The weekly examiner., 1901-04-13


 all other measures for our benefit of
 the past twenty years kick the beam.
 The legislative committee on cities
 and boroughs who listen patiently to
 the witnesses day after day, is a very
 competent one, unusually so, we
 tion. They are men of experience,
 from Senator Goodrich the wealthy
 street-car manager of Hartford, down
 to the youngest member of the com mittee. They seem to take keen interest in everything that happens tion thoroughly. This committee, it is quite evident during the past week, have every day done their own think ing, and, whatever their decision, it is certain that the committees preju- dices have not been manufactured nor have the members been 'fxed''-as is often the case-by any outside infiu- ence whatever. They are certainly in ! tent upon doing the fair thing by both sides, and, whichever wins, as though
 the hearing of evidence and the law yers' 'orations" are over, no decision has yet been announced and will not be- till late next week, if then-it is certain that the committee was a fair one and that no improper or, to be ! more accurate, side influence or lobby persuasion, was used on either side. The hearing was clean and the re-
 suit will be reached from an honest consideration on it's merits.
 Last "Wednesday the committee, we | understand, agreed that, as the coun- sel for the town suggested and invited
 them, and City Attorney Kellogg promptly concurred in the request, l that next week they might possibly visit Waterbury and drive about through one or all the outlying school ] districts of the town to get a better ! understanding of the exact situation of affairs here. This is a wise move
 and ought to satisfy our people that ! this committee will do the right thing. ! At the time of our going to press, it has not been absolutely decided as to what day the coming week Waterbury l will be honored by this complimentary visit. City Attorney Kellogg prom l ised them the freedom of the city as ! it is, and Town Attorney Carmody vouchsafed the freedom of the city as ! it will be.
 Perhaps the most interesting of all ! the testimony on either side, was the evidence of Representative Lil1ey,
 Mayor Harbison of Hartford and At
 torney George B. Terry of Waterbury. Mr. Lilley-our senior Representative was in full war paint and feathers. an impromptu speech, and he was
 bright, witty, sarcastic, convincing Waterbury has in him valiant and alert representative, and he has the ability of cfeJ : ssretfng g |nh31e case of the people in favor of con solidation of far higher order than we supposed he possessed. MT. Lil- ! ley is in efficiency legislator far above the average which any city sends to the general assembly. He did
 not, in the hearing, hesitate to say, that in driving on the Middlebury road
 in September before election, he him self saw repeatedly a gang of 30 or 40
 men, hired and paid by the town on this highway, lying on the roadside sleeping, pretending to work when none was necessary, and clearing off rocks from the adjacent farm of the s,o+a asked if he objected to giving the name of this town road superintendent, he coolly and boldly said: "No; it was MT. Henry J. Boughton." Mayor liar bison of Hartford made a splendid speech for consolidation of any city or town of over 1000 inhabitants, giving convincing statistics of the .experi- the real hit of the hearing was made when Attorney George B. Terry took the stand; he was strongly in favor of consolidation, characterized town meetings as mere mobs," spoke for cibly of reckless extravaganza in town expenses on highways just before cleo tions, amt the generally eNorbitant outlays for town poor, especially the outside Ipoor. He thought the entire town government should be abolished as a thing useless and outgrown, and as burden of expense and salaries which, to maintain longer, was sheer nonsense. When asked by ex-Town Attorney Greene Kendrick: Do you regard our city government as more desirable and less extravagant and burdensome than the town govern ment?" MT. Terry very quickly re- piled, "No, sir; not by any means I regard our city government as waste full, extravagant and fully as burden