The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-15
Such Was the Hearing Before the
City Fathers.
RECEPTION HALL WOULD BARELY
HOLD INTERESTED CITIZENS.


Closes it With Speech Declaring the
Commission Good for Nothing-City
Council Postpones Action to the 22nd
of January.
The hearing Monday evening before the
| City Government in regard to the plan of
making the street commission permanent
| by legislative enactment, turned out to be
| a surprisingly.large gathering of prominent
and greatly interested citizens of Portland.
| Prominent business and professional men
were conspicuous in the gathering. which
was in size like town meeting. 1t was a
meeting thoroughly representative of the
best citizens of Portland.
The City Government met as usual, the
two bodies in their respective chambers.
| After the joint convention of the two
| bodies had been arranged, and the alder
| men had taken their places in the Common
Council chamber. Mayor Baxter announced
| the purpose of the meeting. and read the
order under which itshad been called. He
said:that 1t was we'll known that during the
past year. the streets. had been under the
| cares of a commission established by city
| ordinance. Mayor Baxter read this ordi-
! nance, after which.he said that all citizens
had been invited to be present, and he
| hoped:t hat. there would be a full and free
| expression of opinion.
DR. SETH G. GORDON,
| who HAD been asked by the physicians to
represent them, was the first to speak.I have
| waited twenty-nine years and three
months for this chance to speak to body
with authority to do something for the
-hou Idal
and entreated on the subject of streets.
| do not believe in quacks in anything.
dc. not believe in having blacksmith repair
NY watch. Now ] know about the streets
of Portland. For twenty-nlne years / have
been riding over them. going over every
road, into everysstree and alley. know
thesstreets of Portland. I have also seen
the streets of other cities in America and
in all the countries of Europe. I know the
splendidsroads that Ethsy have there, and
do not despair that We may be able to rival
them. think we have spent almost enough
money on the streets of Portland since
came here to pave the city as John, the
Evangelist, said, the streets of the New
Jerusalem were.payed. or course tnat is
an exaggeration. but it suggests the truth.
Even the best streets of Portland are not
block paving In Europe they lay it so
that il remains even for years. Here our
block paving is laid SO that it soon becomes
uneven. They have hauled more sand into
the West End of Cumberland street since
came to Portland than enough to fill Back
Bay. Maughter). And that sand was
washed away promptly at the next rain.
Mr.. Staples-who, 1 believe has done as
we'll as he could-convinced me that they
were doing better this year by using pin
gravel. DR.. Gordon went onto say that
his coachman ,.who is-a Dane, and had seen
good roads, knew more about road-making
than any street commissioner whom he had
known in Portland for years.
A gentleman who had served long in the
Portland city government, had assured him
that the committee on streets had exercised
only nominal pow srs, the street commission
er doing much as he pleased with the eighty
or ninety thousand dollars at his disposal.
Many of the street commissioners whom
we had had in Portland, would not have
been elected highway surveyors in the town
of Fryeburg. Any man in Portland who
could raise political pull, has been elected
street commissioner whether he knew any
thing or not.
Jr. GOrQOn WouC Oh " say tudt Gu6T6 uaO
been little Improvement this year, and
the presence of civil engineer on the board
of commissioners was of much advantage.
He hads seen decided Improvement in little
things. This year he had not been stopped
by ten men hoeing off one cross walk. who
would .be SO blind and deaf that he would
have to stop his horse while they were be-
ing gotten out of the way. Those poor old
fellows were good TO draw their pay and
vote the Republican or Democratic ticket
as the commissioner miehl require.
DrGordon went on to describe certain
badly cared for streets which illustrated
the lack of system prevailing heretofore.
1 believe that the present arrangement
has done well for the city; and should be
continued. We paysour money and We want
our moneys worth. (Applause.i
At this point Mayor Baxter-said he had
received a communication from citizen
who announced that about one hundred
we're outside desiring admittance, butstEat
there was no room. 1t was thel efore de-
cided to adjourn to Reception hall. When
this adjournment had been made, it was
found that even Reception .hallswas not
large enough, and an atterpt was made to
use the large City hall, but that was not
warmed.
The first speaker was. Mr.. E. G. Jordan,
who began by referring to the fact that W.
". Thomas. the largest single-tax payer
in the city, Neal Glow. Francis. Fessenden,
weston T. Milliken, and suon men. were
good representatives of the best citizenship
Of Portland, and these were in favor of sus-
tanning the commission. Mr.. Jordan then
continued:
MIR. E. g. JORDAN'S REMARKS.
attended the city government meeting
last Monday, and that / was astounded at
the course there pursued goes without say
ine had refused to believe that there
uasan organized attempt to undo and de-
strov the sustem of care Of streetssand sew
ars hat had bsen inauguarated last April.
and that had resulted so wonderfully well
in sustaining what was claimed for it by
its rroiectors / came to be convinced, and
was that there is an organized attempt
70 send us back to system that gave iI-
diyidual plunder TO few ana gave almost
worthless results, or at least very made
onate returns, for the money expended.
stand here as citizen of Ward Six. 1t was
autboritayely stated in this building last
Monday that the sentiment Of Ward Six
was unfa, orabc to this commission, and