Waterbury Democrat., 1900-12-29
PETITION NO. 2
In Regard to Consolidation
 Matters in Waterbury
NOTICE TO THOSE INTERESTED.

That Another Consolidation Measure
 Will Be Prepared-The People Who
 Lived h the Town,- Before Lines
 We're Changed, Willing to Go It
 Aione-Want I New Town and Let
 City Take Care of Itself.
 To-day We publish notice of 2 pc
 1ltIon that Will be presented 10 che
 next session of the, general assembly,
 Tor an amendment Of the charter of
 the city of Waterbury consolidating
 that portion of the town of Waterbury
 Nltn the lines uL thy. city as they eN-
 lSted on aJnuary l, 1899. with the city
 ol Waterbury, and askiug for the in- corporation aS a neW town. to be
 known as Nattaturl. of all the DOT
 non oI the tcwn without the city linn
 it's.
 TliS proposition. so q representative
 or tilIS paper was informed this after
 noon. meets the approval of property
 owners ill the outside district. and
 they intend to push it. They claim
 that they do not desire the kind Of
 consolidation as proposed by the cent
 luitteG appointed by the aldermen 10
 report draft and will fight it in to the
 last ditch. We have grown tired of
 this cry that the city is supporting the
 town, said one of the diSSa tstied par
 ties to d reporter, and want a chance
 to attend to our own affairs. and are
 Wiling that the city should do like
 wise. We can conduct our own gov
 ernment much better than others can
 do it for Us and if any one wants proof
 o1 lhlS statement We refer him tn the
 nnancIal condition of the town schools
 as compared with that of the center
 school district, which k overwhelm-
 ingly ill debt and constantly at war
 among themselves. simply because
 they pay more attention to politics
 than to the interest of the schools. It
 was the worst thing that could have happened the educational institutions of Waterbury to bring them under the control of the city. The injury may not be noticed now. but when the members of the board of education will be appointed by the mayor. then you may expect to see the results of political i0bbery in the schools. The cOnSolidatiOniSIS are not honest. They have broken faith with every man on the outside who trusted them. When the city limits were extended owners
 of property ill the added district were
 assured that they would never be ! asked to pay more than half the
 amount of taxes assessed against those on the inside. not during the lifetime of the present owners, ans
 way: but the bill had not been passed six months when the men who had
 made these promises were abroad
 shouting about the injustice of the thing. and they never shut their
 mouths until they found out that this matter would be righted ill year or two. and it is tO be attended to at the next session of the general assembly, together with other matters that half a dozen smart people claim will be 8 benefit to the public but which ill reality is nothing more than throwing Il feather to the rest of us with ;I view
 to catching q fowl for themselves. "The town school districts don't want to be brought under manage ment of this kind. There is no de mand for public Improvements in the town. except in q few places;- and if these people desire Improvements and are willing to pay for them let them go into the city. but l fail to see any justice in forcing people into the city and compelling them to pay city taxes upon land that would not feed a crow.
 The reporter reminded the gentle- man that according to the plan of con- &olidaliou the people ill the first dis trict would have to pay city taxes. and that it would rest with themselves when they would come into the city. 'Ah-' he replied. apparently very i much agitated over the trap that he imagined his neighborS have set for him and from which he felt escape i was practically impossible. how long will that last? We see the bait and l the question We are considering is how to avoid it. What's to prevent the l city from doing the same thing with us that they have decided to do with 1 the new district? There was little or no opposition to making the city lines coterminal with those of the center school district because owners of property on the outside were led to believe that the taxes would never be the same as on the inside. It was ! clever scheme. but the townspeople in- tend 10 profit by it and think when they get together to hear q report from their committee they will be of one mind as to what is best for their in tereSt. We can pay every dollar we owe and see our way to meeting such obligations as are likely to present themselves from time to time without any great effort, so that there is no reason why we should desire consoli- dation. except We wanted to take up burdens that don't belong to us.' | The committee appointed ny the 1 town schools have not finished its la i bors yet. but it Is expected to report i soon As the matter stands now most 1 people in the city think the town would 1 be benefited by consolidation. while | on the other hand the townspeop1e 1 look upon it as nothing short of a tle- ] r.T, in