The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-06
MANY DISGUSTED PROPERTY OWNERS UP IN ARMS OVER ATTITUDE OF SOME ALDER MEN AND CITY OFFICIALS.

Nothing but political pigheaded-
 ness,'' said E. M Jennings of Jennings
 garage today, in discussing the action
 of the Common Council last night
 when resolution which would have
 remedied the Fairfield avenue situa-
 tion, was voted down. 'Tt, is plainly
 the result of petty politics." he con-
 tinued, becoming more and more dis 1 gusted as he thought the matter oyer
 Those fellows simply voted that way because they are afraid; they are
 afraid that they will lose their politi-
 cal faces. One of the leading men of that element, if not the very one who leads the rest said to me that he l would vote for the withdrawal of the
 suit against the trolley company if he
 wasn't afraid of the black head lines
 that might appear in the papers, con demningi him for giving the trolley
 company what it wanted, The action
 of those who voted against that reso- 1 lution last night was simply and who'll l ly for political effect. Nearly every one, I dare say. put himself first and l the city'S interest second, l MT. Jennings is chairman of a conl-
 mittee of five which has been selected l by the business men of Fairfield ave- nue to take up the matter of getting 1 the city government to do something 1 toward having Fairfield avenue paved. l This committee, MT. Jennings explain l ed, went over the matter thoroughly. l It had the vice-president of the Con-
 necticut company, the city attorneys and others before it and satisfied it. self that the only thing for the city to l dd was to withdraw it's suit on the ten l foot center matter from the courts so l that the paving could be started. Af- 1 ter- having satisfied itself that there l was nothing else to be done if the l street was to be paved this year. the l committee met with the Streets and Sidewalks committee of which Daniel E. Walker is chairman. This commit l tee suggested that the city clerk, Ste- phen F. Boucher, prepare a preamble and resolution setting forth the tacts 1 in the whole matter, This preamble and resolution was then to be signed by members of the committee Of hve
 and presented to the Common Council for action last night.
 When the preamble and resolution was received from the city clerk by the committee of, five, it appeared to them to contain some nlisStatements of facts. The committee proceeded to change these and drew np another document. much similar to the one originally prepared by the city clerk but containing what few changes the committee desired. Then members of the committee telephoned the city clerk to get This assurance that the resolution would be presented to the Common Council for consideration. :"
 that the committee wanted his quar- antee or assurance that the council would pass the resolution. He replied in most emphatic terms that he would assure nothing or was in no position to guarantee anything which might be forthcoming from the council.
 The committee of five appeared be- fore the Streets and Sidewalks com mittee prior to the council meeting last night and presented the revised preamble and resolution. "The Streets and Sidewalks committee didn't like City Clerk Boucher didn't like them,' '' declared MT. Jennings today. MT. Boucher felt grieved that the commit | tee should presume to change the l wording of the document he prepared.
 That was enough; all that he had to
 do was to display his displeasure and the committee was willing to fol- ! low his lead. They seemed to look to ! him as sort of a God. He got red- headed over the whole thing and there was no earthly use in. trying to reason with him or the standpat members of Boucher isn't a member of the Streets and Sidewalks committee, but simply clerk of the committee. However, his desire as easily displayed by his hot headedness, prevailed in the commit tee. It was plain to be seen that the
 committee followed his bidding.
 FI was confronted, when I appear ed before the Streets and Sidewalks com mittee, with the proposition that the business mems committee had prom ised to put their names to anything
 so long as Fairfield avenue was paved.
 The council committee wanted to save its political face and wanted the bust- ness men as represented by our com
 mittee to assume all responsibility for having the suit in the courts with
 drawn. Now. I don't know personally that the committee ever made such rash promises. I don't believe it did. The property owners as represented by our committee were willing to as- sune the responsibility of withdraw- ing the suit if by doing so they would save the Common Council from the arraisnment likely to follow because the street should be paved and were
 willing to agree to most anything req sonable, but we as a committee rep- resenting 90 per cent. of the property owners on the street, did not care to so before the public in the light as
 set forth in the document as prepared by MT. Boucher. We were willing to sign anything that was consistent with the facts.
 "Because our changes in his docu- ment didn't suit him the stand pat members of the Streets and Sidewalks committee weren't suited. There was
 a caucus before tthe council meeting and I suppose the thing was then
 cooked up for its serving in the coun- cil meeting.
 "The Committee on. Streets and Side walks wanted us to eat the peanuts, shucks and all. If we ever had
 chance of getting that resolution through the council that chance was
 killed simply and purely by a personal sentiment. If politics hadn't entered into it, as we hoped they wouldn't. the resolution would have been passed and the interests of the city would have been served"
 MT. Jennings said that the commit tee of business emen would probably
 get together immediately and further steps in it's fight to get the council to act, would be taken. "The business
 men on the street. he said. "are thor oughly aroused oyer the situation and they are awake more today to condi- tions as they prevail in the city gov ernment than they have been before. The whole trouble begins with the fact that we business men have been sat isf1ed to go home and sit around and
 read our papers, and leave the man
 agement of the city's affairs in the
 hands of few men who are working
 for political fame and glory and not
 hooanEe fhev dAaira to hnffoy toe cifu'sz