The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-01-04

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| Justice Human life is without price
| Its value to the possessor is incalcul-
| able, and the interests of society IN
| general seenDbetter protected when a
| limit is set by law to the damages
| that can be adjudged for causing its
| loss.
Election of County Commissioners.
| Our system of appointing county
commissioners by the general assem-
bly, has little to recommend it. Its
natural result is the appointment fol
| each county of those who may be
named by the members of the assem-
bly, from that county belonging to the
dominant party in the legislature.
| renew the recommendation of Govern
or Morris in his inaugural message in
| 1893 that these important officers be
| chosen by the electors in each county
under a scheme for securing minority
| representation, either by allowing nc
one to vote for more than two or by
resort to the plan of cumulative vot
| ing.
| Appointments to Minor Judgeships.
Similar objections apply to our mode
Of appointing the judges Of city, po-
lice, borough and town courts. I re-
new the Recommendation Of Governor
! Woodruff in his inaugural message of
1907 that no person be appointed to
| any of these offices unless he has been
nominated by the governor.
Removal Of Inferior Executive Officers.
Under our constitution "the supreme
executive power Of the state is vested
1 b. Ii
duty to take care that the laws be
| faithfully executed"
| The chief magistrate of common
wealth, acting under such commits
sion from the people, ought to have,
in my judgment, such powers of re-
moval of inferior executive officers
| who do not hold for term prescribed
by the constitution as may enable him
to discharge his trust with full effi-
cheney.
I recommend such legislation as Will
authorize the governor to remove at
| his discretion for what he deems rea-
sonabIe cause, after giving an opp.
tunity for hearing before him, an.
executive officer not chosen by popu
lar election, including such as are ap
| pointed by courts. Amy vacancy 81
| occasfoned would, Of course, be fllet
| by those in whom was vested the orig
inal power of appointment.
| Civil Service Reform.
| The state now employs in its differ
ent Departments, bureaus, Offices an,
institutions a very large number o
clerks and other subordinate agent
and helpers. In the case of many O
these positions it would be a safe
| guard to the public interests if ap
| pointments were conditioned on merit
| To attain this end civil service exami
| nation methods are necessary.
| To secure the proper Introduction o
this system into the state I recon-
| mend the establishment of state civi
| service commission to serve withou
! pay other than compensation for thei
| expenses, but with power to employ I;
| salaried secretary, who shall also bt
chief examiner
Authorizing Municipal Bonds by Gen
| eral Laws.
In my opinion the general assembly
would be saved much unnecessary
| trouble and the interests Of our town
and municipal corporations promoted
were they allowed by general stat
| ute to borrow money by the issue Of
bonds for certain specified purposes
and within the limit Of certain per
centaee Of their respective grand lists
! Such purposes should be the making
of public improvements of a perma-
nent nature, or the refunding Of out
standing obligations previously con-
tracted for making such improve
ments; and in each case the Attorney
General should certify that the pur-
pose is of that character. The issue
| OF, such bonds should be approved by
| the selectmen or other governing au-
thority. Of the municipality, as the
| case may be, and also by two-thirds
Of the voters, voting at meetings spe-
| cially warned.
1 Aviation.
| The rapid progress Of the art of avia
ton during the past few years calls
for new legislation. Flying machines
and, though to less extent, dirigible
balloons put in, danger all over whom
they sail. The force of gravity against
which they must always be contend
ing makes them a constant source OF
peril to person and property.
1t is not improbable that they will
be used before long as regular mode
of transportation between distant
places, and already they are frequent
| ly directed through the air in connec-
ton with public exhibitions or by way
| ct experiment
| recommend the passage of a stat
| ute providing for their registry in the
| Office of the town clerk i'm each town
| in which Que is owned. forbidding
their use for flights within this state
unless in charge of some one approved
| by competent authority as capable of
directing their course with due skill
and care and making the owner, les
| see or charterer liable for all damages
resulting from any voyage in one
without proof of negligence or fault
in its management. Whoever ventures
into the air in so dangerous a vehicle
Of transportation should do so at his
own risk. The authority to approve
the fitness Of the person put in charge
should be designated in the statute
and might not appropriately be the
superintendent Of the state police.
It would probably be unwise, with
our present limited experience, to at
tempt to provide any full system of
regulation. Two European confer