The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-19
Republican Minority More Concerned in Effort to Spank Mayor, Than in Preserving Cty's Mghts=-Four Democratic Aldermen Vote For Railroad ine==DemoCratiC Major ity Compelled to Vote With Rebellious Re- publicdns For "Ten=eleyenths'' Compromise, as the Best That Can be Had Under the Circumstances.

The Republican minority, consisting
 If Aldermen Bullard, Gould, Zink Meyer and O'Conneli arranged a compromise" on the harbor line, last might, which was at the same time in- itended to be a spanking for Mayor Lee. As a spanking, it was a com- lplete success. As compromise Il Twas a failure, being only less of a icomplete surrender to the railroad Icompany than the plan advocated by tthe ofT1cial head of the city govern 'nent.
 ! Between the city line and the new government line there lies almost :. eleven acres of harbor area, every j. acre of which will in the long future, be worth its dimensions in gold. Un- der. the Bullard compromise, devised by the Republican minority, ten of these acres go to the railroad com pany. A scant acre is saved to the
 1t is. 4connpromise" in which the railroad gets ten-elevenths of the thing in dispute.
 The ..'compromise' was put through . by i've Republicans, with whom voted seven Democrats. A strange situa- ton developed, when the council was convened and ready, to take up the harbor line.
 It was found that Mayor Lee had gained snot the three Democrats, he had openly claimed for some days, but four. Conner, the 18th member of the Democratic side, was at home, sick.
 This left the Democratic minority of seven absolutely helpless.
 For them 1t was either the total sur- fad hxy Inc Y1oa the ten- -elevenths surrender advocat- ed by Alderman Bullard and the four other rebellious Republicans.
 The Democratic majority decided i that 1t would be better to save even an. acre, and voted with the Republi- can minority, instead of standing pat for the city line.
 Alderman Bullard's resolution calling for the establishment of the compro- mise line was offered as an amend nlent to the harbor committees re- port, which favored the disestablish- ment of the city line, and recommend ed a hearing upon the establishment of a line which would be co-incident with the Federal line. The vote for the compromise amendment and for the adoption of the committees report as amended were the same, 12 to Il.
 Those voting for the amendment were; Bullard, zink, Meyer, Oconnell'
  honey. O'Neill, Griffin, Carroll, F'inlan and Thomas Democrats.
 Those who favored the government line were Cassidy, Near, Brock and FTague, Democrats: Wilson, Wilder, Hartley, Bertilson, Fletcher, Primrose, Feyrer.
 The vote was received in silence by the spectators. Few of those present realized how completely the city had abandoned it's rights. An immense amount of work was done among the aldermen, yesterday, to get support for the government line. Saturday the best political information avail able gave the mayor and the railroad only one Democratic vote, that of AL derman Tague. But as Cassidy, Near Brock and finally Tague voted with the mayor, it was seen how thorough Iy the work of the missionaries had been performed, and how difficult it is for 6 city to protect itself from the inroadS of compact determined and selfish private corporal tiOn.
 Twice during the meeting did the Re- publican aldermen refuse to respond to the crack of the party whip, when the mayor ruled motions emanating from the Republican side out of order Each time an appeal was taken from the de- cision of the chair and each time the appeal was sustained to the apparent discontinue of the mayor.
 But the overriding of his decision. was nothing compared to the set back he received from his own side of the~ house when he announced that the compromise line could not be estab- lished without public hearing.
 Here Alderman Gould informed the body of a new change in the 1907 charter. which was purposely tinker ed to differ from the former charter, or was another example of charter bung- ling. Gould informed the council that the hearing it had held upon the disestablishment of the harbor line was not necessary, as the charter pro- vides that the council can establish lines without hearing.
 Long arguments followed in which the city line was forgotten by it's champions on the Democratic side who went to the support of the com- promise line with the realization that It was the best that could be done Tn the interest of the city against the defection of four Democratic mem pers It was the government line against the compromise line.
 seventeen aldermen voted against the decision of the mayor in Alderman Builardss- appeal. Bullard claimed the right to recommend the substitution of a resolution for the report of the harDor committee. Alderman Gould supported his colleague by reading section 21 of the rules of procedure of the council.
 Alderman Bullard in offering his res- olution said that after the hearing of December 2. at which there were many