The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-02-12

ter. because they were. successors of Nathaniel Greene. The Supreme Court agreed with them. The Citizens Wa ter Company, with it's charter from the Legislature and it's right of emil nent domain, were bowled out of court by the Supreme Court.
 "The Citizens Co. had to stop laying pipes and go out of business. Mind l you this Greene contract became a barrier to any one coming into Bridge 1 port and selling water, and it was l then 34 years old.'
 | MT. Phelan next read the opinion of | the Supreme Court, as written by
 Judge Pardee, and said it showed that | although 1t had been claimed that the l contract had become moss grown that l it has become moss grown with re- spectability.
 He continued: "There has been noth- ing new to change the provisions of 1 this charter since the decision of the 1 Supreme Court. The company is obliged to live under this charter. "In 1904 MT. Daniel Davenport, as 1 city attorney, gave an opinion. lie placed a great deal of faith in the Greene contract for he said that the l legislature had confirmed and recog- nized the grant.
 "The legislature could not destroy ] the charter to Nathaniel Greene, be- cause of the constitution of the Uni l ted States.
 To-day we find the same pr. I. De- Yer Warner embarked with the Bridgeport Hydraulic Co.,, who was with the Citizens Water Co.,, in 1886. He has made an admirable company out of the concern and benefited the city. He got into the Bridgeport Hydraulic Co. because the Greene contract forbid him from doing busi- ness with any other company" Next MT. Phelan paid glowing tribute to the masterful manner in which City Attorney Cullinan had
 served the city in the capacity of leg al adviser. Then he referred to the city attorneys opinion relative to the Toomey caSe,- in which he states that
 the city cannot make a contract for
 more than one year, and that any
 terminates at anytime the city should
 fail, or refuse, to appropriate the
 money for the same.
 Further MT. Phelan said: 'No harm
 can come to the city if the contract
 is broken, because the company would
 be obliged to operate under the
 Greene contract. If we fail to ap-
 propriate what happens? They must
 go on furnishing the city with water. If they do not their charter shall terminate and be forfeited. Now gen.
 tlemen they are not going to forfeit
 I claim we should not pay anything,
 for we have the New Haven contract
 to guide us. I say that believe we should be getting free water. we are the guardians of the pulp lie funds, the guardians of the peo- ple's money and I believe I would not be doing right by the people of
 Bridgeport if I voted to continue this contract.
 we ought to do our duty. I am not against the Bridgeport Hydraulic Co.,, but I want to give the city a square deal. If the Hydraulic Go.
 thinks it is entitled to a contract and not obliged to live under it's charter, if there is no contract, let them go into the courts and prove it. Let it be decided whether all of the things that have been said against this 20 year contract is clamor. Don't let us go on from year to year squabbiing
 over this matter. It means in tbe end the giving of a million dollars to this company and is it right that we jeopardize the rights of the people I leave it to you gentlemen to do fs you would with your own consc'- ences.''
 A. M. Cooper followed MT. Phelan saying that he believed the Miscel- laneouS committee was acting in the best of faith when it recommended the expenditure of $12,0O0 for water
  Fhelan for not appearing before the
 board at the public hearing on the
 matter. He next read all of the fig ures of the contracts between the
 water company and the city since 1882. At the bottom of the 1882 con- tract he read the name of MT. Phelan
 as one signing for the city. lie
 wanted to know about the allowing
 of the company to go on the tax list at certain figure at that time. The value of the water works at that time was given at $175.OO0. MT. Phelan informed MT. Cooper that the Bridgeport Hydraulic Co.,, would have been glad to have sold
 out in 1882 for S250, 1000. That [ was the rule at the time to list prop erty at one-third of it's value, MT. Phelan asked MT. Cooper if he
 knew of any company that was buy ing water in 1882 at cheaper rate
 than that given in the contract. The latter said he did not know of any. Mir. Cooper asked MT. Phelan if it took 2S years for. a lawyer to find the light how long he thought it was going to take a layman.
 MT. Phelan asked MT. Heating if