The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-02-10
NO BONDS WITHOUT A REFERENDUM

the right of the people to rule and its views upon the
right of those who pay the municipal bills to decide
whether they shall go into debt
little history will be necessary to refresh the recol
the neighborhood Of Beardsley park Many
killed An agitation against the of the
DAM and out of this agitation movement for the
friendly to this ownership then demand for bond
This demand bonding to plunge city into debt
familiar demand It was familiar then and it is more
familiar The first thing the of public
service to plunge the city into debt to such extent
that it cannot borrow the with which to buy
pay its way.
The very game has been worked for years in New
York city At the command of traction magnates, poll
tcans have plunged New York into debt up to its
to keep the people of New York from owning their
But when the game of creating great debt was tried
in Bridgeport the friends of municipal ownership
campaign to bring to the people the referendum which
the power the people to vote whether they will
go into debt not.
So the years went on until four had past, and the
work of creating the debt ready to begin in earnest
tenn which to be embarked in at cost of So 100000 to
begin with and at cost that would not have been less
have carried with it large annual cost upkeep and
maintenance.
and demand upon the city that majority OF the
very citizens who gnal recommended it, felt it duty
later sign statement which they repudiate it. and
asserted that the city need not build in other
manner, annual cost than had been its custom in the
In 1911 came series of bonds, reaching almost to
million dollars. The referendum went upon them and
they were beaten save 100000 for high school.
Tn the present projects to create debt OF
81 oo0 Soemry twas decided upon this great debt
item by item In conclave the friends of Water,
bled to decide how best to put it over
Staring them in the face the referendum the
will of the people; the veto power Of the masterhlch
they then not desperate enough to affront
bonds submitted in special election called
by mayor election which not protected by law
which was open gross frauds and careless manipua-
to this election the mayor called together the
MIA of he
with whom the administration trades. Before this motley
assembly the in with instructions to
put the bonds over Never in election did loyal
henchmen labor harder when the votes were count
ed when the will of the people expressed at the ballot
was Enthusiastically plain. Any man might read and any
who had political might perceive American insttu
tons being what they and American citizens being
who they are-the necessity for obeying.
The already repudiated Herring sewer plan, pared
down to 100000 to make it paiatabe pet project
boys because carried the greatest debt and the
most protection to Water, beaten by 4467 votes IN
poll of ,147, which latter number 533 VOTES MORE
than the number by which Mayor Wilson chosen chief
executive of the city.
The $4,000 debt for East Washington avenue
bridge was beaten by 28O5 votes.
The 100000 debt for bridge at Stratford avenue
was beaten by 2368 votes
The bond issue for parkway beaten by 1885
votes.
The almshouse issue was beaten the second time by
Not dollar Of the debt plans were allowed by the
people In single place did the people agree that their
agents had acted wisely or well.
Untaught by the lessons of the past Water
with other plans for debt They would make it 1878 900
this time Through the Board these plans
Through the Common Council not wise in its day and gen
Grafton they put the debt plan to the General As
semb they have sent the bond schemers to ask the Gen
Assembly to make it, Water, suzerain the city
In the meantime the city auditor has, in his annual
report to the Common Council pronounced the wis
dom of the referendum.
Peter White hired at large expense to tell the city
how conduct its affairs has told them that they
in their day and generation in using the referendum
WATER is STUPID AND WILL NOT LEARN
It had project authorizing the Tax Board to create