Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-09-28


 NJ ton hurts and whenever you mention 1t republican party managers vince and fall back upon the old excuse that the city's books have not been kept in a proper manner. A. E. Lord,. ' teller at the Manufacturers bank, and Martin J. McEvoy, went over the comptroller's books and found no trouble in discovering what was due as well as credits for what had been paid. Mir Manville. the New York ac- countant. took a squint at the books and pronounced them all right. All this was discussed later on at meet ing of the board of finance when Mayor Elton with characteristic hon esty said he was pleased to hear that everything had been found in good shape. He considered the reports highly creditable all around. MT Blakeslee was present at this meet ing and yet he arose far away from home. on the floor of the house of representatives in Hartford, and said that the city's records were all mix , ed up. Evidently this statement was made to help a friend. but even at that it displeased the conservative element of this town and the Hon MT f bldk6Sl6C lUct IAiChdS SN~ count of the remark. There is noth- \ ing the matter with the city records and this constant prevaricating about them is the meanest kind or eiectlon- eering and self respecting people are sick and tired of 1t.
 DON'T BE HOODWINKED.
 Some believe the repubhcans didn't want Ralph Blakeslee elected mayor and that on this account they are not (conducting a very vigorous campaign. (but those who think so are deceiving themselves. The republicans are con ducting the campaign in a manner which would do credit to past masters in the business. Not that there is any thing in what they are talking about but because they are succeeding in a measure in diverting attention rom what everybody expected would De the real issues in the present elecuor contest It was said at the time 1t be- came known that the fim-fam game played on the board of aldermen by the department of safety with refer ence to charter amendments would be one of the chief topics of discussion when election time came around, but you notice 1t hasn't been mentioned, There was a case where a man of the standing of Commissioner George A Driggs appeared before the aldermen and assured them that the bill sub mitted by the safety board was exacty what the other commissioner and him. self wanted. When it came back 1t was an entirely new instrument and nobody ever waited upon the aldermen since or before to explain how 1t came to be changed without their knowledge It was sharp political job, but rt publicans as well as democrats found fault with it. They claimed that the board of safety should have been frank enough to come before the aldermen with actually what they did want and that if they didn't know at that time, later on when they were put wise and decided to do something entirely diff. ferent from what the aldermen had authorized common decency If nOth- ing else demanded that the aldermen be apprised of the situation. But they didn't do this and yet people still have the nerve to tell you that this is a purely business administration with uot a grain of politics in its makeup.
 WAS A BAD PRECEDENT.
 A great many thought, too, that the method resorted to to increase cle sal ary of the engineer would be talked of later on, not perhaps because M: !, Cairns was given more than his ser vice is worth, but on account of the bad example 1t showed. In this case the end in view when the charter pro vision which was framed and passed to prevent men in public places from getting increases In salary was throt- tied, and while 1t worked all right here, similar tactics have been chal lenged in another town in this state and the legality of such a mode of procedure is still in doubt. Such meth ods are open to the grossest kind of abuse and should be frowned down by all good citizens. MT Cairns Is a com. petent man. but the scheme by which his salary was increased furnished a bad precedent which the public has no assurance will not be repeated for somebody else later on who may have nothing to recommend him but the right kind of political pull. But we have been assured that there was no politics In this, and so long as the mouthpieces of the business adminis tration say so 1t goes without saying that 1t must be true.
 THAT WATER COMPANY.
 You don't hear anything about the supreme effort made on the part of a few nice gentlemen to get control of the Naugatuck river and it's tributaries on conditions which would put every body who owned anything abutting on the river and its tributaries at the mercy of the new company. They did not succeed. but if they failed 1t was not because the business administration put anything fin their way. The board of aldermen were petitioned to take action in the premises. but the appll- cation was referred to a committee who kept it under cover 90 long that nobody knew what happened 1t. Final ly when sufficient opposition to defeas