The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-02-02
VERY PECULIAR.
Biddeford is Indignant Over the Fake Pc
titions Against the Abolish ment of the
Biddeford Constables.
(sneoiol to the PRESS. !


Biddeford, Me-, February 1.-The big
batch of petitions sent from this city
and presented in the House at Augusta,
Thursday, by Representative Doyle are
an imposition upon the public and an
insult to the legislature.
They are petitions against the passage
of an act abolishing constables in the
city of Biddeford. Certain newspaper
reports said that the batch contained
over 800 petitions, representing over 500C
people of this city. The fact is that there
were about 600 petitions on slips, pur-
porting to represent about 250O, OF
whom the greater part are women and
children. Many Of these are evidently
more or less fraudulent, many more were
secured thu ough deception, while many
others were signed by people who did
not really know, and who could not
know what they were signing
The newspaper report said that the
presentation of this big batch of petit
tions created some excitement In the
House. When the truth is told about
them, it will create more.
1t is safe TO say that these petitions do
not represent more THAI 300 voters and
taxpayers of Biddeford, and in fact some
of the names are absolutely unknown
here. When the Democrats found that
a bill was to be INTRODUCED abolishlng
the Biddeford coustables, they were ex-
oeeding wroth, as they had reck oned up
on electing two or three this spring, and
were intending to make trouble for the
Republi can police force all the rest OF
me year. Two Candidates had already
tbade their threats to that effect.
Fifteen or twenty canvassers were i'm
mediateiy started out with blank petit
tions, instructed to get names anyhow.
Each "peti tion" is the size of half sheet
of letter paper, and the petition proper
is printed at the top. Below were
blanks for the names. One pteition WAS
filed out for each family.
The canavssers, who were hurried out,
called at every house, and whether the
man or woman could read, write. OF
not, he or she signed that petition # it
was possib to force them too. Then
the children were counted up, the total
nun ber in the family was put down at
the bottom, and the petition represent
edn so many. Many are signed, for in
stance, Fired Lavigne, Mrs. Fred La
vigne," then below is written represent
ing 9.n or whatever the case may be.
< Biddeford man who glanced over
these family petitions" yesterday, made
some queer discoveries. There are
names there of people whom he absolute
ly knows cannot read or write. The
names, however, are signed in a good
hand. A number were noticed who are
paupers. and supported by the city.
Many are the names of people who have
not been naturalized. One paupe1
signed himselaf as representing six peo-
ple-taxpayers probably. Mary and
Fred Crater sign as representing 21.
Ferdinand Boutelle represents IA;
Pierre Phanine represents IL. A large
nart of the actual signers have police
court records. One woman's name is
there who died very suddenly three
months ago before the movement to
abolish constables was thought of. One
Saco maniis interested enough in Bid
deford to sign for eight.
There is no doubt that many of these
names were secured by misrepresenta-
tion. il not by fraud. Very fewaataxpay-
ers or prominent citizens are represent
ed. The petitions for the aboIishmeni
of the consta bles, on the other hand,
bear the names of 112 business men,
right on the street, and included in all
over 600 representative citizens and tax.
payers of all classes. The attention oi
both houses will be called to the nature
Of these family petitions.