The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-28
Mayor o'ConneII Addresses Ward
One Voters and Points to His
Record as Proof That He Has
Served The City Well
TAKES PRIDE IN THE
REDUCTION OF DEBT
Tax Rate Kept at the Same Fig
ure As the Previous Year, the
City's Expenses Reduced and
the Debt Cut for the First
Time in Eight Years

IHttC III LIYtll lCoI
The mayoralty campaign of Philip
j. OConnell was formally opened last
night with an enthusiastic meeting Of
the Democratic voters of Ward one
and a few Republicans, who say they
are to vote for him, at the OConnell
headquarters in the Chase building,
A Front Street, last night The voters
kept coming and going during the
evening and the highest number in at
tendance at any one time was 81.
Mayor O'Connell made a speech to
the voters in which he reviewed briefly
his administration during the past
year, calling attention to some Of the
chief points. He said he had hardly
got the seat of his chair warm when
he was informed by some OF the city
officials that he had hard year before
him because the tax rate would have
to go up between 81 and $1.40. One Of
the Worcester papers, even before he
was inaugurated, roasted the Repub-
lican party for helping elect him,
claiming he was young and inexperi-
, enced in financial matters and would
not be able to look after the money
Of the city.
Notwithstanding all this, the finan-
cial year of the city is drawing to q
close. 1t will end next Saturday anc
| the books will show that the city has
gone through the year with a saving
Of $225. 900 In running expenses and 6
reduction in the city debt of $4,000
/ and the tax rate was not raised q
cent. This is the first time in eight
years that there has been reduction
in the city debt.
Every financial recommendation he
made to the finance committee and to
the City Council was adopted with the
exception of one and that was his veto
of the raise in Street Commissioner
Wright S. Prior's salary.
'T was told l had made a mistake, +"
said Hayor O'Connell, when l took
$4,000 from the liquor license money
and told the assessors to use it in
keeping down the tax rate. l was told
would have to borrow money for cur
rent expenses but the financial year
ends Saturday and no money has been
borrowed for current expenses and
only one department will carry over
any bills to next year, and that de-
partment would not have any unpaid
bills IL it expended it's money as 1t
should.
1.-THE Democrats of Worcester have
reason to be proud of that record and
believe 1 deserve some credit for 1t.
The men who pay the large taxes and
the small property owners support my
policy, and 1 will receive their votes
in this campaign. I have endeavored
to see that the interests of all the city
have been looked after, and when a
man came to the City Hall for legisla-
ton I scanned his measure closely and
saw that the city would not be injured.
l could not please every one but in all
my official actions I did what thought
the best interests of the entire city de-
manded.
Il was not satisfied with the rate
charged by the Electric Light Com
pany, and steps were taken to secure a
revision of the offer made by the COM
pany. / am not yet satisfied with the
report of the state commission. 1
think the company can do better by the
city vet But what was done secured
a change in the company's figures that
has resulted in saving to the city of
$1,000, which would not be the case if
1 had accepted the first offer of the
which it said was final.
Last June the New England Tele-
phone & Telegraph Company was
granted a franchise that safeguarded
the interests of the city, and I signed
it. But the company did not conform
to the law in accepting the franchise
and I refused to sign an agreement so
it could go to work digging up the
streets The company then asked for
new locations and when the Board of
Aldermen granted it a franchise, this
time I refused to sign it because I was
and disguised to see that
many important rights of the city were
given up. 1 vetoed the franchise. but
the Republican members Of the board
passed ii over my veto. But in almost
the same breath, the board passed an
order directing me to petition the
legislature for authority to remove all
the poles and wires from the streets,
after refusing to reserve to the city
The right to do so in the franchise that
was granted the company.
when the Worcester Consolidated
Street Railway Company began to talk
Of relaying its tracks in Main Street,
I went to the company with a PROPOSE
ton to repave the street between its
rails with granite blocks on concrete
I think that Is the proper
paving for such heavy traffic as there
is on Main Street although there ere
some who think differently. Under the
street railway law Of 1898. the company
was not obliged to do more than put
back it's old granite blocks and the Of
fcials laughed at me when 1 asked
them to put in new blocks on a con-
crete foundation. But 7 kept after
them and you all know the result. The
street has been paved between the rails
and the cost TO the company has been
at least 50 per square yard. But there
is no one who viii say the city has not
been benefited by the work.
I think under the circumstances we
can appeal to the people Of Worcester
for a reelection. We are not making
any pledges but we viii endeavor in
the future as we have done in the
past to act in our official capacity so