The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-29
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
Darius H. Ingraham the Nominee for
Mayor.

for mayor, met at the Dung Mems Dem
ocratic Club rooms Saturday night. Lu-
ther 3. Roberts, chairman of the city
committee, called the meeting to order.
George F. McQuillan was chairman, and
Nathan Clifford secretary. Mr.. T. P.
MCGOWAN presented Mr.. Darius Fl. In
grahams name as the nominee for may
or, and he was unanimously chosen.
George F. SWEET, Spencer Rogers and J.
D. Williams went after the candidate and
returned with him. MI. Ingraham was
warmly received. He spoke as follows:
Gentlemen Of the Convention:
| appear before you upon the request
of your committee, who have notified
me that have been again unanimously
nominated as the Democratic candidate
for mayor. [ gratefully accept the hon
or, with the promise, if elected, to dis
charge the duties of the Office faithfully
You will also allow me to publicly ex-
press to the Democracy of the city, my
heartfelt thanks for their earnest sup
port during the spirited contest Of last
spring, neccssitating two trials before
the choice of mayor was effected, and
then by majority Of only 100, in total
vote of $50, the largest ever thrown in
q municipal election in this city.
| believe also that I am only rejecting
the feelings of the Democratic party
when express to those independent Re-
peblieans who stood with the solid De-
lnocracy i'll their fight for the Australian
ballot our appreciation of their support
in the election last spring, and whom
now extend to them, believing as we be-
lieve, a cordial invitation to unite with
us again in contesting issues OF para
mount importance to the city.
For over thirty years the Republican
party have controlled almost consecu-
lively every department of the city gov
eminent, collecting the revenues, impos
ing taxes amounting to over three-quar
tiers of million dollars annually, and
disbursing the expenditures for our
finances, the poor, the streets, the fire
department, the liquor agency, the
schools and the police; a total of some
S1,200,000 a year, and aggregating in
that period sum larger than the pres
ent entire valuation Of the city. In this
long. period, too, owing to the Illegal
continuance of a shameful gerrymander
of the wards, the minority has had but
meagre representation in the city coun-
Gil, while the offices have been filled with
partisans, to the most rigid exclusion
and prescription of political opponents.
More than all this, the Republican
party persists in legislating away from
us the inherent right of every NUM-
cipality of managing its own affairs.
While paying one-seventh of the entire
state tax, two dollars to most others
one, amounting to nearly 100000 year,
besides two-thirds Of the county tax,
~ /,
more. we have imposed ON us an extra
police force in the shape Of a county CON
stabulary, whose fees, I learn, have in
creased largely the past year, causing adj
ditional burdens for Portland taxpayers.
The question arises why our own police
force is not ample to maintain order, and
why we are put to this unnecessary ex-
pense. 1 am confident that a repeal of
this obnoxious law would be welcomed
by a large majority of our citizens. Ex-
perienee has shown that the purity of
elections demands the withdrawal of
state officials from the domain of our
municipal politics.
3 The increasing sales of spirituous
liquors at the city liquor agency, on tap
from the State House, proyokes also a
good deal of unfayorable criticism. There
appears to be little or no restraint in law
upon their indiscriminate sale. The
mere statement of the purchaser seems
generally conclusive. The spectacle of a
professed prohibition party running
grog shop under false pretence, where
$25, 700 to $5O,000 of Intoxicating liquors
with disgust by the better moral senti-
ment of this city. They believe that
the staying remedy would consist in the
change of legislation tending to special
or optional features, adapted to the con-
ditions of seaport of over 10000 inhab-
itants. A reinvestment of the whole
some exercise Of municipal privileges by
which especially the sale of intoxicating
liquors can be regulated and restrained,
according to law, and our own best
Judgment, cannot fail to strike every
reasonable man as eminently just and
democratic.
In looking over the representative
names of respected citizens nominated
on our municipal ticket, business and
capital could not justly hesitate to con-
fide to the Democratic party the manage
ment of affairs, if economical admins
tration and lower taxation are desired,
as well as liberal policy of encourage
ment to those who might embark in
manufacturing enterprises, in order that
JtC CuIIGubS VI tIdetC III w
ed, population increased and better OPP
portunities afforded for labor.
Enterprise and capital have supple
mented the natural advantages of this
port with unequaled transportation IA
cilities both by sea and land, whether
for trade or for tourists seeking relief in
ocean breezes; and if elected we pledge
our word that none of these interests
shall suffer from want of due thought
and attention on our part. We fail to
find in the records of the present city
administration, OF indeed of recent ones,
any act of cooperation OF encourage
ment of Portland's most vital interests.
Last winter law was passed taking
away from the aldermen the authority to
prepare voting lists, and transferring
that power to board of registration
provided for in the act, to consist of
three persons, one to be appointed by the
Governor, and the remaining two by the
mayor from each leading political party.
The compensation of the board, fixed in
the act, and all other expenses, amount
ing in the first year at least to several
thousand dollars, the city is obliged to
pay. What reason OF justification is there
for this audacious act, leading to disfran-
cllising in Portland alone nearly 10000