The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-28
Are City Departments Now Conducted by Thieves and Grafters, and If so Who Are They?

and GrdfterS, ana H so
 Who Are They?
 Some Pertinent Questions for
 Mayor Lee to Answer =
 Does He Believe That He is
 the Last Honest Man in Of
 flee, and the Last Mayor
 Who Will Appoint Honest
 Men To Office?
 The first half of Mayor Lees admin sstratdon having been distinguished by the vigorous fight he has put up to keep the people from getting the har- ebor ltns they want, and which the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad does not want, is evidently to be dis tinxuished in its latter half by an at- tempt to save the Bridgeport Hydrau- lie Company from municipal owner shin.
 At present the municipal ownership question is not before the people. 1t will not come before them until legisla- stion Is secured of such nature that they can vote and make their will op- teratiye, if their vote is in the affirma- tivs. For four years the activity of activity of the lackeys of those corpo- rntions in office, has prevented the pas- sage of such legislation.
 The mayors views upon municipal ownership are unfmportant at this time, because they are premature.
 Does he. believe that majority of the voters have a right to have muni- cipal ownership if they want it? Does he believe that they are entitled to laws that will permit their wills to be expressed; or does he believe that a single monopoly is entitled to prevent the passage of such laws, and entitled to the help. of the city government to that end?
 It is conceivable that there are some ,rvhD do not believe in municipal own erAllip, but who do believe that the people should have the power to de- clare themselves upon this, or any oth- CT question:?
 How does the mayor stand? : Already he has demanded of the charter revision committee a change in the proposed legislation, which requires larger proportion of the vote to ac- Qulre the Hydraulic company than it d0es tc elect a president of the United ss.sI Iln. ..nsaxor was elected to his office by a majority of those voting for him.
 Does he believe that a majority of the people so voting were wise in choosing him, or that they were fool iSf17 R
 The man who has plurality of votes for Governor is elected. The man who has the plurality of the elect ! ors is chosen President of the United States. The Fundamental law of Con- nectfcut Is the fundamental law by virtue of the votes of the majority who balloted upon it's acceptance. When did the purchase of water company, leven with the elimination of the pub lie scandal and corruption of half century, become as important a public duty as any of these things?
 But those who favor public owner ship ef public utilities, and especially .of the water company in this city, :ers upon this question, have assented Ito . requirement of a majority of {, all the persons voting, and this is still mot enough and from Hartford, upon the same day that his honor's voice is iraised against public ownership of the Question can come up, comes the tanonymous voice of Senator, whose tname is. no secret, to the effect that inc win require a large majority of all the. voters, not a majority 7 Plainly these things are not in the !, interest of the people. They are the desperate devices of desperate monop- ;olists to hold on as long as they can Ito their monopolies.
 I Saving the people from themselves tts a dangerous amusement in these sdays
 ~ A-
 "Another objection" saws the May TOT, A"is that the opportunity for polit- sfcal graft is too great" [ Tn other words, the Mayor says that tthe servants whom the people elect will tbe thieves.
 means. Are there any thieves in of Ffice under him, contaminating his ad- Tninistration?
 If so, where are they? Are they in the Fire Department? A fire depart ment is a more complex institution than a water company. It employs more men, uses more mechanism.
 Are the grafters in charge of the School Department? If so, who are they? The school department is a much more complex business than the water business
 Mayor Lee knows that there are no grafters in the school department. nor in the fire department.
 It is not denied that occasionally the city pays more for something than a private person might pay, but this s'rnore" is a mere bagatelle to what the city would have to pay to private gen. tlen1en in the way of interest and divi- dends if it's affairs were turned over to them.
 If the board of education is not run by thieves if the sinking fund is con- dlicted by honest men: if the fire de- partment is not robbed by those who manage it, how can the mayor claim that none but robbers. thieves and grafters could be found to manage the water works?
 What is there about water that is so tempting to thieves?
 Are the public water works of Hart ford. Meriden. New London. New Britain. Danbury and Waterbury man. aged by grafters? If they are not, does the mayor claim that honest men can be found in all of those Connect1- cut cities. and in others. to conduct water works. but not in Bridgeport.
 For. MT. Mayor all of these cities own their own water works.
 NO nrst. no second no third. nor 1olrths class city in the United States, nave permitted their water works to remain in private hands
 DO you claim Mir Mayor that the water works of all the irnportant cities Tyv kI1> I%