Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-16

| NeLlletOn Salu SUCH resolution Wns l very important and he preferred l.
 have it in writing, whereupon Nil
 Brophy asked the chair if he though l it would be well in include the re I port of the board of finance in tht
 resolution. to which MT Blakeslee k l piled that the aldermen from tht l fourth, not the chair, was offering til.
 motion.
 Then MT Brophy appealed to th. | city attorliey, who came forward witl
 q decidedly eyasive answer. assurils
 the alderman that he had a right tt offer any vote he pleased Finally Al
 Brophy got his vote ready and when i
 was read Mir Callan moved that it D. 1 amended by adding the words ''ane | placed on file" At this juncture Nil l Callan said it would be in order tt hear from any member of the boar, of finance who cared to discuss tht matter.
 l Mir Blakeslee said that his objectio, was based upon the statement of Ml l Oakes, the expert who prepared tile
 report made to the board of finance when the report was turned over to
 the board He told us. continued
 the chair, "that his report left IS iu
 exactly the same position we wave il
 before it was prepared. Understand.
 ing as l did from MT Oalles that the
 report was not final by interpretation
 of it didn't agree with the construc-
 ton put upon it by the citysattorney and l sought the opinion of outside
 counsel and learned that it binds thp
 city to nothing"
 Commissioner Wells: have simply
 to reiterate the statement made by
 the chair. After the experts informed
 us that the report left the city where
 it was when the first report was sub.
 mitted, Mir Blakeslee and myself on
 our own responsibility, and at our
 own expense went out of town for le-
 gal advice. Without pretending whicl, | side we were on we submitted the | whole matter to. two able attorneys
 and both told us that the report bound | the city to nothing. One of them was
 very sorry we called upon him. He said that he was personal friend of | Colonel Burpee and didn't care to ex- press an opinion on the question: but
 hnally we prevailed upon him to do so and after examining all the papers
 much more carefully that the first man on whom we called. he said the agree
 ment and report were worth the pa per they were written on. He did
 say that if the expert had reported
 that Colonel Burpee owed the city even the small amount of twenty-fyc, cents, 1t would have been final, when
 they said that the condition of the
 books was such that there was noit,. ing to show but that all the money had been in some way accounted for. for 1t left an element of doubt and so long as that existed no court would accept it as final and conclusive. The attorney toldus he looked through it with view to determining if he could md q flaw in the city's side of the case which would let Colonel Rurpee out but he had failed 10 detect any
 thing of the kind The money had been paid in and receipts signed there Tor. and 1t was up to the person whose lialnes appeared on these receipts to SlOw1what became of it.,
 Alderman Buck wanted another yea ana nay vote on this motion, adding mat he was not prepared to vote for It at the time. Mir Stanley said that so iorg as the city had bound itself to such an agreement wisely or unwise- ", he thought 1t. nothing more than lair to stick to it. He called attention 10 sewer assessment matter of his own and said many of the ones cbarg. cd against against Colonel RurpNo may be similar. He paid the bill five years ago but when he was making q transfer of his property this year be found the lien still standing against nm m the town clerks office. Chair. man Blakeslee said this was the al. derman's own mistake. that when he paid his bill he should have gone in to the town clerks office and have the lien released.
 NIT Stanley inquired of Mir McEyoy if the experts examined the same books and papers that he and Mir Lord had looked over MT McEvoy said he couldn't say as to that. He never had an interview with the experts untiI after they had made their returns on the Burpee matter. If the board carad to near 1t he should be pleased to ex- plain the method employed, by him. sell and Mir Lord. Mir StanIay said the explanation was satisfactory and after an appeal for favorable action on the motion by Aldermen pibiny and Brophy. the latter stating that Colonel Burpee had enemies. and in support of this called attention to tba fact that he had telephone call to remain away from the meeting. Tho resolution was put and carried bv tho same combination that held if mn on the way to the law committee Re- Tore the vote was declared. Chairman Blakeslee asked Mir Kellogg if this dlsposed or the matter and received a reply in the affirmative.
 Colonel Burpee's offer of SI.jO0 wac not accepted and nothing was Said about releasing the bond. but if is said that these are matters of detau and that the assessment matter so far as it concerns Colonel Rurpee ia settled The next question will he what to do with people who hold r,.. eeipts and people who claim thly maid but lost or mislaid their rpceipts Tn justice Co .'the plain people, inc busi- ness administration should sci them free before it goes out of office.
 The ordinance relative to fro uro. lection was adopted. The report os the board of public works on the Rob- bins street trolley was read and laid on the table.
 The board adjourned until Mon- day night