The Portland daily press., 1884-01-12
The Portland and ogdensburg.

The proceedings in the board of Mayor
and Aldermen last Monday night, with re-
gard to the election of directors of the Port
land and oedensburg Railroad have attract
ed much attention, and it is reasonable that
they should, for they were of surprising
character. The city has controlling inter-
est in the road and Of course elects the di
rectors at the annual meeting 1t is
expressly provided by statue that the
Mayor and Aldermen shall, either by them
selves or By an agent, exercise the powers OF
the city in this regard. This provision Of
law is as follows:
Whenever the city Of Portland shall hold stock in
the Portland and ogdepsburg Railroad Company.
the Mazer snd Aldermen are authorized to vote
thereon at all meetings of said corporation, OF may
by vote appoint an agent for that purpose. flaws
Of 1858, Chapter SOL, Sec. 81
Under the authority thus given it has
been customary for the Mayor and Alder
men to authorize the Mayor to act az the
agent OF the board, and to instruct him in
the wishes of the board. The resolution IN
troduced by Alderman Hawkes. last Monday
night was in this respect an exact copy of
one supported by the Mayor in former
year when he was an alderman. The Nav
says that the resolution voted for by him
was drafted by the then Mayor. What Of
that? The Aldermen would not have adopt
el 1t unless they approved of it. 1t is quite
obvious that Mayor who sntertains a
proper view of his duties and responsibility
would desire to have some formal express.
sion by the Aldermen, ever if he knew there
was no difference of judgment as to what
ought to be done. 1t is not every Mayor
who aims to be dictator and boss and to
impose his Individual will upon all depart
ments of the city governmet. We are not
quite ready for Kelly or Butler here in
Portland.
1t Is true that in some cases different
form Of instruction has been given, but that
was when it was well known what action
the Mayor intended. The words which Al
derman Winslow wished TO have added to
the resolution introduced by Alderman
Hawkes., land which gave the Mayor a formal
discretionary power, had been used before.
but only in cases where it was well under
stood what the Mayor proposed to do. Last
year, for example, Mayor Libby notified the
board that if this duty was imposed upon
him he should vote for the reelection of the
old board of directors, unless specially in
structed to do otherwise.
Now the case is different. The present
Mayor declares that he will not, even acting
as the agent of the board of Mayor and
Aldermen, vote for the reelection of one of
the old directors. Furthermore, and this is
the significant point, he does not say who he
will vote for. He wants what no other
Mayor has asked for, that the city's inter-
ests in this matter should be blindIy trusted
to hts discretion. He said that he "consid
cred himself the executive officer of the
city" and declined to act as the order that
had been introduced specified. What does
His Honor mean? Does he mean that in the
election of directors of the Portland and Og-
densburg road the board of Mayor and Al
dermen must submit their judgment to his?
If he does he butts his head against the
solid rock of the statute in brainless fash
ion. He is not er o6tcio, or necessarily, the
executive officer of the city to perform this
duty. The board can execute its ewn will
by attendance in a body on the meeting, or
IT can appoint any person it pleases to
appoint to execute its will. The designation
Of the Mayor is solely complimentary and
courteous, not necessary. In short he is not,
and cannot be, ''the executive officer Of the
city" In this business unless he 10 specially
designated and commissioned to act. And
his assumption that 1t would be an indignity
to appoint him without giving him deere