The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-10-26

1ntelnSently.
 It is an unusual coincidence that the district which has furnished a mayor to the City of Bridgeport for the past ten years also offers his sue cessS> ana l am afraid that the .sSsr eleven -oting districts have Aeen placed somewhat at a disad- vantage, for whichever turn the cleo tion takes, it seems that our district will still furnish the next mayor. 1 am to be pardoned for making this particular reference. on the ground that all of us, whether we are candi- dates for office or not. feel a natural and just pride in our respective dis tricts.
 Two weeks from today the voters of Bridgeport shall have spoken their will.
 By putting aside all irrevelant matters and campaign by-play, and accurately classifying the side and incidental issues, we know that the single, question presenting itself to the citizenship of the city is com prehensively included in a decision as to whether we are satisfied to con- tinue our present method of admin istration of the city's affairs by the officials at present admins tering them, or whether a point has been reached whereat, for the public good a change in either both is de- handed
 To Mayor Wilson's successive ad- nnipistrations, I readily concede the credit for having furnished to Bridge port some improvements. I shall not attempt to say that everything which has been done during the past ten years, has been wrong. I shall in dulge in no purely destructive crii- cism.
 do contend, however, that a1- lowing MT. Wilson all credit that may be due him in these respects, a period in the affairs of Bridgeport cannot go in the present scheme of things.
 It may be that we are experiencing the ills that follow in the wake of the part of our present officials; perhaps the oft-repeated endorse ments of our citizens have been in terpreted to confer a license rather it is the outcropping of the multiply ing evils that always go with a ten- ure too long and uninterrupted.
 But, whatever the cause may be, this we do knOw-that a pace has been set in the ruthless expenditure of public moneys, by an era of high and constantly rising taxation, by neglect of the very essential require ments of municipal well-being Gas, fer example, our schools) and by a general system of maladministration which is as rapid as it is amazing.
 Bridgeport must pause to recover its breath, and then go forward at gait in keDing with our municipal circumstances.
 
 secular activities. must be tempered to the times.
 To impose additional burdens of taxation upon the ead-winner or home owner who is without employ ment, upon the businessman who can not meet expenses, upon the factory owner whose plant lies idle and ex- hibits daily loss, is a policy inn measurably inadequate, wantonly careless. so utterly in contempt of the public necessity, as to be as in defensib1e as it is unforgivea ble
 And yet we find that while the total appropriations necessary for con- ducting the affairs of the city for the fiscal year commencing April l. 1915 was about $2,045,531 Ca time when the city about to experience the greatest prosperity incident to the war) this amount has risen for the fiscal year commencing April 1, 1921, to the sum of $7.S51,5 546, which must be borne by us at a time when every industry, every enterprise is proStrat- ed by the prevailing depression and some fifteen thousand of our people walk the streets without income or employment
 The mad career of expenditure is not result of a sudden impulse. The figures show that there has been a continuous increase in the cost of running Bridgeport's city government year after year, without interruption at any time during the past decade. Nor can 1t be truthfully said that 1ihe Increase for the last year was in any
 
 sion in which we live at present. On thee ontrary, we all know how sig nally :he administration failed to an ticipate and provide for the great de- mandS upon our charities brought about by the present depression. We know how completely this admins tration failed to rise to the occasion, and we also know that as a result of all this, a special tax (which has been deferred until after election) never the1ess faces us in order that we may 0baain sufficient moneys wherewfth to carry our charities through the dread season of winter. When we review the events of the past few years and compare the conditions of things to- Hay in the light of such perform ances, we cannot refrain from the se- terest condemnation. During a pc riod when things were at their high est prices. labor was the scarcest and cost the most, and when consequently she cost of all projects had risen to that high point which is only reached m wartime booms. the Republican administration substantially contin- ned a series of projects with the same self-assurarce in the expenditure of public funds therefor as if conditions were normal and costs were right. Without apology or pretense, and ap- paren.ly without serious deliberation, he public funds were spent in con- aection with matters which were not always of a character that could not wait. Unfortunately, too, war condi- ions afforded the opportunity to the Administration to conduct a large part of is progress on basis of CoSt-PluS contracts, a system affording the greatest encouragement to the con- tractors to stretch ouS the job, be- rause the longer it lasted. the more material he used, the more men he employed, the greater was his own gain.
 During that period, all good busi- ness men realized that it was good Judgment in the way of saving money !o let those things wait which could wait and to engage in projects onlS Tor which there was at that time pressing demand. If this simple poli- cy had been followed, much of tht money which was practically throwr away in increased costs. would nov De available. If such improvement: as could wait had been deferred un til this time. it would now be possi sole for Bridgeport to see that thi 4Ia