Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-06-18
CASE IS FINALLY CLOSED
Mayor and Supt. Kidder Make
Concluding Arguments.
Session Three and a Half Hours Long
New Feature Was a Letter from
Jules simays on Mayor
statement.

Burke against j. Frank Kidder Of the
water department closed Tuesday night
at eleven O'Clock and all that now re-
mains is the report of the committee.
AS usual there was a lot said on both
sides In the three hours and n half the
committee was In session. The mayor
gave some evidence in rebuttal which to
a large extent was n resume of what
has already been said and was partly
argument. Mr.. Kldder replied In similar
vein.
One Of the new things introduced In
evidence was the following letter sub
mitted by Mr.. Kidder:
To the members Of the investigating
committee:
Mr.. Howard Crane, chairman,
Honorable Gentlemen:-On different &C.
casions Mayor Burke has told me that
]. r. Kidder was a Protestant and an
Atheist and for that reason alone should
not hold the position Of superintendent
Of the water department or any other
position,
Very truly yours.
CSigned) JULES SIMAYS,
Commenting on this Mr.. Kidder said
that Mayor Burke had used this stunt
for two years but when he wanted money
to go to Washington his CKidder)
money was as good as anybody's and he
gave It freely and 1t was never less than
a ten dollar bill.
Mayor Burke in closing his case said
that the sale of the cement by the
Spaulding e Kimball company to the
water department at tho price they
charged was a rank piece OF graft. Ho
said also that there We're ten distinct
violations of the city charter in the act
which provides that no city official shall
sell to the city in any amount In excess
/ Of SIS. He then went over all the charges
in detail and made the claim that they
had all been s~ubstantiated He further
claimed that Mr.. Kidder had furnished
most Of the evidence against himself by
his own statements. Referring to the
charge that favoritism had been shown
by allowing rebates on water bills on
the pretense hat it had been for the
purpose Of preventing water to freeze by
letting it run. that certain parties had
been furnished with extra sized meters.
pipe. labor. etc, and that special water
rates had been fixed he said that all
We're distinct violations of the charter
and that the commissioners had no dis
erection in the matter.
He said that he had been sorry to un-
earth matters in Connection with the de.
partment and to make public what he had
found but that he has felt 1t his duty to
do so. He also stated that he would PROM
Use the people of Burlington that If special
favors and graft were done away with In
/ the department and the office was put on
a business basis the people would obtain
at least a dollars reduction on their water
bills per year.
Mr.. Kidder also took up in reply the
: charges one by one and answered them az
they have already appeared In the Free
Press. He asked the committed In con-
clusion If it did not look like vengeance or
using the laws of retaliation when Mayor
Burke broadly made the statement that
: If he did not take Mr.. Heininger back on
| the working force of the water depart
: ment he would bring charges against hin
! and have him removed. Mr., Kidder said
= the mayor was willing to let all the So
called crimes and depredations 20 If he
would take Heinineer back. Superintend-
ent Kldderfurthor stated that the evidence
1 against him had come from the McCaf-
e frey girls.
1 He also said that the mayor had
conducted the case with vengeance.
. anger and hatred in every word ha
=, had uttered. Mr.. Kidder asked If ie
were not cowardly on the part Of the
mayor to bring accusations against
, one in writing, starting with these
. words: From sources which seem to
a be reliable, I " been informed,
which If found TO be true. that gross
q and serious mismanagement has pre-
vailed in the water department for
some time"
In closing. Mr.. Kidder said that the
, mayor had paid his water tax on June
9th which was one and a half years
= past due and he queried what condi-
ton the department would be In II
=, Everybody paid his water taxes as the
mayor does.
Mayor Burke asked to he heard
again but Alderman Buell. made a mo-
!" ton that the evidence be closed. He
" said that he was willing TO stay all
night this time but he wanted to be
y certain that 1t was all over with then
and that II the mayor was to be al
lowed to speak again he would serve
notice on the committee that he would
not attend another session. The may
or was allowed to speak again and he
said that he had been insulted by the
TRADE of Mr.. Kidder. He added by
r way of replying TO the statement that
J. he had just paid his water bill that
q the city owed him s6455. lie said
that Mr.. Kidder although contributing
Y literally to campaign funds had never
e given HIM any money to go TO Wash
inGton with. He denied making any
e such statement as MI. Simays charged
him with and said religion had no part
in any such controversy.
Miss Kittie McCanrey made a state
II ment explaining why the leaves were
torn out of one of the water depart
% ment books kept by her. She said
:" that the book was not one of the
u regular books of the department and
that It had simply been used for
memoranda which had been trans
ferred to another book for sufficient
reason and that the torn pages had
been properly accounted for In writ
ing on the tops of the pages proceed
a Ing those torn out, Miss McCaffrey
also made a statement making gen
y eral denial of the charges made
V against her by Mr.. Kidder,
V After some further statements by
Mr., Kidder, Oscar Heininger, Mrs. Gas
sidy and others by way of clearinl
up the case final adjournment was
taken.
NO, DOG.
- 80.