New Britain herald., 1921-08-16
Mmuber Audit Buresu of CIrculation.
SUBMERGED IDENTITY.

SUBMERGED IDENTITY.
 Mayor O.. F. Curtis has once again made known his precepts of govern anent in municipal affairs, the occas- ion being the busting of F. w.. Macomber of the fire board because of his action on the two platoon mat tor and the declaration of principal being his threat to destroy any other commissioners with the temerity to obstruct the Mayors course. = -.e identity of any and all commissioners > not entirely submerged in that of the Mayor they are due to leave the positions which they occupy, at once Hy request, we take it. The wonder of it is that we have any commission CTS of any kind and, under the con- ditions, it seems that we do not need :. my. Why have an assen1blage of brains to aid in city work when every brain must be subordinate to the Master Mind?
 As far as the actual characteristics of the argument which terminated in the firing are concerned it seems that the Mayor is taking a peculiar slant at what has transpired in the city. He is giving himself denial in that the two platoon system was ssadopted" at the very same city meet ing as the high tax rate- Providing that 1t was the wish of the people, and there arc many who will always doubt il, to pay the higher rate last spring it was also the wish of the people to put Into effect the two platoon system. The Mayor Is perfectly amenable to the high tax rate-why does he evade i, the two platoon? Economy is all very we'll. it is proper, but the econ omy as now practised isn't saving any thing out of the peoples pocket this year. they are paying the tax rate, and it Is doubtful if 1t will save next. The time for economy was at the for nation of the budget.
 But the words above are not to the main point. They are merely by ines of conjecture. The principal ilem is the absolute insistence of His Honor upon every individual under ltm, and this applies to Common Council as we'll as boards, thinking eyactly as he does. Time was when Councilman Henry Rice was subjected to ridicuae before the Council and the city because he dared to introduce an ordinance which was contrary to the Mayors scheme of things. right or wrong. Time was when Alderman Gilpatric was likewise the storm center of a fight because he disagreed with the policy of the Mayor. It hap pens again and again that member of board or a city employe is the { trget of ridicule or abuse because he has thought for himself Matters that are to go before the Council have usually to be talked over beforehand with selected cotery of councilmen and the Mayor. have to be fixed Board procedure also must be talk ed over and fixed" with the Mayor be- fore anything is done. His statement feEarding Macomber practically proves that. This may be good gov ernrnent, but we doubt it. Certainly < two heads are better than one unless ore of the two is so obstinate that ii c~errides the other. Then we might as we'll have that one only, there 1; no use of more.
 Possibly it would be we'll if the Mayor appointed himself to the Fire Board, fired all the other city com. Iatssioners, made himself sort o1 evolving commissioner general and ealled himself into conference upor matters pertinent to each board upor the evenings that the boards that we HOW have are supposed to meet. He
 could then decide important question. Z W'thout taking the time and troubl,
 incidental to making others agree witt
 him, take his decisions to the Com.
 mon Council, which we have to hay,
 because our charter calls for if. and
 ram them home. The public is called
 uIon to bear his incumbancy for som, E nine months more. It would say,
 the wrangling that has so far been in K cleentai to it were the above plar
 adopted-anS it would insure the de
 leat or the one man administrato
 next spring. Wherein we would b,
 the gathers all around
 R0CGE IS "QI1D SyrIIEyEc