The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-16
BROOKL|NE, MASS. IS RICHEST TOWN Famous Suburb Still Ruled By
 Town Meetings WEALTH OF S1OO,OOO,OOO An Edition de Luxe of a Village That Refuses to Be Annexed to
 Boston-Has Good
 Government.
WEALTH OF S1OO,OOO,OOO

what is known as town government. Going even farther afield. Brookline is a sort of edition de luxe of a village. It emphatieally prefers the role of big toad in little puddle to that of little toad in a big puddle.
 If the toad simile is to be used, Brook line inevitably reminds one of that other traditional hopper with a diamond in its toad forehead. For Brookline is Croesus among towns. says the New York Sun. Its wealth is not Brooklines only title to celebrity. As suburb it is unique Surrounded by Boston, except at a single point, it is like an island in an urban sea.
 It is the solitary instance of fat fly safe and serene in the very midst of the spiders web.
 For 1t need not be said that Boston casts a covetous eye upon this rich nor sel. Time and again the fly has been in- vited to walk into Boston's parlor and | feed the voracious appetite of Boston's | tax list. But the invitation is always de- | clined and one of the most interesting municipalities known keeps right on doing l business in the same old way and at the same old stand.
 | The present population of BroolSline is
 about 25.O00. The statistics for this year are not yet available, but in 1905 the total | assessed valuation of property was $9O,- | S52, 400 This year it will be $95,00O0 900. | The expenditures of the last year were | ST. 751, ,53S. .7S; the tax rate was SIP a thou
 sand, which included state. county and 1 special assessments. This year the tax | rate dropped to $9 thousand. Just over the village boundary line citizens of Bos- | ton pay more than twice that much. | But the most interesting thing about Brookline is it's form of government. It | is not only the richest, but the largest community under town meeting control. l As a rule places become cities long be- fore they reach the size of Brookline. When they do that their government is vested in a mayor and a board of alder men. Only matters of special significance are submitted to the people.
 Citizens Run Things. In Brookline everything is submitted to the citizens. They may leave the details to the selectmen, but they vote directly upon every municipal question. The annual town meeting occurs about the middle of March. printed notice of this or of any other town meeting must be left at the residence of every legal voter at least seven days before hand if practicable In emergencies printed mo- tices may be posted in twenty public places and inserted in a Boston paper twenty-four hours before the meeting. These notices must contain a complete list of the questions to come before the meeting; what officers, if any, are to be elected; what appropriations considered and so forth.
 The first act of any town meeting. un- less it be an adjourned one, is to choose a moderator. At the annual town meet ing the next step is the opening with prayer, an old custom which, however. is dispensed with at adjourned and special meetings.
 Even the town officers are elected at these meetings. Instead of the town being divided into districts, each with it's own polling place, the constables are "re- quired to notify and warn the inhabitants. qualified to vote in elections, to meet in the Town Hall" on such and such day, lat half past o'clock in the forenoon"
 The story of such an election day is rather interesting. Take the town meet ing of last March, for instance
 Called to order at 6:3O a. m.; the modera- tor was chosen, the prayer offered, the tellers and ballot clerks sworn and two or three votes on special business taken before twelve minutes of 2. when the polls were declared open. The Town Hall itself was fitted up as polling place. with railed off space, eighty compartments for the convenience of voters, four ballot boxes and four entrances to the same as signed alphabetically.
 At that election thirty-five town officers were chosen and the question of license voted on. The result was announced at 6:A in the evening.
 Having disposed of the election, the town meeting came to order again at 7:3O D. m., chose the rest of the officers. ac- cepted the jury list, authorized the town treasurer to borrow s5OO.OOO sealed up the check lists and ballot boxes, ballots and tally sheets and-adjourned at TAO
 Two weeks later the town meeting re- convened and voted on every item of the years budget, from s2O0. 900 for schools to 800 for grading and planting a lot.
 Voters Number 4400.
 There are about AGO registered voters in Brookline and the first impression of the outsider is that town meeting of 4000 citizens would be rather unwieldy body. As a matter of fact the floor of the Town Hall seats only about 1000 per sons. and there is generally room and to spare for all who come
 
 there is an election as they do at other polling places, so that there are cast about 3500 ballots during the day. But unless there is a question of universal interest to come up the town meetings themselves are attended by not more than from 100 to 600 voters.
 There is a provision however, against the possible circumstance of the Town Halls being so crowded that not all the citizens who might wish to take part in the proceedings would be able to get in
 That very thing did happen few years ago. so this solution was devised: The hall is provided with registering turnstiles. If town meeting is attended | by less than zoo voters, as shown by these turnstiles, it's acts are final. the in- | ference being that there was ample oppor- | tunity for the citizens to enter the hall | and to take part in the discussion and vot- ing. If they did not do so 1t was equiva- l lent to a consent to the action of the | meeting.
 l But if the turnstlles register 7o0 or more, , it is assumed that there may have been | citizens unable, owing to the size of the | meeting, to participate in the discussion. | The acts of such meeting therefore do not become operative until five days after | it has taken place. If within those five days a petition | signed by at least 100 voters is filed with the town clerk. requesting that any one or more of the votes taken at the meeting be submitted to the voters at large. it