The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-03
ALDERMAN aupTILL,s BuNco GAME
How He Tried to win Score or More of
junk Dealers and failed in the Attempt.

In the Argus of yesterday morning APP
peared an extraordinary article under the
caption .of "Bunco Came" game,
by the way, in (which the Argus at.aall
times is facile princeps; but it was unfor-
tunate in. its application. The fact is,
the bunco game was steered by Alder
man Guptill, who greatly desired to
make little cheap political capital Tor
the next campaign. The true state OF
the matter is simply this. A law was
made many years ago, which requires
junk dealers tostake outalicenses. Stolen
property is often sold to junk dealers,
and it is necessary that they should be
known to the marshal, that he should
know where to look for such property.
This law is as follows:
page 424 Revised Ordinances OF the
City of Portland 1882.
1. The Mayor and Aldermen of. the City
of Portland may license such persons as
they deem suitable to be keepers of shops
for the purchase, sale, or barter of junk,
old metals, bones, rags or of any second
articles, and to be dealers therein.
p The licenses to such persons shall
designate the place where the business is
to be carried on, and the persons licensed
shall be subject to such conditions, re-
strlctions and regulations as may be pre-
scribed by the mayor and aldermen of
said city, and the license shall continue
In force for one year, unless sooner re-
voked.
8. No person, unless licensed as afore-
said, shall keep any shop or place for
the purchase sale or barter of the arti-
cles aforesaid, or for the storage thereof,
or. be a dealer therein, nor shall any per-
son so licensed keep such shop or be a
dealer in said articles, in any other
place or manner than is designated in
his license or after notice to him that
said license has been revoked, under the
penalty of twenty dollars for each
offense, to be recovered by complaint
in the municipal court for said city
or by Indictment.
4. Any city may establish ordinances
regulating the purchase of old junk,
metals or other articles usually bought
prescribe such conditions to be observed
by buyers and sellers as the city officers
may deem best, to prevent or detect the
sale or purchase of stolen goods; and
suitable penalties may be prescribed in
such ordinance for any violation thereof.
Strictly in accordance with his official
duty, which the Argus would be the first
sss.
to criticise him. for neg Letting, Marshal
Tricky notified the junk dealers to apply
to the city clerk for licenses. Here at
last, after much patient watching, ap-
peared chance, a very petty one to be
sure, for Mr. Guptill to ingratiate him
self with score or more of junk dealers,
and he hunted up an old ordinance of
1874 which fixed tha nrica of a license at;
ten dollars and with this in his pocket
hied straightway to the Argus editor,
where it was quite easy TO cococt an item
which should make it appear to the
heated brains of Argus partisans that the
poor junk dealers were being oppressed. 1t
was cheap game and stupidity set up
by the Aldermen from Ward One as us
ual, and he appears in it despite his
clumsy efforts to conceal himself.