The Portland daily press., 1888-01-24
WATERvILLE CITY.
The Charter Adopted Yesterday, A.
ter Three Previous Attempts.
Democratic Opposition and French
Ignorance Defeated at the Polls.
Bells, Bands and Fog Horns Express
the Peoples Pleasure.
Especial to the Press.l

WATERyILLE, Jan. 23.-Waterville is ju-
bilant tonight, at least the major portion of
IL is. and the cause Of it is that the town to-
day voted by the handsome majority of III,
to turn this thriving burg into city. Pur-
suant to call from leading citizens, the Sc
lectmen had appointed today as the fourth
occasion for the people to gather and throw
their ballots in town meeting for or against
adopting the city charter, granted by legisla-
ture four years ago, and which the Water
Williams had refused to adopt on the three oc-
casions hitherto offered. On the two first
trials the charter was nearly buried, and last
spring it was defeated by majority of 60
ballots, rather small number Of voters
coming to the polls on all occasions. At the
town meeting for the election Of town Off
cials held last spring, after the refusal Of the
people to adopt the charter, a board Of Dem
ocratic selectmen were elected by small
majority for the first - in several years.
Whether this opened the eyes Of the stay-at-
home Republicans, or whether the changes
made in the charter by last winters legisla-
ture gained votes for city is matter Of
conjecture. Anyway achange seemed to come
over the voters, and today almest
1000 votes were cast, 543 favoring the adop-
ton of a charter and 432 against it. The
vote was polled almost on party lines, very
few Republicans voting mo-" but number
of prominent Democrats casting 'yes" bal
lots. Bunker's Democrat has opposed the
charter bitterly, while the Sentinel and Mail
have fought for its adoption.
The vote thrown was quite large one,
most Of the regular attendants at town meet
ing getting out. The young men worked
hard for the privilege of living iu city,
while a number of aged and infirm people
tottered to the polls with ''yes" fully as in
terested in becoming citifed as their younger
fellow citizens.
The result of today's vote is very pleasing
to Waterville as whole. thriving town
of 1000 inhabitants, she is certainly as de-
serving of place among the cities OF Maine
as many of her older but smaller sisters. TO
those citizens who have labored unsuccess-
fully on each prior occasion towards city
is its adoption doubly welcome, and to all
who have been disaffected and disgusted at
being governed by Democratic French Cana
dians who have been carrying recent cleo
great gratis
The charter divides the city into seven
wards to be governed by mayor. and one
alderman and two councilmen from each
ward. This will give the "Plaips" simply
the same representation in the affairs of the
city as the other and more elegant wards
will have and unquestionably means a good
Republican mayor and majority of the board
which will be elected next March.
On each previous occasion of voting on
this question, and also today the most fow-
cry and threadbare arguments have been
employed to deter the French population
from voting in favor of city. They have
been told that their poll tax would be raised
to $500, that none Of them could keep
pig or flock of hens without paying a
handsome tax, and like other bits of nom
sense, if Waterville became city, and a
large number believed these things and acted
accordingly.
Today, however, everybody is celebrating.
An enormous bonfire is burning in the
square, bells have been ringing and steam
whistles footing, bands are playing and con-
siderable numbers of young men are joining
in with that ever present accompaniment of
such occasions, the discordant fog-horn. 1t
looks as if it would be early in the morning
before the more sober citizens would be
allowed to close their eyes and dream of their
prospective mayor and the beauties of the
advanced step in civilization which they
have today taken.