The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-05

NFrom Our Special Correspondent
 Hartford, April 5.-The charter amendments proposed by the Taxpay- CTS League of Bridgeport came to hearing. yesterday afternoon, before the committee on Cities and Boroughs. Some dozen gentlemen represented the league. with Hon. John J. Phelan as chief spokesman. The opposition was represented by Aldermen Jack son and DeForest, representing the Common Council, and by Representa- tives Bent and Meltzer and Senators Paddock and McNeil, representing the City of Bridgeport in the General As sernbly. The last of the delegation, Senator Bartlett. is chairman of the committee on Cities and Borough.
 The advocacy of the league speak CTS was largely based upon the claim that the amendments were favored by the league. the Business Mems As Eociation and the Board of Trade of Bridgeport
 Aldermen Jackson and DeF'orest devoted sometime to riddling the claims thus made. It was said that the amendments never had been pass ed upon by the Business Mems As 'sociation. but that only A were pres ent at a meeting called to consider the legislation, and that seven of the 14 were against it. It was also brought out that a very small num- Board of Trade where the amend ments were considered and that they were finally referred to a special com Infttee. The very small attendance at the meetings of the Taxpayers Lea lgue were also referred to.
 Attorney John J. Phelan was first Entroduced by Jerome Orcutt, pres1- dent of the league for the purpose lof explaining that the league had lAgresd to withdraw its form of refer .endurn and accept the proposition for she poll of the people as favored by ahe Common Council. President Or rutt then introduced Mir. A. W. Bur- rftt. a member of the league and pres sdent of the A. W. Burritt Lumber Co, of Bridgeport who said he would briefly outline the purpose for which inc league was organized.
 MT. Burritt stated that the league had it's birth a little over a year ago and it came into existence to empha- size a protest in which considerable element of the tax paying population of Bridgeport joined because of an in crease of wages granted to the mem bers of the Bridgeport Fire depart rment. He said that perhaps it was only fair to say that the opposition which resulted in the leagues organi- nation was due to the manner in which the salaries were increased. The several civic bodies of Bridgeport, fhe Manufacturers association, the Business Mems Association and the Board of Trade, he said, had acted through committees and succeeded in securing the veto of the increase by the mayor. He said the matter un- fortunately happened just as one ad rninistration was going out of office and election was at hand. The incom- sng Common Council passed the mat fer over the mayors veto.
 Then followed a mass meeting at which the tax payers league was born He said it was non-partisan in every respect and it's membership rep resented from Is to IS millions of dol lars and it numbered 900 of which 100 were manufacturing concerns.
 He said the league contained prac- tically all of the independent voters of Bridgeport and spoke of the earnest work which was given to the proposed amendments to the charter and said that after a great deal of deliberation St was practically the unanimous Opin- don of the league that the present form of government with the proposed changes would prove more advan- -ageous than the newer or so-called commission form.
 Samuel E. Vincent said that what ever had been done whether wisely CT not by the Taxpayers league had been done with the best interests of
  tisan standpoint. He objected to the Eer1n "mongrel amendments'' as they caad been referred to by a member of rhe Common Council. Perhaps that rnay be the Council way of expression,
 He said the idea that like Venus the ideal form of government could come up out of the water down at Galveston where the commission form of government was born, and prove a
 
 politics seemed remarkable to the leagues committees that began to study this new form of governing the | municipality He said that wherever rhe commission form of government | had been tried the committee secured | charters and data and devoted a | great deal of earnest and intelligent | consideration to studying the prob | lerns of government by the cities.
 He said that out of all this study | were evolved the amendments which Ehey had proposed Instead of cloth i ing a few men, he said with great | power. as is the case under the con- | snission form it was the decided opin- | Son to continue our present form of | government. we don't believe, said he. ''that There Is much graft in the city gov ernment of Bridgeport. What we want is a change in our present char | ter 90 that we can give to our mayor authority as we'll as responsibility. | We went to clothe him with such nec- Rs<ary authority that if any of his zppointees in one of the departments | for which he is responsible. develop | shortcomings. we can go to him and | say, You are the manr and demand | a change.
 He favored leaving the regulating of the salaries of city employees to the city itself but in all cases favor cd the saIaries of the subordinates of | no department being raised unless the commissioners in charge of the de- rzrtInent give their approval. He =sfd that Galveston under the commits sion form of government is now hav- ing a lot of trouble and other munf- cipalfties that adopted the commits zion were having their troubles too.