The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-03
THU POLICE BILL.
Story Of the Biddeford Riot Once
More Rehearsed.
MIR. LOONEY AND SENATOR HER.
SEY HAVE A SET.TO.

OAA>O@AASAA
Are Acknowledgements for and
Against the Biu-It is Tabled by the
Committee.
Especial to the Press.]
AUGUSTA, March 2.-The legal affairs
committee this afternoon gave a hearing
on the bill to establish board of police
commissioners in cities of over 10000 in
habitants and heard racy account of
the state of affairs in Biddeford. B. f.
Hamilton of Saco told the story of that
March election in 1890; and his descrip-
ton of the doings of the Biddeford po-
licemen on that day and the manner in
which the Democrats manipulated the
police then and now seemed to establish
that certainly SO far as Biddeford is con-
cerned some remedy for the existing
evil is needed.
But Mr.. Hamilton did nat rely alone
on his account of the situation in Bidde-
ford. In support of his statement that
Biddeford policemen have been assessed
$125 annually for political purposes, he
read the afidavits of George w. Harri-
man and Lewis Stuart, who deposed that
they had been SO assessed during the
years they were members of the force.
Mr.. Stuart said that he paid the money
to city treasurers Page and Goodwin.
Leonard Andrews made affidavit that
City Clerk Hubbard had demanded $25
of him for political purposes, which he
had paid. James w. Small and B. A.
Parker made affidavit that they were
serving as deputy sheriffs on that cleo
ton day in March, 1890, and that they
were arrested and maltreated by tn spe-
cial police. Mr.. Small said that he was
struck and kicked while surrounded by
bowling mob, and was arrested and
confined for hours in cell infested with
vermin. He afterwards sued City Mar
shall Tarbox for false Imprisonment and
recovered damages.
Frank S1morean deposed that he had
been arrested because he would not
promise to work for the Democrats. At
ter he had been confined some hours he
alleges that Marshal Tarbox told him
that if he would not make any trouble
Tarbox would buy him a new silk hat
his own having been smashed.
Hon. Charles f. Libby referred to his
knowledge of police affairs when he was
mayor of Portland in 1882 and said that
perhaps he had been somewhat instru-
mental in securing the system which had
improved the method of making police
appointments in Portland. The trouble
with police systems was that they were
liable to be used for political ends instead
of municipal agents. If Mr.. Libby could
believe what he read in the papers, and if
he was correctly informed, there was
cause for criticism of the management of
+l,o ,,o1;oa II, por+lonJ Ca1-tain1U ca far
as it related to the course of the city mar
shall in releasing arrested men without
putting them before the court, the COM
plant was not denied, democratic papers
instead trying to excuse the practice.
Mr.. Libby spoke of the right of the legis-
lature to intervene to purge cities of
wrong. He spoke of the success of police
commissioners in the large cities of other
states.
Gen. Joseph Smith of Bangor favored
the bill as tending to strengthen the sys-
tenn OF police appointments. That sys-
tenn was good one, but as was shown
by the recent trouble when the mayor re-
fused to make appointments under 1t, it
did not go far enough.
NJ. B. Walker, formerly city solicitor
Of Biddeford, was the first speaker in
opposition. He said that Mr.. Hamilton
had taken the teeth all out of that dog
with which he started. He had said that
there SO police officers in Biddeford who
were assessed $125 year each for politi-
cal purposes, but he had said in reply to
a question that only were regular
officers. Mr.. Walker attempted to meet
Mr. Hamilton's recital of the condition
of affairs on that celebrated election day
by excusing it because the people he said
had found that an attempt wasxto be
made to bulldoze them out of their rights
by throwing a large number OF deputies
into the town. These deputies stood in
front of the ballot boxes and seized men
who claimed the right to vote and run
them off. When news of this reached
the streets the men were in condition to
fight. Knowing that these deputy sheriffs
were to be thrown into the city, the
municipal officers appointed special
policemen to prevent disorder. Had they
they not done so blood would have flowed
in the streets of Biddeford.
VIM. Ell. Looney, Esq, read the reso-
lutions of the Portland City Council in
opposition to the bill and directing the
employment of counsel to represent the
city. Mr.. Looney said that he had been
retained to represent the city by Mayor
Ingraham. He said that when the bill
w do piiheOA AZ uiO PsPCAo, uC AttA ICdO ~
and concluded that it was wrong in
principle. Mayor Ingraham knowing
Mr. Looney's view ON the matter, had
retained him to represent the city. The
practical effect of the bill would be to
make the mayor of a city mere cipher,
a mere dummy unless he is of the same
political party as the two men appointed
by the governor. These two being the
majority could in cases when the mayor
belonged to another political party,
fre -ze him out. 1t is measure which
one of it's advocates called "a radical in
novation. That being the case, OF course
the committee would first enquire who
wanted the bill. Mr.. Looney claimed
that the desire for the bill came only
from few politicians of Biddeford, who
he was informed, were not deputed to
represent their party.
Senator Hersey-'You represent, do
not, Mr.. Looney, the Democratic city
government of Portland?''
Mr.. Looney said that in reply to the
polite and courteous question he would
say that the Republican member of the
Portland board of aldermen had voted