Norwich bulletin., 1910-10-01
An Ex-Governor and an Ex-Mayor Get
After Mahan
ALL EFFICIENT CRACKSMEN
Change, in the New London Telegraph - Charles H.
Thompson Assumes Charge-Exciting Political Con-
tests Probable Among the Republicans-The Demo-
are Showing Signs of Life.

The city meeting of the present week
was a reminder of the old days when
it was considered the event of the year
and the people assembled in the old
courthouse more to hear Thomas M.
Waller, and some others of prominence
who have since died, talk on two af-
fairs and indulge in personalities, than
they did to consider the size or the
significance of the annual budget of
appropriations. Mr.. Waller was at the
annual meeting last Monday and he
was there in his war paint and toma-
hawk, just as he was nearly half a
century ago a recognized leader and
whose every word had weight with the
majority. He has often been known to
be in the minority at the start of a
meeting but to be on top by a large
majority before the adjournment was
reached. He has the faculty of get
ting on the winning. on the right side,
in most city meetings.
He was the leader, with ex-Mayor
George F. Tinker. in opposition to the
budget as recommended by the court
of common council, and these two ex-
mayors prepared a little budget of their
own. Their appropriations were with
in the regular sixteen mills tax limit
while the council budget carried with
it tax rate of eighteen and one-h half
mills. In the general discussion and
cross-firing it was Mayor Mallan in
defence with Messrs. Waller and
Tinker as leaders of the attacking
party. The mayor fought the two
trained Gladiators single handed, exA
cept in a single instance when he
called Alderman Miner to the firing
line, to explain in detail one of the
items in the budget, with which the
alderNaan was familiaf~
MAJ, L
fired and the ex-nayor and OK gov
ernor certainly did hit the mayor some
hard cracks, but the mayor came back
in good form as the governor and made
an occasional side swipe at ex-Mayor
Tinker. This did not take we'll with
the voters assem- bled AS Mr.. Tinker
has always been a consistent worker
for the best interests of the city and
his sincerity and honesty has never
been doubted by his fellow citizens.
Years ago, when a member of the
council, Mr.. Tinker was styled the
watch dog of the treasury and he
has never lost the right to that en-
viable title. He. believes in running
the affairs of the city on as safe a
basis as running a private business,
and Mr.. Tinker has proven himself a
success as a business man. What
money he has came to him by hard
work and good business judgment and
no man in the city has been more
generous in giving. it for, the public
good. To tell What he did here it
would preclude the subject matter
under consideration.
1t was the first city meeting in the
remodeIed courthouse and the general
result was satisfying to the public as
q whole. Had Mayor Mahan a sup
porter or two of the Waller and Tinker
type. the fight would have been more
even and perhaps with different re-
suit. The mayor is q fighter from
Fayetteville but he was er-matched
in that contest He aimed to make ex-
tensive and immediate improvement to
the city and proposed to raise the
money right away TO pay the bills.
Had he worked the old game and asked
for the appropriations without maxim e
reference to the rate of taxation the
budget would probably have slipped
through without suspicion. Such things
have been done, and the reckoning OF
the cost was an after consideration.
1t was one of the few times when
Mayor Mahan made miscalculation in
the action of the city meeting there
will be way found TO carry ON public
improv ements and there will be no
sliding backwards in that respect dur
ing the present administra ton. Leave
that to Mayor Mahan!
While there was general opposition to
the methods adopted by Mayor Mahan
in regard to general improvements he
was only mildly criticised and there
was no advance newspaper conder-
nation or any thing of that kind. The
public. and the press dealt leniently
with him believing that his only aim
was the lettering of the general con-
dition of city affairs and city manage
ment. But suppose his predecessor,
ex- Mayor Benjamin L. Armstrong had
done just What Mayor Mahan did,
simply that and nothing moreo Well,
what's the use?
Every move that Mayor Arm strong
made, no matter how commendable, it
was made the occasion of vicious at
tack in the press and like action on
the part of the leaders in his own
party from which he took tenn orarily
the lever that controlled the party ma
Chine. Ii was this opposition to May
Armstrong and the feeling it created
that resulted in a democratic nominee
defeating the republican nominee for
the mayoralty as much as anythin e
else
AS time goes those, who aided in tho
defeat of some of Mayor Arms strong S
ideas of q business administration are
beginning to realize that the young
mayor was 'oftener right than wrong,
and that mistake was made III not
giving him the support his measures
deserved. 1t is q noticeable fact that
the reforms he inaugurated in regard
to the general accounts of the depart
ments of the city have not been dis
carded or even modified. Had Mayor
Armstrong been given half show and
not had party stumbling blocks set in
his pathway at every step, his we'll
managed administration, under serious
disadvantages. would now be held UP
as a model worthy of enlulaton He
did his best to give the city business
administration and the people, that is
some of them, are just beginning to
find it out. He had habit of look
ing before he leaped and was evidently
a believer of the Davy Crockett saw:
BE sure you're right; then go ahead
There is to be another change in the
management of the New London Tele :
graph that has been for a long time on
the down grade from evident lack of
ma ma cement and llnfa miliarity with
With the making OF y newspaper. This
paper has had a varied career during
the past twenty i've years and has
probably undergone more changes In
management. especially during the pas
nine years. than any other newspaper
In existence and survived. On more
than one occasion in that period it al
most made final gasp. but seemed to
recover efficiently to maintain life.
During the past year or more the
paper seemed to be without 2 helms J.
M and ttared anoiIt nm tl1e iot1r,,1