Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-20
At Committee on Cities and
 Boroughs Hearing.
PARK CITY MAYOR WAS HOT.

Senator McNeil Also Scored the Coris
 mittee for Not Giving Bridgeporters
 a Chance to Be Heard-The Commit- tee at the Behest of Some Sore Heads Is Trying to Take Away Some of the Powers of the Mayor. Hartford, May 20.--A special meeting of the committees on cities and bor- oughs was held at 10 o'clock this morn ing to continue the arguments begun
 yesterday afternoon on the proposed curtailing of the powers of the mayor of Bridgeport.
 Mayor Mulvihill of Bridgeport de- tended himself vigorously this morning against the accusations made yesterday that he was "a disgrace to Bridgeport"
 The committee room was filled with sympathizers of the mayor, who were
 led by Representative Bissonnette and j.
 Senator McNeil of Bridgeport Senator McNeil wanted to know why the supporters of the mayor had not
 been informed yesterday of the reopen ing of the bill amending the charter of Bridgeport so that the present mayor will not have the power to appoint commissioners of the several city 1 boards. The bill changes the time for such appointments from June to Jan- uary, for the purpose of taking from I Mayor AIulvihill the right to remove certain commissioners who are now in V na- Il rz a en policy to the mayor.
 Senator McNeil thought it was en-
 tSrely unfair for the committee on cit | ies and boroughs to reopen such an im- l portant matter and not give the mayor
 a chance to hear his accusers. MT Bis sonnette wanted the hearing continued ] as there was not sufficient time to
 answer this morning. Mir Colt of New
 London, chairman of the committee, said curtly that a. half hour would be given to the hearing
 Mayor Mulvihill then took the floor and in a heated manner denied every thing that his accusers had said about him yesterday. He said that as far as 1 taking any power away from him was concerned, he did not care what was
 done. But if you do this,' he said. 1 "I am satisfied that the people of Bridgeport will know what to do with the men who are behind this scheme for their own political purposes. s.The whole trouble is,' said Mayor l IMulvihill, ''that I am Iaboring man. ! Anything do will be criticised I came ] up here to answer what I understood
 had been said of my character
 MT Colt: Nothing was said about, that MT Mayor. The criticism was in re- gard to the way in which you handled
 the strike trouble"
 Mayor Mulvihill: s'What was the
 ground for this curtailment of my pow CTS? ?,
 MT Colt: s'That the situation in
 Bridgeport makes some change neces- sary."
 Mayor Mulvihill: q deny that Tha
 whole question is whether certain com
 missioners, who have no interest in this
 work shall be retained, whether it is for the best interest of the public or not. As to my action during the riot
 on Sunday. I live near the scene Of the trouble and went out to help stop
 the riot when it occurred. did not
 know this man was sheriff. I deny
 positively that he had prisoner under
 arrest whom ordered freed The
 sheriff was in precarious condition
 and I tried to help him out" MT Colt: "In fairness to you
 should state that afffdavits are here from two sheriffs that you did order the man freed"
 Mayor Mulvihill: And I have af. fidavits from the policemen and two
 hundred citizens that this Is not true. At the risk of my life I went Into the crowd and tried to settle it. I am criticised for interference. If I had
 staid home would have been critf- cised for cowardice. The whole trou-
 ble is that am a 1aboring man."
 At this point MT Colt stated that q
 continuance would be given this after noon after adjournment