The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-17
News From Neighboring Towns


has aroused many of the patrons of the telephone system. A protest is
 being signed and will. be sent to the
 s. N. E. Tel. company at once. This
 plan is fraught with much danger to
 telephone users.
 Charles c. Morris. state civil ser
 vice commissioner of New Haven, was
 at his home in Zoar,t Saturday, but
 did not attend the town meeting.
 Robert Mount, who purchased the
 Captain Avery property in Botsford,
 is genial gentleman, welcomed Ky
 all the villagers He is engaged in the
 poultry. business, beginning business with the pens Of fowl bought of the late owner, which he proposes to grad
 ually increase. He will specialize on Wyandottes.
 The Mems club monthly meeting is scheduled, for tonight with pr. Gale.
 The adjourned town meeting to lay the annual tax was held at the town hall, Saturday afternoon, with about 100 voters present John J.. North Oscar Pitzschler took the minutes, and
 was always ready to explain and give
 the infornatfon constantly being ask ed Of him. There was notable ab-s sence of all the old line politicians, as
 the laying of tax is part of. the
 business, that of1iceholdeEs looking for |reho1nination or reelection generally
 sfde-step; but a new corps of ieuten-
 ants were present who responded
 whenever the button was pressed. The
 grand levy showing an increase or some $300, 900, it was asseuted to by
 the selectmen that 15 mill tax would
 with economy and no extraordinary
 expenses coming up, pay the bills TOT
 the year. l These expenses. and the
 probable revenue of the town from all
 sources outside of taxes were present
 ed to the meeting in round numbers as.
 e hTid and ssruices $I3 GOO; state and county
 taxes $3,000; interest, $1, 1900; paupers,
 insane and outside poor, $3,200;t official salaries, g, 800; all other expenses ap-s nroxinate1y $2s000. totaling $5S. 4O0. Out
 side revenue of $8sO00 deducted from
 this annual budget would leave the
 sum of $300o0 to be raised by taxation.
 A motion was made to lay a tax Of l5
 mills to cover the estimate which was
 quickly amended to If mills The, chairman was in doubt as to the viva
 voce vote on the amendment but the friends of the lower tax rate demand-.
 ed a division of the house Then there
 was a scurryfng for the doors Of the few high privatess in the rear ranks, carrying their colors with them When the noise ceased the counters had an easy task 8 votes for the IA mills; 48 votes opposed and for the higher rate The vote on the original motion was not put for First Selectman William c. johnson for his conferes stepped to the front and in 8 d1gnif1ed way told the meeting what he thought of this ostrich play. All but about $13,- 900 of the budget was for statutory expenditures, or authorized by town votes, he explained, over which the. selectmen had no control and had to be paid for first or last. The $13,000 for roads could be reduced if the meet ing saw fit and the board of town officers would interpose no objection but if they wanted to share in the distribution of the loaves and fishes ssIeetmen paid for work and s6 per day for a. team on road work, they had better vote for 15s mills This was the magical stroke, self-interest, that made the majority tumble over each other in their anxiety to reverse. themselves and get on the band Wag- on before it's velocity was too great, l or the seats all taken Indeed some hastened across lots to get ahead of the procession, several moving for IS mills in unison. The meeting revers- l ed itself by an almost unanimous vote except for some cat-calk of derision from a few school boys in the gallery who saw the huInor of the situation and the potency of patronage But it was a bad object lesson for these fu- I ture citizens The tempest in a tea pot was now over and it was a, jolly party when adjournment followed. The case against Michael McMahon for taking a horse without leave, was dismissed by Justice F. eH.s Mccarthy, the state failing to make out a. case.
 Prosecuting Attorney Beecher thought I the prisoner should be held for the Humane officers. McMahon has made his home for several years with MT. and Mrs. John Stilson and they used everything in common. Mrs. Stilson, I the owner of the horse went to Wat lerbury last Tuesday, and 3McMahon took the horse and drove to see his lsister in DanblIry without asking per mission. Some one in Sandy Hook sent in an alarm of tshorse stolen and soon Coustables Carlson and ThraH were in hot pursuit, the former going l towards Danbury and the latter to-
 wards Bridgeport. Neither were suc- lcessfuL McMahon returned Wednes- lday night and put up the horse in the stable In. the meantime Consta- bIe Carlson heard of the return and
 subsequently placed McMahon under larrest. He was put through the third ldegree and admitted that he didn't i ask permission before taking the
 horse This was in effect pleading guilty as the accused did not say that he had often taken the horse for a trip without asking for the owners permission. It looked like a dead open and shut for McMa11on when First SeIectman Johnson was appeal ed to by the accused He promptly | went bonds for him and acted as his | counsel before the court with the re- lsu1t above noted