The Portland daily press., 1869-12-21
The Report Oh the Almsh ouse.


hardly desire to have it alluded to after. They
cry, Hold! enough And yet it so metime.
is necessary, loathsome as it is, that allusior
should be made to it, as warning for the fu
ture. When Committee of the City Council
under the sanctity of their places, cause to be
scattered broadcast, into the families of un.
suspecting citizens, document which tinges
with blush of shame the face of every reader
it may well be asked, if there is no protection {
The City Marshal carefully warns the commu.
nifty of dangers, seen and unseen. Should ii
not be someone's province to guard the public
against filthy documents, forced into the pub
lie prints in the disguise of municipal proceed
ings, and left upon our door-steps in the gray
of the morning, to greet the innocent members
of the family before they have been fortified
against this ribaldry by morning devotions?
When this committee talk of the "ardent,
original efficiency" ola beast, in its connection
with other illusions contingent to the same
performances,-wellm might our citizens, as in
numerous cases they did, regret their lack of
knowledge of the contents of the paper before
they left their houses, that they might have
carefully concealed it from their sons and
daughters. And this from men, par excellence,
the fathers of the city!
When this question arose among the Spar
tans, at one time, "How could a government
be best administered" one answer placed in
the reception box was: "By instantaneous de-
capitation of the wretch who is in any way au-
thor of an offence tending to corrupt the puri-
ty of the people," Holding that purity OF
mind nd heipp or tba fo,, dot; 80
good governments, if they were jealousy
guarded, the administration and the people
must always be pure. If our city had been
Sparta in this respect on Tuesday morning,
(the 13th) there would have been four heads
tumbled into the saw-dust at the foot of the
guillotine, their glazed eye-balls turned up
ward, seeming to ask forgiveness for San Of
fence so rank it smells to heaven
And now to the legitimate purpose of the re-
port when the Committee say, sin the majority
of instances, as far as the management of the
house was concerned, the city might have dis
pensed with this Board. they prononnce q
judgment which is not true. The Overseers,
during Mr.. SIMPSONS keepership, attended
carefully to the affairs incidental to the house
and office. They as zealously guarded the in
terests of the city, as though they were their
own; the Report of any committee, with
their necessarily imperfect knowledge, and too
credulous reception of what could easily have
been disproved by investigation-to the con-
trary.
In the case of the sale by Mr.. Sampson of
hay and pork, toward the close of his keeper
ship, of which SO much is attempted to be
made, his explanation was straightforward
and manly. He did not intend to steal from
the city, and he had not, to the value of far
thing. He explained the way in which the
apparent inaccuracies occurred, and denied
the use of the profane language attributed to
him, and yet he has no benefit of it, His 9TH
er explanations were apparently favorably re-
ceived-so that, at or near The close of the sit
tings, one gentleman present, (who had voice
in the case)said in effect, "we want Mr.. Samp-
son, or just such man, to carry on that house,
if things can be cleared up" Something like
feeler, which was met by Mr.. S., with a
burst of strength of indignation reminding
you of his Bible arcestor-"You cannot have
him, sir!'
The assertion that "the evidence shows that
for the past three years at least, Mr.. Sampson
managed the house as he desired-no wish, or
der, or direction being given to him by the
Overseers'-is as far from the truth as any as
sertion could possibly be. No statement that
the ingenuity of man could devise, would be
further from the fact. Mr.. Sampson was un-
der the daily direction of the Overseas receiv-
ing his instructions and fulfilling them to the
letter, not only for the three years but for the
six years he was there.
Ona would hu Ion
the Overseers abandoned all matters relating
to the house, TO the keepers. Indeed it most
falsely says SO. Let not the citizens who have
an interest in our public affairs, be deceived
They will be surprised to learn after that
sweeping assertion, that for seven or eight
months in each year, the Board held daily
meetings Sundays excepted) at their rooms in
the City Building, without fail. We say,
Sundays excepted" but Sundays did not ex-
cept the Overseers from duty, as they were Of
ten called upon for helps for the poor on that
day. At these meeting, the records will show
that from six to ten ofthe members were pres
emit, 1.-THE whole number is twelve.) There, MIR,
sampson invariably presented himself (except
hindered bv sickness or being sent away on
business pertaining to the affairs of the poor)-
making necessary reports relating to the house,
receiving his instructions on all points on
which he had not been directed before. There
the monthly committee reported, and any
other members who had matters to bring for
So tudt VIC UuslutSS 1Ql6QQ6u 1Or the
hour often occupied twice as long. In the
warmer months, the Board met every other
day-the wants being much diminished. And
yet this Committee tell the public deliberately,
without malice-aforethought we trust) that
"the evidence shows that for the past three
years at least, Mr.. S. managed the house as he
desired-no wish, order, or direction being CIV
en- to him by the OverSeers"! AS we have
said, if the world were rapsacked land be-
meath also) more unfounded and unjust re-
mark, in letter and spirit, could not be resur-
rected. Mr.. Sampson could not have retained
his place month under any such attempt
The public may Judge from this specimen, the
quality of the whole article.
The house was frequently visited, and was
carefully and economically carried ON, besides.
results were most gratifying. These seem to
be most carefully avoided by the Committee.
Not from any bad design, we hope. If any Gu
rious citizen will take the trouble to examine
the city reports of expenditures for the time
t III winch the Overseers have been arraigned,
.hey VIII see that the house was carried on, in
me 1me matter Oh expense, with the best results
Ihe contrast with years that went before
amounting to thousands of dollars saved to
the city each year, was highly gratifying.
There Will be found no evidence of steal
ing in all those years. But there will
De found, what the citizen is almost
tired waiting for, and fears he "shall die |
without the sight" a successful effort in that |
department. to relieve the citizen from the bur
len OF heavy taxation, that weighs many |
'ne to the dust. That is what the searcher af- |
3er truth will find: A steady tendency to re-
luce expenditures, brought about by the care
III watch-guard of the Overseers. so as to re-
leve the sufferer. No effort of the report will
% able to do away with these important facts
. The citizen and taxpayer
The Committee speak of evidence" Iboro
s some evidence that is bound to convict re-
ome others could have had tho run of The vii
,ess box, that one or two had, perhans adj
iopal facts might have been elected which
you'd have prevented the appearance of this
baseess fabric of vision" that when flashed
pon by the light of truth, 'eaves not a wreck
ehind." One witness summoned, waited two
ours and half, without opportunity to saw a
vo t and was never summoned after! And
e es me Committee were cropping about, in
. l! LIMA may be said, the government is not bound
q u was h evidence for the prisoner: And as
g. " o,o nouna hand ana foot, without ben
~ OF clergy or counsel, he could NOT helm
imself' Adjudged guilty in May last when