The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-24

tion and amendment be tabled unti
 Thursday next and this motion prevail Jed.
 A motion to adjourn was then pu l and carried but before the member l left MT. Atwood who has strenuousl.
 objected to the publicity given to th'
 doings of the board moved that thu
 clerk of the board be designated tht
 official representative of the board tc
 give the newspaper men information
 concerning the meetings. The paper: have been securing information of the
 meeting although they are executive and the fact evidently aggravates
 Mayor Studley said that he was in ia
 vor of holding public meetings and MT
 Dewell said that he always favored
 public meetings of city boards. The
 motion was not put.
 MT Gays communication to the
 board was as follows:
 New Haven, Conn, Sept. 2S, 1901.
 To the Honorable Board of Finance of
 the City of New Haven.
 May it please your honorable board:
 The undersigned a voter and tax
 payer, in and of the City of New Ha-
 ven, being informed that your honor-
 able body is about to reconsider your former action on a resolution of the
 court of comm cuncil appropriating
 the sum of $1,500 for the celebration of
 the approaching bicentennial of the founding of Yale college, and that the purpose of such reconsideration is the doubling of the amount recently sane toned by your honorable board, here with presents petition from a num- Der of taxpayers and citizens of the Twelfth ward requesting your honor- able board to refuse to sanction any expenditure whatever of the citys funds for such purpose.
 Furthermore, the undersigned peti- tioner, for himself, respectfully pre- sents for the considerat tion of your hon. orable board the following:
 First-As the city charter only au- i thorlzes the expenditure of money for public celebrations" it is submitted that Yale college is not a public insti- tuition in any political sense, which is the only sense in which political cor poration, such as the City of New Ha- ven, can conduct public celebra- ] ton"
 l Second-Tt should be evident to your | honorable board that only such "cele- | brations" of events as are of a patriotic | character or that pertain to the politi- | cal existence, history. or functions of | the people as a whole can be made public" in any such sense as would warrant the expenditure of the tax payers money.
 Third-While Yale college is justly known as probably the broadest and most democratic institution of learning in the world, still it Is, in the eye of the law, and in fact. an institution con- ducted under denominational auspices, and even though its denominational character be only nominal. the voting of public funds for the celebration of an anniversary of a denomination in stitution will form a dangerous prece- dent for future action.
 If the founding of Yale can now be celebrated at public expense, why not the founding of any of the numerous fraternal orders whose commendable objects are to care for the widows and orphans of deceased members. If it be deemed proper now to appropriate the money of taxpayers for the Yale cele- bration. it may be considered right at some future date to appropriate funds for the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the historic Hiram Lodge, of Free and Accepted Masons or the foundation of the order of the Knights of Columbus, which had it's origin in our city and holds it's charter from our state, or any other of the many highly esteemed institutions with which our worthy citizens are aff1liat- | ed
 Those who are intrusted with the ad- | ministra ton of our city's affairs should | beware of making dangerous and | doubtful precedents, particularly where necessity does not seem to compel | questionable action,
 Fourth-It should be remembered l that the taxpayers are already over burdened, as they now stand not only their own just share of taxation but also the enormous amount that the Yale corporation should justly pay for the many millions of property, both real and personal, which 1t has amass- ed and is still acquiring rapidly. Every year Yale acquires some of the very best local real estate in large quanti- ties, property that formerly paid taxes to the city, but which from the time it secures title is added to the burdens of the tax payers. This rests heavily on working men and others, who are struggling to own their own homes and as the resulting high rate of taxation the location of new manufac- lures in our midst, the opportunities for employment are curtailed while tax payers burdens are ever increased
 The only possible authority that can be urged in defense of this unjust sys- tenn which your petitioner can think of, is to be found in that passage of Scripture which says: ITO him that hath shall be given, and to him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath" It is, therefore, submitted that owing .o the unjust burdens now borne by ak payers, through these negotiable l conditions which permit this wealthy ] to escape its just and hon. ,st share of taxation, that, even though it should appear to your honor lble board that you have legal author ty to sanction such appropriation, you Ire not justified in spending the city's I money fors any such purpose. For our 2 ax-payers are at present compelled :, through the medium of the tax collec- 7 or's office to help educate the sons of people from all parts, people who are