The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-12

The little Joker has been born asain- The luIl in the harbor line con troversy is accounted for. It has been shown by The Farmer, and by the opinion of former City Attorney Jas. A. Marr, that the city is not held for damages under the new charter, m case 1t lays a harbor line.
 The friends of the railroad company want, the city to pay damages If the legislation to compel them to do so is missing, they will supply the omission Hence the rebirth of the little joker" !"
 The little joker'' first appeared in the batch of charter amendments sent out from the office of Mayor Lee, Feb. | It was a simple little thing.
 It provided for the insertion into Section 5S of the City Charter of the words "ffty-seven."
 "Fifty-seven'' is a section that re- dates to taking land for highways and similar purposes It provides TOT near fngs and for the payment of compen. sation. Such takings are takings of private property for which compensa- tion ought to be and must be paid.
 But the waters of the harbor are not the superior right of the United States to protect navigation. When the Unit ed States lays harbor lines over water it does not pay compensation. The state or GOuneCllCul ndS tu6 Sdlitc IlSIl that the Unified States has, the right to protect navigation. The State or Conneeticut can, and has. delegated it's power to the City of BridEeport. eixfits has the effect of withdrawing the power delegated by the state. 1t hal the effect of making the city pay damases.
 mayors office died the death. It ney- er. came before the council. Its un- timely demise and secret burial were never explained. except by the brief vas a -tclericaI error-" A clerical error'' that might cost the city thous- ands of dollars.
 On Feb. 8, the Farmer said that the .1itue ioker,' would appear again ga n prophecy has come true.
 The s'little joker's new name is House Bill 51s, now in the hands of the clerk of the Committee on Cities and Bor- oughs, Hartford
 It differs from the original "little joker,' only in this. In the original, s.ffty-seven" was inserted after "hf. ty-six-" In the new little joker ,, 7, sshfty-seven'' is inserted in place of ss.fifty-five" The effect is the same.
 House Bill 519 was introduced by Representative Clark of this city. MT. Clark says that his object is to provide for public hearings; In this case it O. to offer an amendment that will pro- vide for public hearings and for noth- ing else.
 The little joker'' and the reincar- mated little ioker'' provided and pro vide for nice little payments of the money of the taxpayers of this city.
 Through it this city, by it's represen- tative, says to the legislature of this state: ''The United States Govern ment has power to protect navigation and has exercised it to our hurt. The State of Connecticut has power to pro- tect navigation and has conhded it to undo the injury the United States Government has done us. Now we want you to take away the powers %ou have given us. We want you to destroy the power of self-protectlon which we have Sexerc1sed, or II we choose to exercise it, we want you, the state, to make us pay roundly for the prfvffege."
 The question arises. whose servants are they that the voters of this city elect to office?