The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-06-21

urday's town meeting and that held last fall upon practically the same is sue showed the change which public sentiment had meanwhile undergone. The fall meeting would not hear to the proposition for an overhauling of the town accounts, while Saturdays meet ing. although courteous and tolerant to the opposition, was immovably bent upon a full investigation. Of those conspicuous in last falls suppression movement by road roller methods only three showed up on Saturday. These ere James L. Blackman, his son Lloyd, and William A. Lounsbury. and they were leaders without a following. About 40 were present altogether. Among them was Treasurer w. IL Hill, wholly unruffled in demeanor and speech despite the circumstance that reversal of public feeling. In the en- tire range of the discussion MT. Hill was treated with the most delicate con- sideration. His failure for two years and until confronted with irrefutable evidence to account for $1.14 of tax receipts was alluded to in no harsher terms than "error", mistake" and discrepancy" In fact Selectman Pinkney went so far as to apologize for even mentioning the town treas urer's name. explaining that he was compelled to do so to answer clearly and completely a question addressed to him.
 A. G. Barnett was chosen chairman of the meeting and made an admirable presiding officer. w. E. Hagen acted as clerk. The principal resolution in troduced was one authorizing the Se- lectmen to secure expert accountants to go over the town accounts and other business records and giving them full discretionary power as to the nature and scope of the examination. It was further provided that the results of the investigation be embodied in a re- port which should be submitted to a town meeting with reasonable prompt ness.
 Lloyd Blackman started the discus sion with some remarks which caused the auditors to open their eyes and which suffered a. brief interruption from his being called to order by the chairman for profanity. Nothing abashed MT. Blackman went on to re- quest that the Selectmen enlighten him regarding the circumstances which had led them to call the meeting. He said that all he knew about it was de- rived from articles he had read in the papers, articles which he must char acteriZe as disgraceful and scurrilOus. They had done the town great deal of harm in the estimation of the out
 
 authority for the articles they had committed a serious impropriety. He was indeed inclined to think that it amounted to malfeasance in office.
 This remarkable outburst the Select men gave the attention it deserved by ignoring it altogether, with the excep- tion of the request for information. Acting by request as spokesman for the board MT. Pinkney proceeded to re- late with much dignity. urbanity and precision of speech what everybody al- ready knew. How the Selectmen in looking over the tax books to see how much was due the town-which indebt- edness proved to be about $9.000 on the 18th of February 1ast-had found a shortage. The years covered were 1902-3-4-5 and inclusive. In the case of one collector the shortage was for a trivial sum and was promptly paid. The principal shortage related to the three years during which Everet l. Gorham was collector. This amount ed to between $1.100 and s1.2O0. and the liability apparently rested upon MT. Gorham until he produced papers which shifted it to Town Treasurer Hill. MT. Pinkney's reference was to the two cancelled checks by the be- lated production of which MT. Gorham pulled himself out of the hole he had occupied and installed Town Treasurer Hill therein as his successor. The
 
 turned over to the town about s1, 200 in settlement. There remained for adjustment the sum of $405, represent ing difference between the credits the treasurer had entered on his own books and those entered by him on the books of ex-Collector Gorham. MT. Pinkney further said that the town should look to MT. Gorham for this s400 and that the latter. if aggrieved, had his remedy by collecting it from MT. Hill.
 W. A. Lounsbury inquired if the en- tire collections by MT. Gorham equal led the sums he had accounted for and this $400 in addition.
 MT. Pinkney replied that he could not then answer this question with en- tire certainty. A more complete in- spection of all the records would be required to determine the point. While he did not go further into the matter the Selectmen's reference was doubt less 10 the tax lien records. These bear a relation to the tax collectors s accounts and in them numerous errors have been discovered.
 J. l.. Blackman next expressed him. self in bland and soothing tones. He deprecated the agitation that was be- ing kept up over this matter, adding that # was not pleasant for a Bedding man when he went out of town to hear lis own town jeered at because of the
  was regrettable. it was outrageous that two of cur most honored citizens, men whose integrity and honor was above and beyond reproach. should be thus maligned. The hiring of experts he regarded as a needless expense. If the Selectmen were tired of the job they had undertaken why not appoint a committee of two or three of our own citizens to furnish the review of the town accounts and report to a future town meeting, along with suggestions looking to a betterment of methods. Such a committee might also be able to adjust amicably the sum remaining in dispute between MT. Hill and MT. Gorham. Such discrepancies as had been discovered were not uncommon in all kinds of business and were usu- ally adjusted without unnecessary fuss, friction or publicity.
 When MT. Blackman the elder, had finished. Mir. Blackman, the younger, offered as a substitute for the resolu- tion before the meeting one providing for the appointment of a committee of three citizens who should examine ac- counts and general conditions and set forth a plan for better bookkeeping methods. The resolution was harm less except, that. being offered as a substitute. it's adoption would have superseded the other resolution. An alert citizen pointed out this side tracking nature of the substitute and when put to a vote later it was de- feated.
 Its presentation. however, brought MT. Pinkney to his feet with the state ment that an improvement in book keeping methods was less needed than the doing of public business in accord ance with the law. "For example" " he continued, "a statute requires that