The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-24
SUBSTITUTE LIGHTS FOR
 THE FOURTH FIREWORKS
Committee Proposes to H. illuminate Green During
 July.
HEARING LAST NIGHT
Merger of Fourth Features With Illumination for
 Eagles Field Day.

Two separate and distinct special committees were appointed by the board of aldermen to consider. one the petition of the local aerie Fraternal Order of Eagles, for city illumination of the green similar to that arranged 1 for the Knights of Columbus conven- tion last year. and the other the expen- dtture of the city's appropriation for the l Fourth of July. But the committees were somehow made one when the pub lie appeared last evening for the public 1 hearings, and Aldermen Homan, Loos Dtckerman, McKerness, Russell, Town shend, Nathanson and Curtiss were present in the aldermanic chamber The committees decided to merge inter- ests and consider proposition to elim- irate the customary Fourth of July fire works display of the city and to illum- mate the central green for the Fourth, and keep the illumination through the rest of the month until after the Eagles field day, July p It is pro- posed to have band concerts one night week by the city and to conclude with the two concerts arranged for by the Eagles on July 20 and 22.
 Martin J. Gray, of the Eagles exec utive committee. opened the campaign for the illumination. He stated that the event marked the fifth anniversary Of Eagledom in the state and the con- mittee was doing all in its power to make the affair a great success. No canvass is being or will be made of the local merchants for support. He set l the figures of the visitors expected that day at about 6O,0O0.
 Sergeant of Police Doherty, who is to be marshal of the Eagles parade l told of the feature of the day. He stated that he expected 5000 men in I line and he thought it would be the finest parade New Haven had ever wit messed. The out of town delegations will all appear in unique uniforms add ing to the splendor of the procession. 1 William c. Dickinson appeared to protest against spending the entire ap- 1 proprlatlon of the city for the Fourth on fireworks Asked if he was in favor of fireworks he replied that he was only when other things had been arranged 1 for and other money.4was left He sIg gested public meeting on the green, / with reading of the constitution and addresses He suggested that about $15O out of the $500 be expended for py- rotechnics.
 Asked If he would favor an illumina- ton with band concerts, he said: Band concerts are failure They usually consist of a contest between large policeman with small mobility and small boys with large ability to hurdle over people who desire to hear the mu- sic'
 !, pr. Frank Wright appeared in favor of the illumination. He said he was not an Eagle but was in favor of en- oouraging conventions of this character and he hoped the board would grant the requests. He said he never did be- heve in fireworks for the city.
 T. w. Kelliher of Providence, Wil- liam J. Corbin, James J. Grady and F l J. Conlon of this city, addressed the committee in favor of the proposition.
 William Costello scored the city for l lack of enterprise in affairs of this kind. New Haven,'a he said, lis thousand years behind the times It will never get out of the rut If it doesn't wake up sometime. Other ci- ties don't haggle over $1,000 for such events. They regard the expenditure as a business proposition. New Ha- ven should make this appropriation to show that it has walked up for once. I consider $1,O0O a miserable sum for city of this size to appropriate for such an event"
 The opinions of several of the speak CTS were asked by the committe on the plan elimenating the fireworks. Most of them thought that the city could handle both propects, but that if not