The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-10-29
MAYOR LEE ATTEMPTS ANSWERS

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 people look at the smaller sum and
 ignore the larger. | MT. Buckingham demands the in
 vestigation of the Electro Light com pany. and will use all his official pow
 CT if he is elected in favor of the in- vestigation, for the purpose of secur-
 ing proper taxation of the property.
 and a., for feqI1 the purpose o,1T77r.r,oN of;T TN,
 NOTES FOReTIE BENEFIT OF PRI-
 VATE CONSUMERS. | The mayors answer to the question. "Is all the tax equalization y9u have
 accomplished like your equalization of
 the taxes of the electr light com pany,'' is a frivolous evasion. He at l tempts to show that certain items of the grand list are larger than they
 were four years ago. which is perfect l ly correct but not an answer. l Do the homes pay taxes which the gas, electric. light and water mono polies ought to pay? Are any of the 1 large holders of property taxed less taxed more? Homes and the lands carry more than fve-eighths of the
 tax burden of the city. Other property l is under valued millions of dollars. Homes and lands pay from one-half to one-third more taxes than they should. If the mayor denies these things let him tell the voters this: | WHY DID THE STATE BOARD
 OF TAX EoUALIzATdoM Az FIND FIT IT !, GRAND LIST ss.0o0, COOP"
 Is it the homes that are valued at $6.0 900 too little. or Is 1t the mono
 poiies, the ''big' interests that are lodging taxes on that $6 0o0 900? l. In response to the question relative to the Congress street bridge the may or replies that the construction of the l bridge is in the hands of a state conn
 mission and that he has nothing to do with it. Why then has he in all his speeches claimed all the credit con- nected with the work. a f6 If the mayor alleges that he makes the sun shine. he should not deny that i he makes the rain fall and the rich. deep mud.
 The mayor says again that the Elec- tric Light company tore up Main street without his knowledge. or consent Why didn't he know? Day after day the Farmer protested against the in dignity that was thus done to the city. Why didn't he stop the work and de- mand redress for the affront to him. self and to the people of Bridgeport? :? Is it because he didn't want to? l And as toi the permission that he gave to the Conneeticut Company, the
 mayor offers two reasons. He implies that the Common Council would have
 granted the permit. But the Common Council had refused it. And it would vene the council It is the mayors
 dusy tS obey the law and enforce it. He is not to violate the law. nor usurp the law, for any reason. What is the mayors second reason for his outrageous violation of duty. He says 1t would have taken the com pany six months to get new centers. and that he was afraid Main street would be torn up all that time. But
 Main street is now torn up from Gold
 en Hill street to Gilbert street. It is
 to remain torn up. not six months. but
 longer: all winter and far into the
 spring.
 The permission that he gave covers but 102 feet of Main street he says.
 If the mayor was willing to defy
 public sentiment. and override the law and the council to get 102 feet of Main street paved, how many laws would he be willing to violate. how much would he outrage public sentiment and
 what would he do. to get the rest of
 Main street eompleted ga<ss %e.-s Do the people want their streets
 paved with broken, laws or with the
 materials which are customarilv used
 This newspaper believes that this
 question will be determined on Nov. 2
 in a manner which the mayor will per-
 fectly understand.