Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-03
AFTER THE BATTLE
We'll Known Citizen Talks About
 Consolidation.
OFFICIALS NOT ALL CORRUPT.


 Stories Men Who Blacken Their
 Neighbours Character Should Make
 Amends, But They Do Not Always
 Do -selectman Doran Was Mis-
 represented.
 Many of us are consolidationists. said one of Waterburys pioneef demo- crats to reporter to-day, and most of us believe that there is enough merit in 1t to secure it's passage by the general assembly without assaiIing the public character of MT Doran or any one who has preceded him in the office of first selectman. 1t is a very easy matter to impute dishonesty to men in public positions, but when those who prefer the charges are challenged and asked to furnish the proof they rarely get 1t in shape so that honest people can see any intention of wrong doing, though 1t might be plain that different policy would have given bet ter results. 1 think our present select man has reason to feel aggrieved at some things that have been said of him. Most of the allegations hurled at him have been refuted by his friends, but I'm not aware that his accusers have put themselves to the trouble of setting him right on anything they have charged against him even when the statements were shown to be ab- solutely false. The first thing mo- ticed about Mir Doran in the papers was that he had appointed his brother boss, on the town roads. When I saw that communication l said it looked like making a family affair out of the office, but later l learned that there was no truth in it and I expected to see q correction from the author of the statement, but if 1t appeared above his signature it escaped my notice. 1t Is an easy matter enough for q man t0 De misled on q question of this kind, but a gentleman who would publicly herald falsehood about Il fellow man should consider in duty bound to re- tract it i'll as public way as he had made it known. In my Judgment if there was anything wrong with ol1r town government the fault lay in the system, and 1t should be charged to that rather than, to those who had to do with it. Some of the best citizens Waterbury ever had served as first se.' lectmen. Probably We have had men there who ought not to have been truSf~ ed with the duties of such position. but in any case I don't think it is wise at this time to discuss the good or bad points of the different men who have acted in that capacity. It ought to be sufficient for all who desired n change to know that it is coming. It would De impossible to point to any position of importance, public or private. where there has not been little mismana ue- Inent at some time and the only thing that can be done to guard against n repetition of them ia to leff1nvn thn cause. believe we have accom- plished that by abolishing our system of town government, though, to be- sure, I should much prefer that it had been brought about by vote of the people rather than see it thrust upon Us by men who have no special inter- est in our welfare. But as the fellow said when he got hold of his neigh bors property by questionable means. What's the difference? It is good thing and what odds does it make. how came by it so long as have its's Probably that's the way the real ad- vocates of the measure looked at it.''