The Portland daily press., 1884-01-14

city's vote without instructions. He put the
question and declared 1t carried, but the
yeas and nays were ordered when 1t appear
ed that the motion was rejected. As the
Mayor had announced that he would go on
no other conditions, it was proper TO move
to appoint another agent. Al order was in
troduced appointing Alderman Tukesbury
the senior members of the board, as agent,
with express instruction and direction TO
vote for list of directors named in the or
der. In this list the name of Mr.. Thomas,
now director did not appear, ard in place
OF 1t was the name of George F. Emery.
Another name of a present director does not
appear on the list as it was carefully copied
BY our reporter and by others. That is the
name OF II. N. Jose, and the list contains
but nine names. This omission appears to
have been wholly unintentional, for when it
was inquired whether, with the exception of
the substitution of Mr.. Emery for Mr..
Thomas, the list was unchanged, the reply
was affirmative.
|. When the order was introduced the Mayor
announced that he proposed to vote upon it,
assuming that he had right to do so under
the statute quoted above. This was most
extraordinaryapr etension, and in face of the
express provision of the city charter that the
Mayor shall preside at all meetings of the
Mayor and Aldermen, "but shall haze only
casting oote." Nothing in any charter, rule,
or statute is contrary to this express imita-
ton of the right of the Mayor TO vote But
his motive was at once apparent. It
was dog-in the-manger policy. If he could
not be the boards agent on his own terms
nobody else should be. He relied on vote
of four aldermen for the order and three
against 1t, so that by voting himself he
could make a tie aud thus defeat 1t.
The city solicitor was present--present,
we are informed, by request of the Mayor.
An alderman at once moved that the city
solicitors opinion on the Mayors right to
vote be requested. This he had right
to DO, and this it was a proper thing
to do under the circumstances. But the
Mayor ,hereupon, with discourtesy TO the
board and an insult 10 the city solicitor
which was quite unprovoked by anything
that had occurred, blurted out tina he didn't
care anything about the opinion of the city
solicitor, that he claimed right to vote
and should exercise it. The ordinance
establishing the Office of city solicitor
prescrIbes his duty, aud dec ares that she
shall, when required, furnish the Mayor
and Aldermen with his legal
opihion on any subject touching the duties
Oh their respective Offices" He was present
by request. He had not opened his mouth.
Nobody had any right to assume what his
| opinion would be. But the Mayor, per-
haps conscious that he was playing high
handed game as lawless as II was impudent,
was enraged that his plan t, prevent action
might be made to appear 10 its true light. 1t
was the swagger of the bully, who respects
neither his own dignity nor the rights of
| others.
| However, he could not help himself. The
board voted unanimously to have the solicit
or's opinion on the mater, the Mayors sup
| porters apparently ashamed of the behavior
of their leader. When the city solicitor
| stepped TO the clerks table, where he COM
monty stands when giving opinions that are
called for, he was assaulted by the Mayor
| with an imperlinent question IN a tone and
manner that were intolerably offensive. The
r. ply made was not In the most polite lam
guage; but 1t was strictly to the point and
strictly true, and it must be borne in mind
that Mayor Deering had not established a
claim to be treated politely. Then followed
the insolent threats to have the solicitor
removed by the city marshal, and to put him
out of the room himself, repeated again and
| again. But Mr.. Looney did not scare. He
stood firm and defied the bully, who had no
more right to delay or prevent giving the
| opinion the board had asked for, than had
any alderman.
| Then the bafied, cowed and disgraced
| Mayor abdicated, impotently declaring the
meeting adjourned, as if he were some
| little emperor dissolving parliament
which did not suit him. But the
meeting did not adjourn at his bidding. The
aldermen did not even tremble when he
stamped his foot, strobe out of the chamber
l esAA oinAthCu onO uOOls a SOuIlcu III
| took the chair, and the business was pro-
ceeded with in order and decency. The
Mayor took all the quarresome element out
with HIM. His going cleared the atmos-
phere. 1t was a repetition on small scale
of the alb surd performance of Senator Conk-
ling when be quit the Senate because he
could not rule 1t. The only person hurt was
| himself.
This perss.smance of our bad-tempered
and bad-mannered Mayor will bring some
discredt upon the city no doubt, but it
shows plainly how undesirable it is to ele-
vate to responsible and honorable office a
man who is unable to have power without
abusing it. One years experience of Deer
ing will be enough for Portland, as one year
/ of Butler was enough for Massachusetts,