The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-25

Wednesday Morning, March 25, 1868.
The Outgoing Administration.
PORTLAND.

nc outgoing Adm in issrn;iOn,
The best compliment which could be paid
to Ex-Mayor Stevens is derived from his sue
cesscr's clear aud succinct review of the pres.
ent condition of the city finances, as pub
lished in the Press yesterday. Two years
ago Mr. Stevens consented rather unwilling
ly to become candidate for mayor. Indeed
it was only the consideration that the duties
OF the office were then comparatively light,
and would leave him an available margin of
time to devote to his private business, which
prevailed upon him to consent at ALL He
was elected by handsome majority. He
had been four months in Office when the
great fire swept through the city and bur-
den OF care and labor was thrown upon him
such as no mayor of Portland was ever before
called upon to take up. How manful.y and
unselfishly Mayor Stevens addressed himself
to the task few of our citizens can fully know,
though all are we'll enough aware that no
part OF bis duty was neglected. For weeks
and months his private business was left in
aoeyance There were the hungry to feed
and the houseless to shelter; there were do
nations to acknowledge and distribute: there
were the public buildings in ashes, and the
streets encumbered with ruins. Hew pow
eriully sustained by the voluntary co-opera-
ton of private citizens; but it twas incum
bent upon the city government to take the
lead in the work of reoreanizing our shat
tered society. 1t was necessary to find work
ior men thrown suddenly out of employ
ment, and help for men willing but unable to
rebuild their places of business. There was
need OF assistance on larger scale than
any private charity could afford, and it was
promptly yet prudently readered.
There were no complaints of extrayacanee
then, and there were none the next spring,
when preparations were made for rebuilding
the city hall and schoolhouses. Mr.. Stevens
was renominated and reelected by an in
creased majority. His second year has lust
closed. The administration of which he
was the head has to show as the result of its
iaoors city building which is a credit and an
ornament to the town; a schoolhouse which.
all things considered, is perhaps still more
creditable; buildings all over the CITY which
have risen under the wholesome stimulus of
the building loan; public square which
covers the waste between Federal and Con-
gress streets; lot on which the foundation
OF market house would have been laid be-
fore this time, il the ground had not been
desired by the national government for
materials for the new custom house; q
fire department better organized and equip
ped than we ever had before. These
are the substantial results, visible 10
all eyes. The credit of Portland furthermore
stands better in the market to-day than chat
OF any other city in Maine, and the valua-
ton OF the city was a year ago only few
thousands less than in the spring of 1866.
The city debt has necessarily been increased.
but only by S2S4,000 the first year and 1887 200
during eleven months of the second. 1921 200
In all, though judic'ous, practical men, who
know what million means, were of the
opinion in 1866 that the city could well afford
to expend million and half to put the
streets In order, secure desirable lots for pub
Tic purposes and restore the bublic buildings.
Instead OF such an expenditure as our best
and coolest fnanciers then talked of, we
shall pay less than seven hundred thousand
dollars in all on account of the fire.
This is not all. Under the same admins
tration arrangements have been completed
for the introduction of water supply, great
y needed, free of cost for all public uses,
without dollar of expense to the city, and
the work is to begin at once. The improve
ments in the location of streets and the i'm
proved fire alarm may perhaps be considered
natural consequences of the fire; but the set
tlement OF the water question upon abasis so
adva"ta aaeons to the city is another matter
and would alone entitle Mayor Stevens's ad-
ministration to grateful remembrance When
we consider all that has been done for the
city during the last two years, it is plain
enough that Mr.. Stevens was right when at
the final meeting of the Council he said that
a few years hence no fault would be found
with the city government OF 1867 Mistakes
may have been made; we have so thought
and so said at times; but considering the i'm
mense amount of work which has been done
and well done, we believe they will be found
to be surprisingly few.
OF the rare courtesy and kindliness with
which Mr.. Stevens has discharged his oner-
Gus and sometimes thankless duties, it would
be impossible to speak too warmly. No citi-
zen and no stranger has ever called at the
mayors office without securing a patient
hearing; no one ever went a way with doubt
OF the mayors kindly disposition, or of hs per-
feet sincerity and integrity. At the end of
term of Office marked by peculiar vexations
and annoyances, Mr.. Stevens retires with the
highest reward, next to an approving con-
science, which any magistrate can obtain-the
universal respect and good will of his fellow
citizens.