Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-09
ROOKLYN CUT OFF
Would Make ! Respectable Show
 ing as a Separate Township.

Some ridicule the proposition to pc tition the general assembly to cut off Brooklyn from Waterbury and make
 it a separate township, but in case
 such a thing should happen there
 wouldn't be anything wonderful about it. All the country towns around Us
 were formerly included in Waterbury, or Mattatuck, as the place was origin ally known, and according as they thought they could do better they cut
 loose and went their own ways. Naug- atllck was the last to kick 1lp its heels, but just the same it remained under
 the protecting wing of the mother town until about sixty-fve or seventy years ago, and then it was afraid to
 stand alone and to help it out it took
 that time Naugatuck didn't have population of 2,O0O souls. It has some
 thing in the neighborhood of 15,OO0 now and will soon throw aside tue borough system of government and be- come full fledged city. This and other instances that could be cited go to show that ill case the property owners beyond the bridge decide to make fuss over how they are being treated and ask to be permitted to manage their own affairs, people shouldn't think they are getting silly, for such things are going on right along all over the country.
 But would this be q good thing for Brooklyn? Many bright men in that section say it would and would wei come the change tomorrow. They want all that district west of the Naugatuck river. but some of them would be content by stopping at West Side hill and taking all the territory from that point west of the river southerly to the town boundary. The only thing to be adjusted, they claim. is the water question. and this could be easily adjusted by letting things ill that department remain as they are and charge rate payers in tue new town whatever price might be agreed upon for the use of the water, and in this way all the receipts from that source would go to Waterbury. Brook lyn would own the engine house and equipments on Washington avenue and the old fire house on Bank street would be converted into q police. sta- ton. A police force and fire depart- ment would have to be organized. The wise heads don't know whether the charter rights given to the trolley com pany years ago would hold in that territory under new government. but they feel confident that the luosr the company could get was tue use Of the streets opened when their charter rights were granted. The name suE- gestad for the new township is Mat tatuck. Whether the thing will amount to anything more than talk It would he hard to tell. but 1t is likely to cut quite figure in determining the result of the next election for state officers in Waterbury. We don't il- tend to make d leap in the dark. said a resident of that region to a reporter, s'nor thrust it down anyb0dy's throaf
 After talking the matter over thor oughly we intend to give all the rate payers in the district chance to vote on the question and if they dtsAt want it they will have chance to say So. For my. owu part. l believe that me money raised cfroaU ,dEe grand list lil that part of tlle town would maintain the place handsomely and I'm heartii! in favor of the change"
 People in other parts Of the town express indifference ou tue mattel but really few of them take it seri- ously and claim it is nothing but talk. One man said bc thought it would De n good thing for Waterbury and he IS sorry the residents didn't make move in that direction fifteen or twenty years ago. He considered 1t an expensive district and said It always will be so until every street over there is payel. If the owners of real estate beyond the river want to go it alone he wouldn't put straw in their way hui he had notion that at the pres eut time and for some years past they arc getting their share of the funds paid for public improvements. He didn't know whether the trolley con- pany Is using tfem right or not. but he couldn't imagine any condition which would put them in position where they would be able to compel the company to construct and operate ,.DoJs ,,hara they didn't want to.