Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-09
NEW LONDON CITY FATHERS
Stir Up Hornets' Nest by Action High Tension Line Claimed to Be nlegd-Prosress Trolley Freight Station.

All facts considered, that was rather peculiar trick which the mem- bers of the New London court of com mon council turned at the meeting last Monday night, when a resolution prevailed granting privilege to the a high tension line through the ex- tension of SQuires street, Ocean ave- nue. Orchard street and Moore avenue, when the. petition specified an en- tirely different route In the original and only petition the line was to be located iii the residential portion of Squires street, but at the public hear ing there was determined opposition by reason of the danger that goes with the high tension service
 The committee decided not to per- mi, that route but on the quiet substi- tuted the route here mentioned and pushed 1t through the council and without the formality even of pub lie hearing. This was presumably done with the expectation that no ob- lection would come from residents along the proposed line as the greater number are industrious Italians who own their own homes in Orchard street Public life is endangered ten- fold by the proposed change in route but that fact does not seem to have members of the honorable court of common council The members prob ably presumed that the Italian res- idents did not read the reports of the council proceedings and perhaps the presumption is correct
 But there are other citizens directly interested and there will be unani- nous and determined objections filed by the residents and property owners along the line of proposed death threatening high tension service. It is claimed that the action of the council is not only illegal but that the action was unwarranted. and was backed by some members who already have or expect benefit in the way of employment from the interested troll ley company. Be that as 1t may, be- fore the trick is played to the limit there will be general show down. It is claimed by the parties interested in the opposition that there Is no law in the state of Connecticut that gives the right for construction Of such 8 line as proposed, and further, that the work of construction cannot legally commence if a single person in inter est makes objection. In this case every person along the line is an ob- jector, and this fact ought to be known by the aldermen who engineered the trick, for 1t Is nothing short of a trick and played in the dark at that
 The trolley company has acted in the open In me ITanSacLlOn ana eX- plained it's position at the public hear ing but was ruled against by the com mittee, but only to be furnfxbed with a substitute route that it was believed could be slipped through without any opposition and without regard to the rights of others.
 lt may be we'll to note the fact that SGuires street where il was originally intended to build the pole line, as per petition of the trolley company, Is in the Fifth ward, and that Orchard street Is in the Fourth ward, and that the principal promoters of the change arc two of the three aldermen from the Fifth ward. They are Alderman Rudd the superintendent of the petition ing company and the change was evil dently sanctioned by him, and Alder man Small, a prospective employe of the company.
 By their action they have escaped adverse political criticism in the ward that they were chosen to represent and at the same time showed their good intentions toward the trolley company. It is another suspicious fact in con- nection with this matter of % much importance to the residents along the proposed line, that in a newspaper re- port of the council proceedings no men- tion is made of the proposed line ta.k- ing in a section of Ocean avenue. but it Is intended to give the impression that the original plan Is simply moli- fled by changing the route rom