Norwich bulletin., 1909-07-07
Literary Exercises Of Celebration

still novel state agency; IL existed
mainly to give its Inhabitants better
roads, sidewalks, police and fire pro-.
lection than they enjoyed under a town
management By mistake, too large a
territory was included in the original
city of Norwich. 1t was difficult for
the uptown dwellers. to secede-that
could only be authorized by the gem
eral assembly. The petitions for change
OF city lines, presented in 1927, disclose
Rdisputes which the general assembly,
under the present constitution and
laws, must unfortunately decide. A.
controversy over local matters is never
so destructive to the peace and prog
ress of the community interested as
when taken before the state legisla-
ture. Is there any reason, for instance.
why Norwich should not have the right
to manage it's private affairs, as dis
tinct from its public duties. on the
Galveston or Newport plan, or to fol-
low any other new idea in city gov
eminent, If it so desires?
Another Disadvantages.
Universal suffrage on questions
where a city is acting in a private
capacity is another disadvantage.
Funds must be provided by the tax
payers, although the control of an
election may be with persons having
no pecuniary interest in the result.
Wen studied and general legislation
providing for larger local control of
the private affairs of local commune
ties. and restricting the right of de-
cision on such matters to property
owners, is today one of the greatest
needs of American cities.
The memorialists of 1888 spoke of
the late war;" We must confess that
the results, of the war were not as
ruipous as the petitioners stated. To
be sure, Norwich had given freely of
her substance and men in the long con-
test: Samuel Huntington, in the Con-
tlnental congress- at one session its
president-and some day proper de-
tense of that congress viii be written:
it has suffered too long the sneers Of
hostile critics; Joseph Trumbull, dying
for his country as Loyalty as If on the
battlefield; Jabez Huntington, the fa-
Their, at home rushing men and Sup
plies to the ever changing fighting
line; and his sons, Jedediah, Joshua
and Ebenezer, in the field, and Andrew
as commissary at home-Jedediah a
brigadier general, Ebepezer a colonel.
And we must not forget Chaplain Ellis,
the two captains James Hyde. Cap
tains Nevins, Jedediah Hyde, Simeon
Huntington and Elisha Prior, or Dr.
Turner, the beloved and untiring ply
sician and surgeon, or the two broth
ers. Christopher and Benajah Letting
we'll We ought not to pass by others
equally brave and efficient: but the
name of Benjamin Huntington stands
among them almost eminent He
was not1at the battlefront, but in. mat
tiers of Service at home, in the general
court, as agent of the town--in all
things most sensible and helpful. Nor
witch owed him much during the Revo-
luton, and more later.
Location a Protection.
But Norwich was protected during
the war by her location. Her position
also gave her a good chance for pri-
watering and blockade running Jede-
diah Huntington's letters to his father
from the army show that even his alb
sence did not present him from joining
eagerly in that dangerous game. With
the treaty of peace came the CONNER
cial opportunity of Norwich The
West India trade fiourished briskly
Horses, mules, sheep and swine were
carried between and on decks by thou
sands. One wonders where they all
went to. Each issue of the Connecti-
cut Courant of those days. calls for
"sprightly" or '1ivelys young horses,
and hard money would sometimes be
offered in exchange and profits rose
by bounds. Indeed, Connecticut was so
much engaged in money making after
the war and before the Constitutional
convention that 1.-THE necessity for a
more stable form of national govern
ment was not as apparent to US as to
some of our neighbors When Ellis
worth hurried from philadelphia with
out signing the instrument which he
and his Connecticut colleagues had
been so instrumental in framing he
found a general assembly very indif-
ferent to his persuasions But Con-
recticut was federalist to the backbone.
Roger Sherman in New Haven, the
Wolcotts in Litchfield, the Champions
in Colchester William Samuel johnson
in Fairfield, Ellsworth in Hartford, the
Trumbulls and Huntingtons in Norwich
the state was under an oligarchy in
deed; and so it continued until the all
lance of liberation and democrats
finally overthrow it.
How incomprehensible 1t was to an
old fashioned federalist to see Norwich
follow strange gods is shown by a let
ter of my great-grandfather which I
found the. other day. He-was writing
to his SON: THE result of the election
(April 1870 you know. Democrats are
on tiptoe. What they will attempt
when the legislature meets no one can
tell. think in Governor Wolcott thew
have got Tartan and will not find
him exactly the man they wish" What
the democrats attempted and carried
through was the state constitution of