The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-27
MORRISSEY
 FIGHTS FOR
 REFERENDUM
Debates With Mayor Question as ito Rights
 of Electors.
Believes That Public Works Commission at Least Should Have Sanction of the People After its Adoption by General Assembly - Fire Department Gets Provision for Assistant Chief.

The feature of the session of the was the fight put up by Former Alder man Morrissey for the submission o1 the proposed amendments to the peo. pie. There was quite debate between the mayor and MT. Morrissey. in which the mayor picked out certain minor matters connected with the amend. ments. and asked if 1t was necessary to submit them to the people. wh le MT. Morrissey pointed out that the mayors public works scheme is a fal reaching change in the methods o1 conducting city affairs. which certainly ought to be approved by the voters before it becomes a law.
 It is probable that at the next meet ing of the committee MT. Morrissey will submit plan by which only inn portant changes need go before the voters. and not then unless a sufficient number of voters signify their desire to have submission.
 It is regarded as certain that the amendments will not get away from tached to them. inasmuch as Senator Arnold is pledged to that program. and it is the policy of the legislature to permit the voters in the cities to have a voice before their fundamental law is altered.
 No definite action was taken by the committee upon the amendments to the sections relative to the pensions of firemen and policemen as proposed by Alderman John H. Tague. It was 'deided to let the matter go over until the meeting to be held next Thursday night. The alderman's chief opposition to the present law is that the commis- sioners can pension anyone after 20 years of service. He desires to take the discretionary powers from the commissioners.
 Former Alderman John J. Morrissey who is a member of the committee. ex- pressed an opinion at the meeting that the police and fire departments should each have representatives upon the committee. He did not feel that the city had absolute say in the matter. when the pension funds were being built up by the members of the de- partments and it was with their own money. and the only way the city was interested was that it guaranteed to stand back of the pension. providing anything unforeseen should happen and more men should be disabled than the money contributed by the men could provide for. MT. Morrissey was in- clined to look upon the pension laws as an agreement between the city and the members of the two departments He believed if new contract was go- ing to be made the firemen and police men should have something to say about the proposition they were going to put their money into.
 The proposed amendment relative to the fire department was decided upon after some discussion. The committee will not recommend a permanent clerk allows one assistant chief out of the two asked for. and will give the fire commissioners absolute control over the location of hydrants and fire alarm boxes.
 MT. Morrissey stated there were some Of the proposed amendments wh oh he believed should be referred to the peo- pie. The mayor asked if he thought that the change which would not make it obligatory on the mayor to preside over the sessions of the tax board at which he is present should go to the people: or whether the measure doing away with the jaw making 1t neces- sary to file certificates of a'dermanic nonoina tons should be decided by the referendum.
 The former alderman from the Eighth told the mayor that he was taking unimportant measures to make his comparisons and said he thought the creation of public works comnis- sion by the mayor should go to the people. He said that it was plan to take away some of the powers of the Board of Aldermen.