The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-03-04
ATTACKS CITY COUNCIL.
Refers to ex-Mayor HeTsey's Message
ard Traction Company Trouble.

Refers to ex-Mayor HeTsey's Message
ard Traction Company Trouble.
Editor Daily Times: The last day Of
our present honorable city council ii
with us. High ttibutes Of praise are III
order. This council has distinguished IT,
self for high legal ability high above,
the city charter, high above state law.
The city charter provides that no city
officer shall make d contract with the
city, that IS, he shall not do any bust.
ness with the city for his own gam.
But from the report Of the auditors we
learn that Mayor Barclay, owning
quarry. quarries and cuts stone there
from by contract for the city fire sta
ton An alderman owning a livery sta
bic furnishes teams to other aldermen
and other city officers to ride like gen
tlemen about the city, and charges the
bills up TO the city. The honorable con
tagion spreads. Other city officers are
honorably infected, A school commits
sioner owning an electric supply shop
furnished electric fixtures for the city
buildings and charges the same to Tie
city. The superintendent Of city water,
running hardware store, furnishes
hardware for the city water system,
%. KS his own bills and charges them
up to the city. The finance committee
approves all these bills and orders them
paid. The mayor draws warrants for
these bills, and the city clerk counter
signs them. The warrants then are ap-
proved hy the city council, or the affairs
signs them, and they are paid by the
city treasurer,
Still more; this council, through tile
city attorney, requests ex-Mayor HeTsey
to withdraw the Injunction which he
placed on the printing OF the city report
while he was mayor in 1909. lie com.
plies with the request. This leaves the
publishing Of the city report for the
year 1900 wholly at the will and plea.
sure OF the present city council What
soes this council dot Or what should it
doE The city charter provides that the
doings of the city council, or the affairs
OF the city generally, shall be published
each year, full and complete by the
council But instead Of this. this city
council leaves out the ex-mayors mes
sage of the year 1900, and publishes only
the rest Of the city affairs Of that year.
The city report, therefore, of that year,
as now published is garbled and mutt
lated. A most vital part is excluded.
No one can understand the doings Of
the city council of that year without
reading the mayors message OF that
year, That real page in the city's his
tory is hidden from the public eye The
city council might as well have left out
the doings Of the finance committee,
street commissioners, school commission
egs, or any other part. In publishing
this emasculated city report. therefore,
the mighty council comes down once more
with its great legal foot upon the city
charter. and smashed il 10 powder
Now, it is curious, at the same time,
to see what sharp eye this city council
keeps upon the Montpelier and Barre
electric railway company. II sees, or
imagines ii sees that this company is
not complying with the requirements OF
its charter Therefore, It thunders a big
resolution al this company, in which it
threatens to bring m injunction and
paralyze its whole rolling stock. Not
another car shall move on It's track Not
a spark OF electricity shall fly through
tLN AAN4lNNs AttNNNs AlitltiNAEs Nilt Utk 4
resolution is simply blowing OIL steam,
that company may at once prepare for
the crack Of DOOM Hold your breathl
Meanwhile it is easy TO see that, in |
sober fact, the electric railway company is |
all right. The fault is not IN the com
pany, but in its franchise That charter
is made Of rubber II stretches to suit |
circumstances. BY it the company ie
gally collects double fare. BY it the
company legally conducts all its other
business For its seeming faults, thank
the second ex-mayor Of the city, who
approved and signed the franchise
Therefore. if our city council will first /
east out the beam from its own eye, I
it may then more clearly see that there
is not even a mote in the eve of the /
electric company. But IT, in face Of the
real situation, our city council Is insane /
enough TO Commence a suit on the power I
and traction company, woe be unto itself (
That company will Immediately com I
mence countersuit against the city /
council for smashing its own charter. /
That doomed message of 1900 will rise /
like Banquo's ghost from It's oblivion /
to help the company and torment tne 4
cullcli' lNe tphHLetHllt oA totuNt VIII /
not be brought in our city court, The
parent body Of the council would have |
too many soothing plasters. The suit I
would be brought in United States dis
trict court The district attorney would /
snake our might city council bodily be.
fore the district Judge at Burlington
The only soothing plaster in that court
would Be the full extent of tho law I
fifty dollars fine and sis months inn
prisonment at hard abor for each mem
bcr Of the council.
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