Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-06
Does Not Like Last Evenings
 Article About Taxes.
WANTS CITY TO SELL COAL.

Would Get More for Their Money
 Teddy is Barking Up the Wrong Tree Refused to Deny Something
 He Thought Was Wrong for Fear of Hurting His Friend, John Lines's , Chances of Election.
 Editor of the Democrat:
 Your reference in last nights Demo- crat on the tax question and to those
 wno helped to put in power men that took sides with the trolleyscompany to me is somewhat interesting. I have stated my position in the past in regard
 10 this affair, and have been partially accused by the Democrat of indorsina the candidature of F. E. Cross for rep resentative by bringing him before the convention by whom he was nom- mated. As this statement appeared only day or two before election, re- fused to deny it then, believing it would tend to hurt the candidature of John Lines, whom I had the honor to nom- mate for that office. On this point [ would state that the statement given out by your paper is incorrect. I did not bring MT Cross before the conyen- ton; that was left to those that nonn- 11AeeSSo Lllll ASltucE vote IOrt QIn. but voted for Arthur Henderson l What I have stated in the past mean now, so that therefore am one of the very few from whom words of con- demnation have been heard. While if. IS an acknowledged fact that we have been sorely treated in regard to the lighting question, would 1t not be we'll Tor you to consider that there are other questions of just as much importance connected with municipal suppIies7 lTake the coal question for one, which could be readily handled by our civic government had they the executive ability to handle it, so as to save the citizens from the mercy of the dealers. Coal could be better served by a municipal fuel supply than by private dealers Poor people could order by the hundred weight at nearer cost price and better measure given than they would get from the dealers Men and women who live in apartments merely one room in fact, having no special coal storage, deserve just as much consld- eration as those who have cellars for the seasons supply. The only obiec- ton that Is pointed out in regard to this question is that 1t tends to lead to proh1gate and unnecessary expenditure. This is likely to be so when the per- sons disbursing the money come into immediate contact with the people who seek their. suffrages. This has been pretty well demonstrated to the citi- zens of Waterbury. But it need not T be so if we resolve, which we are pret- ty sure to resolve ultimately. to have all ourImunicipal business handled by commission appointed for terms long enough to insure continuity of policy. n mi ,,n.T. lz services of able, experienced and re- sponsible men. Municipal ownership and municipal commission are two things we should be face to face with Enow. E. W. BIGGERSTAFF
 December 6, 1902.
 Tour distinguished friend Mir Bigger. staff, must have mistaken the purpose of the few remarks in yesterdays .l Democrat regarding the vexed uues- ton of taxation. There was nothing in it which could be construed into an inference that F. B. Cross is crea- ture of the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Go and was in some way re- sponsible for the walloping the city received at Hartford from the trolley people. So far as we know Mir Cross is better than his party from a politi- ICstl SlduuDOluL dUQ UdS dJ IlIQGS come very near being pushed outside the breastworks simply because he took he ground that public official should act for the city on all occasions in-
 tead of using the power the people placed in his hands to advance the lschemes of private corporations at the expense of the municipality. Of course it is not at all likely that this Ihad anythin to do with MT Bigger staff's hostility to the ex-afderman. l MT Biggerstaff disclaims any respon
 ibility for the nomination and cleo.
 ion of MT Cross. We didn't help the
 andidate ourselves, but he got there
 spite of us and so long as he proved
 be the choice of the people we have mo mud to throw at him. We h0pa he will make amends for the sins of his party ait Hartford.
 MT Biggerstaff's suggestion that the city deal in coal and wood may be all right, but he should remember that Chairman Goss of the board of alder men refused to move in this direction a few weeks ago for the very good reason that the charter does not give Waterbury the right to sell coal and wood. MT Biggerstaff should have his friend, MT Lines, secure the pas sage of an amendment to the charter authorizing the city to handle coal
 The imputation that public officials are dishonest comes in bad taste from a man who holds a position on one of our important boards. MT Big erstaff is a member of the board of relief and certainly would have reason to feel aggrieved if some one should infer that his posi- tion on questions relative to abatc ments was determined purely from selfish motives, or to be more explicit, that deductions were made in propor- tion to the amount of ''stuff" the peti- tioners were willing to put out or the pull they wielded on election day. It is not a good sign of honesty on the part of anybody, whether he is pulp Il lie official or a private man to be too ready to impute sinister motives to his neighbors. For our own part we are satisfied that all our public off, cials, MT Biggerstaff included, are honest, and that when they err the mistake is at the head rathssr than at the heart. What we want is more men