Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-02-23
PUBLIC WAKING UP.
Hay bs Too Late Now to Hold Waters
 of Nausst1cK River.

0I Na0SSt1CA NiVeT.
 A few weeks ago people who always stand prepared to second any move led by corporations. made no bones of stating that outside the Dem- ocrat office there was no opposition 10 the application of the Naugatuck Val ley Water Co for the right to corral the Naugatuck river. Of course there was no truth in the statement at that time no more than now, but people were so slow about coming forward thelr silence was made q handle of to boost the scheme. and in this way the com pany pushed its plans well nigh to completion before the public woke up to the seriousness of the situation. -As a matter of fact many could not be made to look at the proposition serious ly and claimed that they knew the company would see the folly of trying to get such q measure through the leg islature and abandon the idea. but those who thought so were very much mistaken and now they are trying [" make up for lost time and cannot say too much in opposition to the bill. Al ready several prominent citizens nave been heard from in opposition to the company's proposition. but some of the wise heads say that they kept in the background too long and that the con- pany is now sure of the coveted prize.
 Senator Cornelius Tracy has ell tered his protest and he calls attentloh to some facts which should sink deep
 into the hearts of every thoughtful clti- zen. Senator Tracy knows something about how the public has been buncoed in the past and recalls few incidents in the following paragraphs:
 Twenty years ago the good people of Waterbury built d horse railway. How many of the original owners nave any interest in the trolley line of to- day and how many people are fully satisfied with the liberal conditions of that broad charter. granted to the gen erous, enterprising, popular local men of twenty years ago: How some of us fret and fume about the condition of the streets. traversed by this line. that at this very time, to drive over. for a distance of a mile, Is attended with more danger than a sea voyage to Europe. "How we raved about the giving away of the franchise without q cent | remuneration: this franchise which mas been capitalized at from one to TWO millions, and on this foreign stock holders are getting good dividend. 1 This charter that cost q few hundred dollars to procure twenty years ago IS now worth a couple of millions; VIII be worth $5000.OG0 within twenty years: the city getting nothing out ot 1 it except tax on land and car barns, but paying thousands of dollars each year to make the streets through which | it passes safe to travel over: held up wherever an extension of the system is urgently demanded. with this propo- sition: Give us all we demand. and when we get ready we will extend the line. Please consider us as phlanthfo- pists: we could not be induced to en- tend this line except that we are <" much interested in the development and growth of your beautiful city.
 There is nothing wonderful about this except that the prophecy has been fulfilled and consequently no sane man would care to dispute it. But what about the men who took the poSitlon Mir Tracy now stands upon twenty ! years ago and made q fight to get some revenue out of the streets fOr' the peo' pie? They were treated with much 1 the same contempt citizens receive To- day who dare to ask even Tor a near ing on the Naugaturk river question, They were told then just is they arc being told now that they were decl;'lin- ing to the grand stand talking for pCltical effect. and so oh. But wlth the experience of twenty years we see the result and it is consoling. 1o say the least. to see Il citizen of Senator i Tracy's standing recount the vicious ness of such legislation as his own party has given Waterbury since cor uorations first commenced to see for tunes in the use of the public ways am, started out to hoodwink represeI- tatives of the people into barteriha them away for nothing. There Is ho reason why politics should cut any hs- ire in these things. for they hit all in the same spot; but no man. not cVei Senator Tracy. after reading his own communication. can help being remind i rd of the fact that all these gifts. II such public franchises might rlshtthiiy be termed. that have been made to pri- vatc institutions in Waterbury were the work of one political organization. This is a matter of record and cannot bc successfully combatted hy any man nr body of men. no matter how re scurceful. This admitted. it ought to be plain to every intelligent citizen that while there may he nothing radically
 wrong in the make up of the polltic;il prrty that is directly rcsponsihic for so man serious hlunders. il is beyond cayil that it's representatives must have abused the power delegated to them. and in the light of current hap ncuinys what was true of inc agents of this same party twenty years az" is eo,ualiy true of their stccessors oi ,he present time. In any ease Il is Il LcalthfuI sign to see business mah like senator Tracy step into the arena and prurlaim the naked truth about p,blic questions regardless nj eoi's"- ,,,,euces. In other words. it IS rc, freshing to stop and observe the sell ator hew close to the tree and let ille , chius fall where they may.
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