The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-05-10

- Our City Council, at the meeting held
on Monday evening, passed the following or
der relative to furnishing assistance to the fam
lilies Of those enlisting from this city in the ser
vice Of the State:
In BoARD or ALDERMEN.
May q, 1861.
Whereas, by an Act passed at the Extra Ses.
sion Of the Legislature Of this State, entitled
" An Act to authorize the raising OF Ten Regi-
ments TO aid the President Of the United States
in enforcing the laws and maintaining the Gov
eminent thereof and 10 protect the same
against its enemies and in defence of the State,
approved April rs, 1851 - cities and towns are
authorized and empowered to make public pro-
vision for the support Of the families OF any
persons having their residence in such cities
or towns who may enlist by virtue Of said Act.
during their absence from the State. and whose
families may stand in need OF assistance
Therefore, be IL ordered, and until further
ordered, that select committee be raised, con-
sisting Of two from this Board, three from the
Common Council. TO be joined by that Board
together with Vim Hill. Jr., William Berry,
Samuel Lowell, Charles Hardy, Richard NJ,
Chapman, Thomas II. Cole. Elias Harmon, Ma
than %. Kendall, Thomas Quinby and Edward
L. II. Hooper, whose duty IL shall be to receive
and consider applications for assistance frS m
the families Of those Of our citizens, having
their residence in the city of Biddeford, who
have enlisted or may enlist by virtue Of said
Act, during their absence from the State, and
to determine what families may stand in need
Of assistance during said absence, and what
sums they may seyerally require for their sup
port per week, and report the same to the May
or monthly, or oftener IL they deem il neces-
sary.. And the Mayor is hereby authorized to
draw orders on the City Treasurer from time to
time for such sums as will meet the wants OF
families standing in need Of assistance accord
ing to the reports OF said committee and the
City Treasurer is hereby directed TO pay the
several sums for which said orders may be
drawn TO said committee, to be expended in
providing for the support OF the families 50
standing in need of assistance.
Allermen-Allen and Mason appointed.
Common COuncil-Charles J. Cleaves, L.
Simpson, Benjamin Partridge.
However well meant this order may have
been. il seems TO US to fall far short OF
what il should be. 1t sppropriates nothing,
aud without further action Of the Council in
the matter Of determining from whence the
means shall come is entirely Intellectual Per-
haps il may be said the funds shall come from
the money appropriated for General Expense.
We doubt very much. ina matter Of this kind,
where the legislation is special to meet an ex-
traoriinary case, the power to provide from
money appropriated for ordinary city expen-
ses, and certainly the Mayor has no power I'm
der the ordinances to draw orders on the
Treasurer to pay such, without some specific
designation of the appropriation from which
the means shall. be taken. The true course
should have been to have made specific APP
preparation of some sort, and not n parsimoni
Gus one. but sufficiently liberal and creditablC
to our place. Bangor has appropriated S2o.-
600, and many other towns in proportion, and
even the little town Of 0ldtown has appropria-
tel 5000. Had sum been appropriated, all
not needed would have remained in the Treas
ury, and when the emergency was over il
would have gone for other city purposes. We
are fully sure that while this action Of the City
Council may meet the views Of those who look
upon the matter as one Of charity to the SOL
diers. it will by no means meet the expectations
of the patriotic masses of our fellow-etiIens.
who almost universally feel that any assistance
rendered the families of the enlisted soldiers
is due them as right. and in no sense should
be given as conferred favor. And on thi,
principle, the idea on which the order is based,
suggesting, as il does, that the wants should be
supplied on application, is in its very nature
calculated TO raise unpleasant feelings. In q
case OF this hind. the sympathy Of the commu,
nifty should % freely used TO seek out the fam.
lilies Of the soldiers who might need assistance,
and the wives Of the brave soldiers who have
enlisted to fight our battles should not be SUBJ
jected to the unpleasant necessity Of calling on
committees committees should call on them,
rather, and it would have been well to have had
some one or more in each ward to look after
them instead Of having . committee chosen. So.
lected as this appears to have been.
With perhaps several exceptions, there /.
not man on the committee who has, either BY
his liberality towards the members Of the FIRST
company enlisted, or his personal interest in
its behalf. cvinced peculiar regard for tn,
welfare Of the company, or who by his associs.
tons with them established such relations Of
friendship with them, or obtained such knowl.
edge Of their circumstances. as would enable
him to be Of assistance in 50 applying the meanI
furnished from the public treasury as would be
just to the soldiers and to the community.
We make these remarks with perfect freedom.
feeling that our relations to the first company
enlisted, and our personal promises TO its men,
bers, promises which We mean shall be made
good, IL not from public means, from the
Astounding literally Of men who have real SYM
pathes with the soldiers, give US the right to
speak with freedom. We do not charge that
this order emsnated from an unfriendly or par
Smonious spirit, but we do say that 1t must
have arisen from some source that failed to
perfectly comprehend the position Of the en-
listed soldiers, or, IL il was eomprehended, 9TH
err and outside motives mingled in its prepars-
ton and passage.
We say to the members Of the City Council.
in all kindness, that the true way to dispose OF
this matter is To rescind the order, pass an ap-
preparation Of 5000 at least, and then provide
that the wants Of the families Of the soldiers
shall be ascertained through suitable commit
tees in each ward, and these wants supplied a,
matter Of duty which the community owes tC
the soldiers.
- The Confederate forces according to IN,
message Of JED. Davis in and ready for tn,
field are just IS 900. that is, at different fort:
1000. and on the way to Virginia, $1,000,
This is doubtless accurate, and it dispes stoncs
all the recent gasconade about q hundred
thousand men in arms, and about various
State detaehments. which in the aggregate were
said to 70 far above that number.