The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-02
MAYORS VETO
is OVERRIDDEN
Democratic Majority In Council
Lines Up On Two Measures
Will Use Own Idea of Solving
the Merit System Problem
DeFOreSt's Outside Poor Rent
Bill Prevails

BY two party votes of IA to 9, the
Democratic majority of the Common
Council last evening, rejected the plan
outlined by Mayor Wilson for the
handling of the rents of the outside
| poor, and turned down the majority
report of the Committee on Miscel-
| laneous matters having to do with the
| merit system, and adopted a minority
| report in it's stead.
The charities situation is familiar to
readers of The Farmer. Back in De-
cember Alderman Primrose at the
| instance of Mayor Wilson introduced
! resolution which at Primroses request
was passed. forthwith ordering
change in the system that prevailed
| for years in the Charities department.
The Primrose resolution directed thai
all rents should be paid by the city
auditors check, the check to be made
payable to the landlord, and to bear
the name of the tenant, no check to
be drawn without a bill from the
landlord with the approval of the
Board of Charities.
Alderman DeForest, believing he
| was helping the administration out OF
| muddle introduced a substitute res
olution several weeks later, which
provided that the rents should be paid
by the Supt. of Poor. his checks to
be made payable to the landlord with
the name of the tenant thereon, and
each check to have the endorsement
of the Boar dof Charities.
The latter resolution was vetoed by
Mayor Wilson. Following is his veto:
To the Honorable Common Council Of
l. the City of Bridgeport:
Gentlemen return herewith, with
out my approval, a resolution passed
by your honorable body at meeting
held February 10, 1912, for the fol-
lowing reasons, VIZ:
In so far as it is possible SO to do,
| all drafts or orders upon the city
treasurer should be signed by the city
clerk and the city auditor, after. the
| bills for which such drafts or orders
are issued have been approved by this
| board. By the terms Of the resolu-
| ton as amended a very considerable
sum of money will be paid by the SUI
| perintendent of the poor by his per-
sonal check without any reference
| whatsoever to the city auditor. Each
| of the four members of the board of
| charities and the city auditor is of the
opinion that such checks should be
drawn by and passed through the
hands of the city auditor, and in this
opinion I fully concur. I think it is
not a proper procedure to permit, ty
| any action Of this board, the eXpendi-
| ture of any considerable sum of money
|
the ordinary and regular way of con-
Quoting the city's affairs, which is, as
I have said, by order or draft drawn
| by the city auditor and the city clerk.
| 1t has been customary for the super
| intendent of poor to receive, by vote
| of your honorable body, about $1O-
| 600 annually, which sum is expended
through the medium of his personal
! check, and by far the larger part Of
| this money is used for the payment
of rent for the outside poor, so-called.
The balance of this money, UNDER
stand, is used for the purpose of pur-
| chasing transportation for destitute
persons from this city to their homes,
and also in conveying persons COM
mitted to the various institutions
throughout the state by the proper
authorities.
AS a means of avoiding any embar-
rassment to the board of charities in
performing this work. would recon-
mend the passage of a resolution,
when properly presented, appropriat-
| ing a sum of money not exceeding
| $500 to the superintendent of poor, as
| a worrying basis for this purpose, and
when this sum has been exhausted,
which should be checked up by the
board of charities in accordance with
] the vouchers presented for any ex-
penditure thereof, such working cash
| basis could be replen1shed by a SINH
| lar action of this board.
| 1 am of the opinion that this is the
proper business method to be pursued
| and is one which should be followed
by the department of charities and
| therefore 1 withhold my approval of
| your action in amending the reSolu-
ton adopted December 4, 1911, the
| intention of which was to carry into
effect the matters herein outlined.
Respectfully submitted, this 10th
daV of March, 1912
CLIFFORD B. WILSON,
Alderman DeForest spoke in sup
| port of his resolution which he said
provided all the safeguards that the
Primrose resolutions called for, eSpe-
cially in view of the fact that the
| city auditor must get what Informal
ton he received, from the superinten-
| dent Of the poor.
The yea and nay vote showed a
| strict party division, for the Demo-
| cratic aldermen had caucused and
| voted to override the mayors veto.
The reports from the Miscellaneous
committee on the s'rnerit system
| brought forth a vigorous speech from
Alderman Guy P. Miller, author Of
the resolution, lin which he charged
| the Democratic members OF his COM
mittee with insincerity.
| Alderman Miller's resolution called
| for the appointment of committee
| of three alderman and two citizens to
consider the merit system, and make a
| report within 80 days The Repub-
| lican majority of the Miscellaneous
| committee to which the resolution was
referred, reported favorab1y, and the
| Democratic minority reported a SUBJ
| stitute resolution. The latter call.
| ed for the naming of Alderman Gar
| rity, Reddy and Moran, Democrats.
| as the committee. There was no time
| limit set.
Alderman Miller said the move of
| the Democratic members looked to
| him like an effort to dodge the issue,
| said it wasn't an act of very good
| grace to bring in such a report, for
it was presented with the idea of de-.
| feating the proposition. He said it
was very unusual to deprive the
| mayor of the privilege of naming the
| committee representative of only
/ enc party.
| Alderman DeForest, spokesman for
| the minority report, said he had been
| accused of so many things by Alder
| man Miller that he was unsteady.
| He said he had been accused of try,
| ing to delay the matter. Then he
| said that there had been one meeting
| at which the matter was discussed,
| and that he wanted it adjourned for
| further consideration. If that was de-
| laying the matter, he pleaded guilty.
| He added that one of the chief trou-
bles of the board is it's haste He
| said he regretted that Alderman Mill
er saw fit to- accuse him of insin-