The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-30
A SENSIBLE MAYOR.


The policy of Mayor Mulvihiii. oil
Bridgeport, Conn. who was recently
elected to that Office in n city which Is
normally Republican. has already been
printed in The Times. but it is worth re
producing. II is as follows:
..I.n serve all the people
mo politicians about me-
Public expenses: must be reduced
NO junkets.
NO secret sessions. No committee
meetings behind closed doors.
II know the value of money. / have
: had to work for it. The taxpayers money
SHAH be used as IL it were my own.
This man was elected mayor under pc
culiar circumstances. He came to TINS
country from Ireland at the age OF thirty
and during his sojourn in America, oil
twenty-eigl1t years he has been a coal
shoyeler in a sewing machine factory.
He worked from 4:30 o'clock in the morn
ing until 6 in the evening. and although
his wages never rose above $3.50 day,
he managed 10 support his family ana
save money. He invested his savings IN
buiidiug-lots and small houses, made
himself popular as a landlord and accu-
lnulated a small fortune. About six years
ago he was elected alderman from a Re
publican district, because of his popu-
larity with the worllingnen. showed him
self To be as good an alderman as he was
a coai-shoveler and by reason of the as
sistance which no gave to the mayor.
became known as the Watch Dog of the
Treasury In the meantime u political
machine had sprung up and the people
had grown weary of il. Mulvihiil gave
the machine warning, which it did not
heed, and finally he determined TO stand
for the maroralty lie was elected and
it looks like he is going to give the people
a good administration.
The machine had determined TO build
a new city hall at large cost and to
issue bonds to pay for it. The Mayor
said that this was not good business;
that he would not think of building a
new house FOR himself if he had to Dor
row all the money to pay for it, and SO
it is his idea to patch up the old city
hail and make it do until the city is able
to build q better one.
After this article Vas written, the fol-
lowing dispatch WIS sent out from
Bridgeport:
Mayor Mulvihill has won a complete
victory in his opposition to the PROJECT
of building the new city hall. The COM
mittee in charge of the project, although
bids had lgcn advertised for already,
made the ANNOUNCEMENT to-day that they
would not oppose the indefinite postpone
mrnt OF the l5orject.
They will conclude their business with
the New York architects and wind UP ali
their affairs as speedily as possible En-
Mayor Stirling, chairman of the COM
mittce, made the statement that the com
mittee believed that they had the right
to 20 ahead by reason of State authority.
but that on account OF the sudden local
opposition it would be very injudcious
nlcnt OF the project.
1t would be a good thing for all the
cities Of this country if each and every
one of them had a mayor like this hon
est. thrifty coal-shoveler. We venture
that he has plenty of enterprise and that
he Will do whatever he is able to pro-
mote the interests of the city, but he
docs not believe in running the city into
debt for the sake of making a display.
A municipality is largely business
corporation. as everybody knows, and
,,unicipal corporations should be con-
Quoted as private corporations are con-
ducted-in tie interest of the stockhold-
crs This way of spending public money
recklessly and extravaSantly because it
is public money, and of paying high sala-
ries and employing inefficient men and
all that sort of thing ought to stop. The
great need of the municipal corporations
of the dey is an efficient corps of honest
men who will conduct the city's affairs
upon strictly business principles.