The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-22

spent, enough to have made them per-
manently good, are today as nau do eseI,
in some cases worse; that Wheh lairiy
good work has been done 1T has oeeh leIt
uncared for; that many street are at
certain seasons of the year lmpassaple
for bicycles, which means that they are
unit for light carriages ana uItefly use
less for drays; that all these things are
wrong and should and can be corrected,
and that now we have an opportunity,
we propose to raise the voice OF the
League of American Wheelmen In pro-
test, We believe in the COMMISSION.
because we know it is on right prlhclpes,
and is doing intelligent, permanent,
economical work. And the League OF
American Wheelmen wants TO endorse
it.
We shall show you some OF the roaos OF
Europe, as the result of solentlHc syste-
matte work, and careful, scientific, sys-
tematie care. We shall show you both
by statement and by stereoptlcon views
the difference between certain streets now
and before the commission was estab-
Iished. And we shall introduce resoiu-
tions endorsing the commission, winch
we earnestly hope our friends, the City
Fathers, will heed. In word we snail
show you, from wheelman's point OF
view. the dangerous. senseless. suicidal
policy of retrogade movement pack
into the slonghs of the old fasnloned
street commissionership.
William H. Looney was introduced as
lawyer and a wheelman. After Ie" pre-
liminary remarks the speaker paid his
RESPECTS TO EX-ALDERMAN DANIEL
GALLAGHER,
whom he described as distinguished gen.
tleman whose opposition to the street COM
mission did much to recommend it to good
citizens. and who in language elegant ana
chaste had said that the opinions of lawyers
are of no consequence whatever. That gem
tleman represents now the federal admins
tration. At one time,he represented with
more or less ability, ono OF. THE wards in this
Guy. And during the last year he was on
the committee on drains and sewers. and
had an opportunity 20 watch the operations
of the sewers Naughter.) If did not
know of the classic purity and refinement
of his language, and the great learning that
he brings to all.subjects, should think that
some faint of the sewer influenced his mild.
(Laughter.) And it is this man. and others
of his stripe. that are opposing tho move
ment to lit the care of the streets out of
the sewer of municipal politics.
The speaker went on to speak of the bene-
fits that would accrue from the proposed
reform in the street department.. and said
that in the same way the police and fire de-
parments should be emancipated from
politics. The speaker then went on to de-
nounce the various political uses to which
the street department was now put, and
denounced them. He said the men who
worked on the streets were virtually bribed
or coerced to vote as the dominant Earty
wanted them to. He favored the reform be-
cause it would-eradicate these evils; but he
favored the single headed rather than the
hydra headed commission.
Mr.. Percy H. Richardson. secretary and
treasurer of the Marie League. was next in
troduced. He said that there were good
and sufficient reasons fer recommending the
proposed legislative action. During the last
year the streets have been in better con-
dition than ever before. Alderman Dam
admits that ward one was never before
cared for SO we'll. and Alderman Peters ad-
mits that in the centre of the-city the COM
mission has made ~
A BIG SHOW"
in permanent work. which can be compared
dollar for dollar. The commission have saved
enough TO build fifty foot Macadam road
from City hall along Congress street to be-
xond Forest and almost to Weymouth,
streets.
Mr.. Richardson then took up the letter
written to the PRESS by Mr.. George W..
verrill, commencing some points and
criticising others.
The common council We're men who in
abilities fairly represented the citizens; but
few citizens had the training needed for the
members of the committee on streets, who
in thirty or forty meetings must manage.
under the old way. the whole interests of,
the city's streets.
In reference to the argument that the Old
system cared for many poor old men, the
speaker said that the commission has saved
about $4,000, in the year just passed. Nov.
if it was really necessary to keep these
poor. old men employed turn the money
saved over to the park commissioners and
let the old men be hired to lay out flower
beds. The streets would then be just as
good asGthey are now and the men would
still be cared for as we'll as ever.
In conclusion Mr.. Richardson reminded
his hearers that the reform brought about
by the commission was equivalent to giving
| to Portland each year fine Macadam road
as long rs the distance from City hall to the
| Union station.
Dr.. George E. Dow. president of the Port
| land Wheel club, was next introduced.
| After speaking of the commendable selfish
| interest of the wheelmen in good roads, he
asked: What would be thought of
A MAN IN BUSINESS
who made it a practice every year or every
! few years to discharge his head clerk who
has just got an insight into the details OF
his business, and in his place install an
other man at the same salary with absolute
| ly no knowledge at all of such business, and
who would have to be educated by the slow
| but costly process of experience? Would
you be greatly surprised to hear that this
business man had madeTan assignment fol
| the benefit of his creditors?
| Now this is just what the city of Portland
has been doing all these years, until last
| spring the care and construction of oul
streets was placed in the hands of a BIZ
| partisan commission, with what exc client
results you all know and must coneeae.
The opponents to this commission say that