Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-03
DEFEND RUSSELL.
Members of Finance Committee
 Endorse His Work.
AMERICAN MADE HIM PAY.
Refused to Publish His Communica- tion-The Work of A. |. Goodrich as Auditor of School Board is Still Fresh in the Memory of Taxpayers.

Fresh in the Memory of Taxpayers.
 To Editor of the Democrat:
 A letter appeared in the Republican
 this morning from one who says le Is
 anxious for good government, attack,
 ing the capacity of the present city
 comptroller MT Russell. and endeavor-
 ing to lead the ordinary reader, who is
 not familiar with city affairs. to be-, l lieve that the books of the city were
 not properly kept. While 1t is said
 that everything is fair in politics, little
 capital will be made for anybody by
 misrepresentation of this sort Who
 ever has the least acquaintance with
 city affairs knows that these unex- l pended resources that are found from
 time to time by the comptroller are
 caused by the receipts of the city ex
 ceeding the estimates. which have to
 be made a. year in advance by the l board of finance.
 1 Anyone who wants to see the comp
 troler's books can do so. They are
 open to the public every day in the year. There is nothing to be con-
 cealed and nothing could be concealed
 even if the comptroller desired to do l it. They are audited every year and
 always balanced and found to be cor
 rectly kept.
 When the S20,ooo referred to was reported to the board of finance it was l the first time that such a report had | been asked for during this year, from | the second taxation district, and the
 report was correct to single cent l The funds and accounts of the first and second taxation districts, as well
 as the department of education. are 1 separately kept, and the total revenue 1 at the disposal of each department can l be ascertained in five minutes. The undersigned have not word to say against the republican candidate 1 for comptroller, but no friends will be made for him or the head of the ticket
 upon which he runs by misrepresenta-
 tton, which must have its origin eithe, | in malice aor gross ignorance.
 E. c. KTLDUFF, Mayor, j A. H WELLS.
 ,, MARTIN T. M'EyOY, Commissioners of Finance. MT Russell endeavored to get the above communication in to-day's issue of the American. Tn ordsr to do so he
 was obliged to pay regular advertising
 rat tes his goes to show how far the I followers of the Kelsey -republIc lIcari
 clique will go to gain even an unfair 1 advantage. A. E. Lord of the Manufacturers l National bank, one. of the republican
 asked this afternoon what he thought
 about the criticism of Comptroller ! Russell in this mornings paper regard l ing the finding of $20.O00 resources.
 MT Lord said that so far as he knew
 there was no reason whatever why l anybo6s should find fault with the comptroller about that matter. He
 said he didn't sign the Statement to l that effect, not because he thought 1t was not right, but that in justice to himself he could not refuse to state when called upon by reporter that sth he criticism of the comptroller was I.unwarranted, K The correspondent who attacked 1 Comptroller Russell in the republican
 organ this morning, under the cloak
 of nom de plume had better look up the record of Mir Goodrich, when 1 he had charge of the financial affairs Of the Center school district If he does he will find some startling things. | ln Order to get aC some maUteTs ne will hal e to go to newspaper files, as had to be done when the city and
 school district were consolidated. The
 correspondent might also ask MT Good | rich what account he kept of the
 school district tax list with the tax col
 lector.. Tn fact he would find 1t very
 difficult to find and financial records
 at all, unless MT Goodrich has them in
 his vest pocket on advertising note
 books