The Portland daily press., 1884-01-14
A Scandalous Affair,

The proceedings at the special meeting
Of the Mayor and Aldermen on Saturday
evening were simply disgraceful and NOR
LITIGATION to all good citizens; but when this
is said 1t must be added that they were
but natural elimination and fruition of
the discourtesy which has characterized the
conduct of Mayor Deering from the begin
ming OF his administration. He has borne
himself, not as public servant, not as one
OF number of honorable gentlemen invest
ed with common high dutp; but as an ar
bitrary, dominesring, rude and quarrelsome
boss, whose will the rest were bound to
obey without question or objection. On
numberless occasions he has shown his ig-
norance of the city ordinances or his con-
tempt of them, his ignorance or defiance of
both the rules and the courtesies of parla-
mentary procet ding, his ignorance of, ortn-
difference to, the ordinary prophecies of of
fetal reiaSl0n and association. His con-
duct on Saturday evening was only the
worst and most conspicuous exhibition Of
his want of true dignity and his excess of
coarse manners.
tits only necessary to recall the circum-
stances of the meeting on Saturday evening
10 see in clear light the quality of his be-
havior, it's unreasonableness and impudence.
The time for the annual meeting of the
Portland C Ogdensburg Railroad Company
is near. The city owns controlling interest
In the road, and its vote will elect the direc-
tors. The law provides that whenever the
city OF Portland shall hold stock In the
Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad Company,
the Mayor and Aldermen are authorized to
vote thereon at all meetings of said corpora
ton, or may by vote appoint an agent for
that purpose" At the regular meeting of
the Mayor and Aldermen last Monday night
an order was introduced authorizing the
Mayor to attend the meeting as the agent of
the city, and instructing him 10 vote for the
reelection of the present directors. The
Mayor declared that he would not do any
such thing, and said further, in his own
choice language, that he was ''not such a
fool'' as to vote for certain director tenn
porarily out of the country. As this d.rec-
tor was hut one of ten who have worked
together harnoniously, it does not appear
that his constant presence is essential to
protect the city's rights. However the
Mayor had a right to think it better to have
another in his place. That was not oDjec-
uonable.
What is Objectionable Is his assumption
fhof viaUy nf
the opinion of his associates. The Mayor
declared hat he was the executive officer of
the city, and unless he could go to the meet
ing to do as he pleased he would not go.
Practically he demanded that the seven
aldermen should resign all right to a judg-
ment In the premises and give him discre-
tionary authority, and he did not deign to
tell how he would execute the trust any
more definitely than that he would not vote
for certain individual. In other words he
asked the city to go into "bind pool" of
which hSwas to be manager with full power
10 put the city's interests in the railroad I'M
der such control as he pleased. Very wisely
the majority of the board refused to stultify
themselves in that way, and the Mayor said
he would not act as their agent.
What scheme the Mayor had we shall not
undertake TO say; but there is reason for sus-
pecting that he had purposes which be is as
unwilling to have known az he is unwilling
TO have the present condition of this years
appropriations made public. We are clearly
of opinion that for the aldermen to appoint
any agent to perform The important service
imposed by law on them without distinct
and definite, knowledge of what he will
do would be IA dereliction in duty, as much
so, as If the trustees of savings bank
should contribute its deposits to "bliud
poor' to be managed by its treasurer.
At the request of number OF Aldermen,
the Mayor called a special meeting to con-
slider this subject on Saturday evening. Al
that meeting the motion was renewed that the
Mayor be the agent of the board to cast the