take no stock in their talk
 about endeavoring to eliminate politics
 out of it. There would be no objec- | tion. so far as we know. on the part
 of democrats to MT Kellogg being 1 member of such q committee as we are
 talking about, but in the opinion of
 many citizens who have been heard l upon this subject. common courtesy
 should suggest to the board of alder
 men the propriety of keeping MT kel-
 logg out of it until they come to an
 understanding with the democrats as
 to what they want Then it would be
 in order to refer the matter to the city
 attorney and request him to push 1t
 through the legislature.