Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-10
TO FINISH ORDINANCES.
Aldermen Should Publish and Dis
 tribute Them to the People.

Chairman Hall called attention to the unfinished city ordinances and urged the board to get together and clean them up. 1t is hoped that this coJn- sel will be needed and ordinances pub lished and distributed among the peo- pie. If this were done people would have better idea of what is expected of them thail they have, and much trouble which is going on i'll all parts of the city would be avoided because many think there is no Jaw covering certain kinds of conduct, and in conse- quence tho wayward are not very par ticular about how they treat their neighbors. At the present time and during the summer much damage is done to trees and fences and many people imagine that the owners of such property have no redress. This is a mistake The ordinance "Trespass'' covers this yery clearly. The follow ing is a parag graph from the ordinance, printed herein for the information of the public:
 'No person shall enter any yard, garden or enclosure i'll said city against the will of the owner and without his pernission: or take or destroy any fruit CT produce of any such yard, gar den or enclosure, or destroy or in any manner injure any tree, shrub or plant therein. Any person offending against any of the provisions of this section shall forfeit and pay a penalty of not more than $50 for every such offense."
 There is no room for ambiguity i about this so that young or old who make I practice of hacking trees or doing. damage upon the property of their neighboIs should bear in mind that they are acting in open defiance to a city ordinance and that all the aggrieved have to do in order to get redress is to give the names of the offenders to the prosecuting attorney
 The ordinance Dogs is another order of the board of aldermen that should be put before the people. Some folks suppose, at least one would think so, by the indifference they show towards the conduct of their dogs that these animals have a right to do what they please on the public streets, and as a result pedestrians are annoyed in some places to such an extent that they often travel long distances for
 
 houses where dogs are allowed to bite and snap at people on the streets. The ordinances fixes q penalty for such conduct and it is not necessary that one should be bitten to render the owner liable. It is sufficient for the complainant to establish the fact that the dog has worried and annoyed" him. Under the provision of gen. eral law, dogs entering private. propf efty and worrying cattle or tIeasling |lprlythe herbage" can be shot without the owner of the property inculring any liability, no matter how valuable the dog may be.
 Other ordinances passed and in force are: sAmusements''; Burial Grounds and Burial Permits'': "Contagious Dis eases''; .Elections';; Good Order and Decency'; Borrowing Money''! {! Milk; Plumbing; Railroads Re- moyaf and Disposal of Kitchen Gar bage"; Sewage; Sewers; ..Trees';; :; Weights and Measures Splitting in Public Places''; Fire and Police.''
 Proposed ordinances still on the table in the aldermanic chamber and before the other boards include: Ring ing of Bells and Blowing of Whistles; i; Tuberculosis .Nuisances';; Build ing Chickens "Water,'' and few otbers of more or less importance.
 There is a vast amount of valuable information in these ordinances, but they are of very little use to the peo- pie unless they are printed and put within reach of everybody who wants to see them. Of course the lawyers and others who make it business to keep in touch with municipal affairs know all about them, but that is not sufficient; people who are expected to be governed by them should be given an opportunity to see them. The all dermen should take action upon all unfinished ordinances and then have them published in pamphlet form and left at the city clerks office where they can be had by everybody who cares to call for them, and if there be par- ties who do not want to familiarize themselves with them such persons will have no one but themselves to blame for their ignorance of the law.