The Newtown bee., 1902-05-23

powers, never intended to handle the interests of large communities. There was also "Fire District" here, whose limits the village had outgrown, which appeared to have nothing to do, and to be well equipped for doing it! But so far as all prompt and efficient to meet any emergency, or to control many things that needed went, the last verse of the book of Judges fitly describes the situ- ation: "In those days there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes," Any lot owner could leave his side walk buried with snowdrifts for his neighbors to wallow through in win ter, or with dangerous holes for them to break their legs in in summer; or could build a cheap fire-trap under the house, or a stable under his nose, and nobody could prevent it. The old French knightly maxim, "Noblesse oblige,"i i. c. 'Rank or station imposes obligations" is unfelt by persons whose "nobleness" is only an outward accident of circumstances and not in born in their natures. It spoke volumes for the character of the peo- pie that with "no king" no munich pality or ordinances, civic matters were voluntarily as well-ordered as they were, but this general order and seemliness only made the breaches of it appear the more glaring, and left it still in the power of negligent or selfish owners to inconvenience or inn peril all their neighbors. with no authority to manage them. I am told that movement was made for local government here, few years ago, and borough charter was granted by the Legislature. But an opposition to it, partly sentimental and partly parsi- monious, was stirred up and it was voted down at the polls. And where is the Economy" of the case to-day. A competent mayor and council could have ordered those blazing rookeries torn down at once, and if owners had resisted could have arrested them at once, and so saved half a millian dol lars! Where is petty saving on a few small salaries compared with such a loss!
 WAS IT WISE LEADERSHIP?
 or was it purblind and parsimonious folly that '1ed the hunt'' against that charter, and got it voted down?
 Was it not leadership of the same stripe as that which stirred up the hue and cry against a small but need- full contemplated outlay for the im- provement of our schools, last fall, and defeated it? This town spends lit tie over S9, 900 year on all it's public schools, and, by unquestionable local authorities in your midst, the liquor trade of the town amounts to at least s1OO, 600 a year, all for the Devils schools of destruction and damnation! And yet you call yourselves sane and wise| men! And thus you advertise New Milford to families seeking homes here on account of good schools for their children, or rich men seeking to invest wealth in clean and whole some homes for themselves! And as to the sentimental argument. that New Milford must be kept "little and rural and pretty," it is already out of date. New Milford is beautiful and sufficiently rural, but is no longer a hamlet, but vigorous little city. and to try to keep it in backwoods simplic- ity is like trying to keep a lusty, strapping big boy still in baby clothes. Instead of beauty it is folly and ridic- ulousness. New Milford is vigorous little city and should have the right to dress and act accordingly.
 have drawn out this point about municipal organization somewhat at length because it is staple from which the whole chain of our succeed ing lessons depends.
 2. A BETTER WATER SUPPLY
 is probably the next thought, the first one, doubtless, in many minds, but not in my own. There has been much scolding at and about the New Mil ford Water Company, on account of the woful deficiency of water for fighting this great fire. The