The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-02-21

to nan0le, ana mlnO you, contains more than 100000 words. so that if you sit down to read it, be prepared to spend hours of your time in its Reconsideration. The much discussed gWickersham report, recently pre- scented to congress, contained only 80.000 words, and 1t seemed to be the unanimous opinion of press and public that the commissioners had altO.ether too much to say on the subject considered, mainly prohibi- tton and crime. If 8O,000 words are too much to say on important wide spread questions of the day, we won- der if five times that number is no, an unreasonable figure to ask the people of Waterbury to read on the idea of a charter change in this city
 The Commission Members
 There are three members of the charter commission. Harry B. Dow is its chairman. MT Dow came to Waterbury from New Haven, and for years has been identified with the Waterbury Clock company. At one time he was a member of the board of aldermen, but before that, so far as many recall, has no association whatsoever with the city govern ment, or the way in which it was conducted.
 With Francis T. Reeves, the com- missions secretary, it is different. MT Reeves has been a politician, or rather he must have been in order to have secured the nomination for mayor to which he was elected for 1912 and 1913. Before that he was the cfficial tax collector, and before that was the assistant city clerk when the city clerk had to appoint one other than a member of his own political party. At one time he was the secretary of the democratic town committee. So you see, after all, politics has been exceedingly good to this bright and active lawyer of the forties. who has now forsaken the political game, and gone over, bag and baggage to the commission form of government. All through the mind of Frank Reeves, and the theories and hobbies he has ex- pounded privately for these many years. -
 Edwin c. Northrop is Waterbury native. but unlike his late father never seemed to care much about city management. politics or city business. Years of attendance al board meetings on the part of some people never disclosed to them the appearance of this young, and well dressed savings bank head of the present day. But his father, the late otis Northrop, interested himself, and was exceedingly familiar with city practices and its financial mat ters, from long connection With the board of finance. .
 Leavenworth P. Sperry's name is associated with an old Waterbury family, we'll known, highly respected and representative of the good old
 
 [ never been acknowledged as a great student of municipal problems. True. he did serve a term in the board of aldermen some years ago when the young Turk" movement became ac- tive in republican second war poll tics. but outside of that particular occasion, we are unable to recall ms name in the political or municipal history of the city. Lem Sperry' though, is a deep fellow. tnlnker, and has probably given more thought to the subject matters of the char ter commission than past appear ances have indicated.
 The other two members Of the commission are the present superior Court Judge Frank P. McEvoy and Lawyer Patrick Healey. MT McEVoy' it will be recalled, resigned last June and MT Healey took his place. Both of these men have always been rec ognized as high grade lawyers. coun- selors of exceptional intellect, and ability, soft and smooth takers. good E men to listen to in an argument, and each possessing an appearance that attracts people to their side, ana a vocabulary that wins for them the friendship of many of their listeners.
 Great minds, these two well liked members of the war.
 The Words of the Report.
 But as a matter of fact, it is my belief that neither MT McEvoy nor MT Healey had anything to do with the phraseology of the report. The language doesn't befit them. They {, are naturally too suave and too polished to tell the world how negll- gent and how ignorant we were Tn the running of the affairs Of the clty Ignorance is generally hidden. ana the faults of our Brothers kept in the background whenever it is posslple.
 But it wasn't done in the present. ment of the Charter commission. The city and it's government was attack ed, nauled. and made the laughing stock of the state. Representatives from every so-cal1ed "Hayjerk" town in the state has a copy of the report in lis home for perusal by the neighbor when he comes to visit. Still I wonder If even ne Will redu it. We all know the busy city rep resentative will not, any more than congress itself has read the full re- port of the Wickersham commits sion.
 Reading from page to page, one wonders if he has before him the annual report of the department Of commerce of the federal government, so numerous are the figures and sta- tistics, all complicated to the average person. especially to those of us who were born and brought up here. The work on the local report was done by an established firm of experts. It's employees here numbered Little Glendon Mowitt, whose activities seemed to be mainly confined to the controllers office, and whose pres ence there seemed to take up great deal of Joe Corcoran's time during his service under the former con- troller
 Al Gillette Mentioned for Manager.
 There was also Frank O. Everett, the local head of the institution. who established a temporary residence up boulevard district way. and who could be observed any evening going come hy trolley with a brief case so heavily loaded that one who krew his duty really felt that his great study of charter questions went way into the early morning. MT Everett. te me possessed a personally some