The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-03-16

hHOWll5 JN%S
ence as a reader Of your always fair
minded and honorable journal, that'
Notwithstanding your allegiance to Re
publican principles and policies, YOU
have been always willing to give
show to the other side, venture to
contribute a little to the political gay
ETY. of nations which is now holding the
local boards. 49, .-.r.
In the first place, it would appear TO
the ordinary Wayfarer that huge
wave of reform is sweeping over the
Democratic party, developed by the APP
preach of the spring election; and, it
not general, it is so noisy as to endan-
ger the engulfnent or destruction OF
that party, if there is anything left OF
it to destroy. The Would-be rerormers
have raised the cutlery for 9 new
deal" that is, to turn out all the pres
ent Democratic officeholders in the city
hall, and to nominate for mayor some
man who would be sure to arouse the
opposition of the said officeholders ana
the other active workers OF the party
called Jointly the machine. &.5.....
i am but plain Workingman, nave
never held a public Office and never
expect to; but, in common with hun
dreds Of other citizens who take no
further part in local politics than to
discharge their duty by voting at prl-
nlaries and elections, / resent the ma
grant attempt of those constituted
reformers to throw dust into our eyes.
Thorough efficiency, combined with
honesty and integrity, is all the most
violent reformers have ever demanded
Of municipal servants. Now, il the men
who SO noisily demand the retirement
Of the present collector Of taxes, the
controller, the registrar of vital statis-
ties, the town clerk, the city clerk and
the city sheriff can prove that these
men are corrupt, that they have been
in any way derelict in their duties.
have been dishonest or have in the
slightest degree regarded the offices
they hold as anything but public trusts,
then their contention is at least logl-
cal. But If Collector Anthony. Con-
troller Rowe, Registrar Carr, Town
Clerk Brethauer, City Clerk Norris and
city Sheriff Hume have discharged
their duties honestly and efficiently,
where is the cause for the cutlery
against them? 49,. T..
III is true that these gentlemen have
held their respective places for several
years. But SO far as I can learn they
have done their duty to the city with
remarkable fidelity. There is not a
stain, SO far as the public is aware, on
the service Of either of them. If this is
So, where does the ho1ler for reform
come in? Indeed. it looks as if it were
born in the consuming desire Of the
patriotic CD reformers to reform the
gentlemen named out of office and to
plant themselves in the seats now so
well filled by the much-abused gentle
men above named. Come forward with
your charges, O, you reformers, or for
ever remain silent. 1t will not do for
you to say tom Kinney was killed.
two years ago. That's too fiimsy. Mr..
Kinney was defeated by man who
WAS popular with the people, who had
given an eminently fair administration
for two years and for whose election
! the best working machine New Haven
has ever had bent all its energies, rer
CARELESS of the rest Of the Republican
ticket. Would it not be quite as rea-
sonable for the Republicans to kick be-
cause the whole ticket was not elected
as well as the mayor as for the Demo-
Gratis to kick because all their ticket
was elected except the mayor?
10 have reform cut any ice in the
forthcoming election it must take up
some 7other cry than to "clean out the
city hall" Do these gentlemen who
are raising this cry ever stop to think
how few ordinary, everyday citizens
| there are who care a rap as to who &C.
cupy the offices in city hall SO long as
they are conducted honestly? There
are nearly thirty thousand voters in
| New Haven, forty or fifty of whom per-
haps have city jobs. Now, if forty or
| fifty so-called reformers want these
/ jobs for themselves, do they think they
/ can excite all the other thousands to
\ rise up and place them there? If
/ Treasurer Fresenius, a good Democrat,
\ has demonstrated that he cannot be
tempted to levant with the hundreds Of
I thousands of dollars which pass
4 through his hands yearly; ifSFrancis
4 G. Anthony, Democrat, can give up his
h collections without a cent Of them
1clinging to his fingers; if Controller
tItUWG, dIIoLiGE bCllloCIdL Cal UUEEOW
hundreds of thousands of dollars and
u hand them over to the city without a
4 murmur-what, in the name of all that's
u good and pure, do the Democrats want
4 The Offices? Very well, but perhaps if
Il they succeeded in getting them the par
II TVS record for the honesty and efficien-
3}t cy of it's officeholders, now so honorable
and creditable, might not continue SO
T clean.
!. AS a workingman and consistent
Democrat have no use for such re-
u formers, and, If I know the temper of
my fellow workingmen Democrats,
neither have they. We want honest
men administering public affairs,
whether they be Democrats or Repub-
licans. And, as a last word do not
think it is worth while for Democrats
to fall out over a kettle of fish. They
H have a hard row to hoe to elect any of
h their candidates at the coming election.
"a WORKINGMAN.