Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-10-18
DEMOCRATS! WAKE UP; NONE ARE so BLIND AS
 HE WHO WILL NOT SEE
Old Case Recalled by Republicans Eager Desire to Capture Ofices-Taxes Will be Lower if Demo- crats are Put in Office and Kept There.

Leaving national issues aside. the democrats have great deal at stake
 in the November election. The peo- pie are being told that the success of the community depends in large meas ure upon keeping the legislature re- publican so that municipalities may be in position to pass legislative enact
 ments from time to time with view to saving the taxpayers from extrava- gance on the part of democrats. This is dinned into peoples ears so regular " that many actually believe it and think themselves in duty bound to govern their conduct accordingly. Well, let us see how it works in Wa terbury.
 Taking for example one single case. | and emitting names so as not to hurt anybody's feeling, the question of back taxes which has been before the city government for years. X repub- Hcan city official through some cause. it makes no difference what, failed to square his accounts with the city. Ar ter a long delay a committee was ap- pointed to inquire into the situation and report their finding to the depart ment of finance. They did as direct ed and their report showed that a sum of money in the neighborhood of SI2,- GOO or $15,OOO was due the city, It is supposed to have been paid in taxes, street and sewer assessments, largely ' by the poorer class of citizens. many of whom no doubt often went without the necessaries of life in order to lay by dollar to make good with the city government. What did the investiga- ton and report amount to? The conp- mittee received $500 for their services and were instructed to continue their explorations through the city records, and there the matter ended It wouldn't surprise anybody if the com mittee should show up one of these fine days and submit another report and receive a much larger reward for their services, so that instead of mak- ing anything out of the investi gation the people are losing and it would be a money saving scheme to call off the committee and let the thing drop. But as the campaign spellbinders tell their hearers with reference to trust prose cutions, every offender will be col Jared after election and made to walk the plank or do the right thing.
 It is understood that no move will be made on the local question of back taxes until after the November cleo tion and it is extremely doubtful if it ever comes up again We are not discussing question, but simply stat ing a fact for the benefit of people whose minds may need refreshing at this time. You don't hear anything about this, although private indiyid- uals are being bounced upon every other day and compelled to plank down the last copper they owe the city. To make matters still worse, large numbers of people who have paid and hold receipts for the money are still held up by liens on their property which nobody has any right to release until the cash reaches it's proper custodian, the city treasurer, and an entry to that effect has been made on the comptroller's books. No body charges intentional wrongdoing in any quarter, but every body who has given the matter any consideration admits that the situation never could have reached it's present seriousness unless by gross neglect. and yet you don't hear a word about it among those whose business 1t is to look af- ter it. It is republican muddle and that is, sufficient to keep 1t in the back ground.
 The city boards have already com menced making up the budget for next year and every mans building lot and modest home, aye even the bed he lies down upon will be considered a source of revenue and the owner will have to pay something on them 10
 make up the total, but not whfmper with reference to collecting these back assessments which people have paid and using them as an asset and thus make the burden of4taxatiOn less bur- densome on the whole community. If you mention the subject you are told that 1t is being looked up. Why the public appears to have forgotten all about it and the only place you hear it referred to is when you meet some body who is specially interested in seeing the snarl strengthened out so that he may get the cloud removed from the title to his holding
 With this condition before us 1t ought not to be necessary to urge the rate payers of Waterbury, regardless of their political creeds to look to themselves for once and ask the re- publican managers what good reason they are able to give that any sane man would accept why they should be continued in power. What has been done towards getting at the bottom of this unhealthy condition of public public affairs is due in measure to the efforts of Ambrose H. Wells, one of the democratic nominees for repre- sentative, who as member of the board of finance used his influence to give the matter some publicity. When the electors of Waterbury go to the polls next November they should con- sider their own interests little more and the seekers after office little less than they have been doing for some time past.