The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-03

| himself to assist as far as possible in the
work of reformation which the party had
promised to undertake.
Obviously the first step in this work OF
reform was the selection Of a new agent.
The old agent had VIGOROUSLY been rec
reant to his duty, had inaugurated and
continued against repeated protests
many of the abuses which were COM
planned of, and furthermore had practi-
cally given the public to understand that
his continuance IN office meant contin-
uance of the illegal and disreputable
policy of last year, which had made the
agency stencil in the nostrils of all de-
cent men, had degraded it to the level of
the lowest rum shop, making it depot
OF supply for other rumshops and for
pocket peddlers. To re-elect him was of
course to give the lie to all Republican
professions.
The election of an agent came up in the
Board of Aldermen on Monday evening
and Mayor Baxter and Aldermen jesse
lyn and Strout, true to their pledges and
the pledges of their party, voted for Mr..
@. c. Douglass, man of excellent stand
ing and reputation in the community,
and man who there was every reason to
believe would strive to conduct the
agency along the lines laid down in the
statutes of the State. These gentlemen
have nothing to regret. nothing to be
ashamed of, but everything to be proud
of, in their votes of Monday night.
But what shall be said of Mr.. w. N.
Prince, the Republican alderman from
Ward 5? The obligation upon him was
precisely the same as that upon. the
other Republican members of the board
He had accepted a nomination and an
election, well knowing that the conduct
| of this agency, was one of the principal
issues. He had allowed it to be under
stood that he was in accord with his
party on this question. and had obtained
the suffrages of Republicans Of Ward on
that understanding. Yet Mr.. W.
N. Prince deliberately and with
a full understanding of the conse-
/ quences threw the vote which was to
continue Mr.. Daniel j. Carr in Office and
to perpetuate for another year the illegal
and scandalous conduct of public in
stitution. What is his explanation? He
offers none, and when solicited to talk on
the subject preserves a discreet silence
Will he claim that he regarded Mr.. Daniel
! j. Carr as a filter man to manage this
| agency than Mr.. Douglass? Will he claim
that the management of the agency the
past year has met his personal APP
prevail, and that he voted as he did to
| ensure its continuance
A man of common sense land Mr..
Prince is credited with that) who
is the voluntary representative OF
a party does notinvite the odium which
is sure to come from voting against the
policy or principles of that party without
strong reasons. Sometimes he bolts be.
cause the particular policy at issue
affronts his conscience. Was the policy
of combining the sales of the agency to the
purposes specified by the laws of the
state an affront to Mr.. Princes con,
science? Sometimes a man is false to
his party because he can strike profta-
BILE political bargain with it's OPP
ponents. But in this case the Demo-
Gratis do not seem to be in a position to
offer any equivalent for the odium OF
| such an act even were Mr.. Prince dis
posed to dicker. Rarely some man deserts
his party at a critical moment because
he is paid for SO doing in dollars and
cents, because he is bribed. Nothing
but the clearest evidence will warrant an
accusation of that Sort and there is no
such evidence in this case. None of these
explanations seem to fit the case.
| Why then did Mr.. Prince abandon his
party and his party's policy, which was
one clearly in the line of law and de-
| cency, one that should command the
approval of every upright man in the
community whether Democrat OF Repub-
| lican, at the critical moment? Mr..
| Prince alone can furnish the answer, and
the Republicans of the city of Portland,
and of Ward 5 particularly, should insist
| that he give an answer and satisfactory
one. or hand in his resignation. In his
action of Monday night he fagrantly
| misrepresented his constituents. If he
has any satisfactory explanation it is his
duty, and it should be his pleasure, to
give it. If he has not the decent thing