The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-03-07
TIL E u n ION
AND.
EASTERN JOURNAL.
ppInAy MORNING. MARCH 7. 1894
FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH I, 1876
Muuicipal Election.


Municipal Election.
The election in this city takes place on
Monday. The tickets of the respective par
ties are completed, and the vote will be full
one. Circumstances connected with the
election make it proper for us to speak with
some freedom of matters which have trans
pired here within the past eighteen months.
We ask the attention Of all, and bespeak the
candor of our fellow citizens. There is and
there has been in the minds of some, mainly
men of violent Democratic partizan procliy-
tiles, feeling of embittercd hostility against
the sentiment which predominated in the
election last year. 1t has little or no refer
ence to the official conduct of our city au-
thorities, but is the offspring Of petty spite
and the rancor of political disappointment.
Out of it has grown factious opposition to
the city government, personal detraction,
great Misrepresentation, and billingsgatc
language, Our city authorities, than whom
body of men more intelligent, and devoted
to the public interests could not have been Sc
lected, have been assailed privately and in
public meetings, in coarsest abuse, their mo-
tives questioned, and that meanest of all q
the weapons Of political warfare, sneers at
their ayocations in life, hurled against them.
They are 'schoolmaster, dealers in carpets,
ignorant blacksmiths, and so on to them d
Of the chapter, as though there was no ca
pacity for management of municipal affairs
outside Of the inner rooms of the Counting
Rooms of Corporations, and tho desks Of
those employed in these Counting Houses,
At the last election, the people Of the city,
in view of what they supposed to be their
interests, elected body of men to admins
ter their city affairs. They were men who
had sympathics with the people, were of the
people, true not rich men, but men of reputa'
ton, Of substantial worth, some Of them
men of Independent circumstances, all OF
them, both on account Of the relations which
they had to the social economy of the place
and their position as citizens, identified with
the wants and prosperity Of the place
They were nominated, it is complained, in q
manner which did not suit some of our citi
zens, by secret order. Admitting this to h
true, were they not good men? Could bot
ter have been obtained? Have they not
without hope of reward, patiently .labored
for the public good, disregarding the INSULT
and Misrepresentation Of those who have
assailcd them? We leave tho answer t.
these questions to the enlightened consider
alton of our fellow ci.izens.
At the organization of our city Govern
ment, men who call themselves Democrats
but who have as little claim to that name
as the embodiment of sin has to call himsel
the angel Of light, commenced bitter fac
tious opposition to the progress of the gov
eminent; every thing which ready tongues
influenced by pcrverse hearts could do tc
thwart the successful operation of the gov
eminent was done. Scandal with its forket
tongue, outvenoming all the worms o.
Nile," disappointed ambition which had
ovcrleaped ITSELF" prejudiccs "ycllow and
jaundiood,' rocking, fostering vice from the
stews that spend their noisomc contagior
and moral pestilcnco abroad, wcreall pressed
into the service of these malignant libellers
of tho city authorities, and the sentiment
which predominatcd in the election last
year. Some of them with oily tongue, and
sanctimonious look, tell us they want peace;
the stopping of this strife and accrimony
between citizens, and to show their sinceri-
ty, lis not hypocrisy the word, that should
be uscd) long before the interest which
apportains to u city election is usually
awakened, they hold meetings to agitate the
subject of the municipal election. This is
their peace; they make inaammatory speech
es, brag loudly in the street, Of the rebuke
which they are going to give the " Shcbo-
gans," stand on the sidewalks, and when
peaceable citizens, who do not agree with
them, pass and re.pass in attending to their
necessary avocations, insult them with the
stupid, scnseless cry of Shebogans.' This
is their manner of attaining peace. We
ask the intelligent citizens of our place il
such conduct is very likclyto produce the
peace which they talk about.
In some remarks which we made several
weeks ago, about tho operations of the lead
ers Of this party, we gave it as our opinion
that the primary object which they had in
view was the attainment of supremacy here
for partizan purposes, and to aid in the ele-
walton of the spurious democracy which has
its fitting illustration in the present head Of
the federal government. Undoubtedly there
is mixed up with it personal spite and ran
cor OF disappointment, but the object sought
to be obtained is the one we have mentioned.
If, in striving to attain this object, there
was spirit of candor evinced, If even the
ordinary recklcssncss of political warfare
was not surpassed, if men who are acting
under the obligations of an oath were not
misrepresented, and their Official acts, which
they have given for the information of their
fellow citizens, of the expenditures Of the
city government for the past year, pronounc-
cd in public meetingses ." hes," there would
be perhaps little occasion for these remarks.
We cheerfully admit the right of all to
nominate such officers as they chose to sup
port in elections, and to give arguments in
their favor, but in doing this, men should at
least be governed by the dictates of COM
mon dccency.
We understand that at the meeting of the
Biddeford Association, one Of the speakers