THE CITY OF MERIDEN An editorial in the "Meriden Recorder," M ERIDEN is a city! Thanks be to the united and harmonious action of her citizens. To-day this community occupies a prouder position than was ever vouchsafed to it before. Today Meriden takes her place among the sister cities of this ancient Commonwealth, and enters into a noble rivalry with them in all that adorns and makes precious the advancing civilization of the age. What has been done, however, is but the creeping of the mewling infant. There are manly and vigorous steps yet to be taken, which will demand the best energies and the noblest impulses of her sons and daughters. There is work to be done; there are sacrifices to be made; there is tiresome and perplexing planning to be performed, -all these for the common weal and the common good of us all. As we do these things so will be meted unto us prosperity and renown, the sure rewards of high-born principles, an exalted conduct, and a never-tiring activity. Something needs to be done to make clean the streets; to remove all nauseous and unhealthy substances; to lay sidewalks; to erect street lamps; to introduce water; to establish a fire department; to preserve order; to maintain a proper observance of the Sabbath; to build neat and commodious public buildings; to clear out the manufacturing from the only public building the town can boast, as the Saviour drove out the money-changers from the temple; and to do many other things without which this village must forever wallow like a duck in its own mire. These things cannot be done in a moment; it will take years to accomplish them all. Yet now is the time to lay, deep and broad, the foundations of this rising community; and the work upon the superstructure will never cease, until in the fulness of time, in the ages ahead, this city of Meriden shall have reached her crowning height, and like the cities of the plain begun to moulder back into oblivion. Meriden has placed herself in the lists, and should now gather all her strength, her natural resources, and her mechanical power for the great contest that lies before her. Every citizen should feel it his duty to do all that lies in his power to increase the prosperity, to add to the beauty and attractions, and to foster an enlightened culture among the people of the city of Meriden. "Honor and shame from no condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honor lies." R. H. THE CITY ATTORNEYSHIP Letter explaining the True Cause of his Removal from that Office. Published in the "Meriden Republican," Nov. 11, 1870. TO MY FELLow-Citizens: I DISLIKE newspaper controversy, but I feel that I should perhaps be doing injustice to my many kind friends in this city if I did not put within their reach a full answer to all the foolish slanders which are being circulated against my good name and character. To my mere removal from office I should make no objection through the columns of a public newspaper; but when my character is assailed through the public print, I feel bound to vindicate it. I leave the members of the Common Council to reply, if they see fit, to the insults which have been cast upon them. As to the charge of malfeasance in bringing several complaints against one James Turner and wife, keepers of a house of ill-fame on Colony Street, and against the persons found in this house when the officers made their descent upon it, I have this much to say. This low, vile den of iniquity, situated right in the heart of the city, in one of the principal streets, and within a stone's throw of many of the finest residences in the city, had been loudly complained of both to me and to the police officers for many months. The policemen had spent many nights in watching the house in the vain hope of establishing a successful prosecution against the inmates; and when, finally, through the instrumentality of one of the inmates, who turned state's evidence (not because there was one complaint against him, but because there were three in all, which would send him to jail for many months), I was able to commence a successful prosecution against the inmates, I determined to bring complaints for the several different crimes which the statute has defined, and of which I believed these parties were guilty, and for which they were both to be punished, so that if I failed to get a conviction on some of the complaints for want of sufficient evidence or other cause, I might succeed on others, — and so I hoped to rid this community of this long-standing pest. I do not think any reasonable man or woman ought to blame me for my conduct in this affair. The city received $41.54, and paid out $34, including my fees and all expenses in the cases brought in connection with this house of ill-fame; so that the city really made $7.46, besides ridding itself of a disgraceful nuisance. If I had brought only one or two complaints and failed to get a conviction on them, the city would have been obliged to pay the bills, and would have received nothing for it. The prisoner paid Mr. Charles H. Shaw $50 for defending him, and he paid Mr. O. H. Platt in addition, how much, I do not know. I tried the case alone, and got $32.96 for my services; and if any man thinks the city paid too much for its counsel, and begrudges me my money, I say to him that hereafter he is welcome to all such disgusting prosecutions. For my part, I would rather be doing something else; it would be more in accordance with a man's better feelings. On page 21, section 45, of the city charter you find these words: "Said police court may reduce or disallow fees taxable by said court in cases where the negligence of any ministerial officer, or the discharge of the accused for want of evidence, or the insufficiency of the service rendered, or other circumstances, shall render such restriction or disallowance expedient in the view of said court, in the exercise of its sound discretion." From this, every person will see that it was within the power of the judge to have reduced or disallowed my fees in these cases; and, further, that it was his duty, as a sworn officer of the city, to have stopped the judgment to me of any unreasonable fees. Therefore, if, as it is alleged, I received unreasonable fees, the judge was guilty in allowing me to do SO. I spoke to the judge at the time of the trial about having several complaints against the prisoners, and said that if he had any suggestions to |