The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-11

| Alderman Eugene Meyer of the 11th district. the only alderman on the Re publican side of the chamber who re- fused to follow Mayor Lee in carrying out the car barn-harbor grab. had something to say. to-day. of the req sons which impelled him to continue to vote against the grab even though l all the other members of his side had yielded to the influence of the mayor. | or to one. or another of the many forms of pressure. or persuasion, that were brought to bear upon them. Incidentally it will be wei lenough to say at this point that 1t takes some | courage in an alderman to vote against the mayor and all of those subtle forces that are exerted to get him to vote against his oath of office and the peo- poration wants legislative favors that it ought not to have. The alderman who does it will generally find himself cut off from promotion. The machine will be against him. Nothing less than | a local political revolution can save him. For such a one is no fat berth with a water company. or a gas com pany. For him is no cosy appoint n1ent to some state. or county office. Wherever he turns for support with in the Jurisdiction of the machine he will be greeted with a sinister smile and softly told: You stood by the people; let the people stand by you" Full we'll the machine knows that the people forget.
 But to the subject. Said Alderman Meyer: You ask why I voted against the discontinuance of the City harbor lines? My answer is this.N When I en- tered the council I found most of the aldermen in favor of the city lines Without exception they were, think staunch supporters of Harbor Master Morris in that respect I live in a neighborhood where many oystermen are as we'll as many others who own boats. I found that these men. to a unit. were of the opinion that it would be a very serious blow to the harbor and to Bridgeport if the railroad plan were put through.
 Moreover I was familiar with the questions of the day. and [. knew that all over this country similar fights be- tween cities and railroad corporations were in progress. In Los Angeles the people were fighting the Southern Pac- icfic Railroad. That city wanted a free harbor. to preserve competition by water. The railroad wanted to stifle competition by water. All uD and down the Mississippi River the same thing was going on. The railroads were grabbing the water front The cities were, striving to get back what had been grabbed. tf .i
 .sMofeover I was familiar with the plans of the several powerful associa- tions organized to promote the inn provement of inland waterways. Not
 
 of Congressman J. Hampton Moore. delivered before the Board of Trade at its annual banquet. I believe. with him. that there will soon be a water way from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. that heavy freight will be moved almost entirely by water. as such freight now is in Germany. and that the result will be harbors filled with shipping that now have room to spare.
 Then there were the local interests asking me to vote against the gift. I cannot sympathize with those who sneered at the natural growthers.' These men have thousands of dollars invested. They own at least 200 vessels which are worth from $1, 900 to S3,O0o each. They are of one mind in the be- lief that the railroad project carries great injury to them and to their busi- ness. This belief was shared by the big growers. like the Radel Oyster Company and the Stratford Oyster Go. who represent several millions of dol lars of property. Neither did I fail to