New Britain herald., 1920-03-25
COMMUNICATED
About the Mayor.

Six years ago His Honor, George \
 Quigley, went before the electorate oI
 this city and asked for it's suffrage
 At the time he made some of the
 most glowing promises that ever fel
 from the lips of candidate seeking
 office at the hands of the people
 We gave him vote of confidence and he was elected mayor of our city
 We looked upon him as our idol, as
 the Moses who was to lead us out ot he was to be the poor mans friend, the mayor in "overalls.'' His sole am bition was to ameliorate the con- dition of the overburdened taxpayer. Low taxes was the issue upon whic h he was elected.
 It was popular issue then, as it has been from the days of the Boston Tea Party. and when George X. Quigley told us that he would give Us lower taxes if We elected him, we, i'll our childlike simplicity. believed him and he became our mayor. What has been the result? When our city affairs passed under the ntrol Of the Quigley administration our tax rate was about 16 mills. Today, if this apostle of low taxes had had his way, we would be groaning under a 3O-mill rate. That would mean, iil plain figures. an increase of $14 upon every thousand so that the poor, hard-working man who, through in dustry and thrift. had accumula ted enough to buy a little home wort h 5000 for his wife and children would today be obliged to pay s70 more than he paid in 1914Ean increase of almost 100 per cent.
 Now, Mr. Mayor, what explanation have you to make to this charge?
 On the day following the voting on the tax rate you will remember that the mayor came out in his official organ and told you that he had voted for the 3O-mill rate a~hd thai the great majority of voters who ia vored the 25-mill tax did not know what they were doing and that they would have voted for 15-mill rate just the same. What an insult to cast into the faces of the voters of this city-coming from the man who now pleads for the help and support of those same men whom, but a few days before. he had branded as or fall upon his record. By their .. not attempt to catalog all of the promises the mayor has made in the past six years-to do so would re- quire a book twice as large as the one he hurled at McNIahon last Monday. I will ask him to point out one prom ise he has fulfilled.
 It is true he takes credit for the appointment of the building inspector who made McMahon put fire escapes on the Hotel Bronson. I would like to ask His Honor if he has been as energetic in seeing that fire esca pes were put on the Hotel Beloin. and if not, why not? When Quigley was running for mayor the first time, he went before the Poles and with that unctpous smile of his told them that if he was elected mayor he would see that Broad street would be macadam- ized if no other street in the city was during his administration
 Leave it to me, boys" was the facetious way in which he put it, for you will recall that he was to be the mayor in "overalls.' Six years have rolled by since George made that promise and Broad street today is the same mudhole, while during the same time thousands have been wasted on Wooster street. You don't know where Wooster street is? It is a backwoods road in Barnesdale with, perhaps three small houses on it and not enough is taken in in taxes a year to pay for the sprinkling of Broad street for month. It will be interesting to hear what explanation the mayor in 'overalls'' will make to the patient Poles when he addresses them in Skritulsky's hall during his "red hot campaign The mayor seems to take great pride in his an- pontees. He loves to dwell upon the names of King and Riley. I wonder how he would have us judge the wis dom of his choice in selecting the an- pointees to the board of public works. Will we take Lafayette street or North Burritt street or poor Broad street. where the depora ble condition became bad as 10 become a by word, to judge? If there has been one redeeming feature to the QIigley administration. will someone point it out? AN ONLOOKER.