The Portland daily press., 1895-02-14
DEERING ANNEXATION,
Letters from Participants in Tuesday Eve
ning's Meeting.

To the Editor of the PRESS:
see by your report OF the "Antrs
Meet" in Deering that / am counted IN
as one of the speakers against apneHa-
ton. That is mistake. am very much
in favor of annexation, under favorable
conditions. Portland has given me
living for forty years, and l would IKE
to pay all my taxes to that CITY. What
called me up at that meeting was the
abusive language of some of the speakers
against Portland. The hall was about
half full of people, composed mostly OF
office holders and Office seekers. The
meeting was presided over by Judge Eli
der, and with barely two exceptions the
speakers were candidates for some office.
One man, who is in the employ OF
Portland corporation. owned and man
aged by Portland men and maintained
largely By Portland people, took occa-
sion to deride the Portland city govern
ment, and he is an ex-councilman. An
other speaker who holds an office, was
extremely abusive of Portland, and
when [ asked him where all the resi-
dents in Deering from Woodfords Cor
per TO the point, got their living, he
ong that it could not give anybody
living" or words TO that effect. That
same man had the cheek to compare the
Deering schools and their management
to Portland and to the latter's detrI-
ment. Great heavens: Only think OF 1t!
IL is like comparing mountain to
mole hill. j. +. SMlIH.
MI. George C. Hopkins Favors Annexation
To the Editor of the PRESS:
Your report of the anti-annexation
meeting at Woodfords in single line.
entirely misrepresented the position
taken by me.
What 7 did say was that while l
thought the union of Portland and
Deering in one municipal government
would be advantageous to the people l
also believed that annexation should
come only with the approval of the body
of the citizens of both cities and that l
was opposed to the further agitation OF
the question at present and to the pass
age of the bill now before the legisla-
ture The people of Deering are I'M
the subiecu should be allowed to drop.
10 continue the agitation now will
result in the creation of parties. will
tend to strengthen prejudices and arouse
animosities. with the result that what Is
simply a question of municipal policy
which should be determined upon bust
ness principles and upon VIII CHI there are
arguments on each side, will become
complicated by appeals to personal feel
ing rather than fair and reasonable con-
sideration. There is no reason why the
annexation movement should be pushed
at the present time. The city govern
ment has administered the trust COM
mitted to it with intelligence, prudence
and wisdom. There is no reason to sup
pose it will not continue to do SO during
the next two years. II it fails to do so
we shall not have long to wait Tor the
next legislature TO afford remedy.
Nor is the argument that the people
should have the privilege of voting upon
the question a weighty one. What is
the use of compelling both Portland and
Deering to undergo the trouble and ex
pense of an election when it is perfectly
evident what the result will be?
When the people are ready lor anneAa-
ton they will find no difficulty in max
ing their wishes known, but in the
mean time the continued agitation of
the subject and the passage of bill they
do not want may justly excite resent
ment and produce pernicious rather than
beneficial effects.
Besides do not see how any one in
Deering can vote for the pending bill.
1t is invalid because it changes repre-
sentative districts. 1t is obscure in its
provision for voting and omits some es-
sental details. It's most serious defect,
however, is in the failure to provide for
an equalization of the -debts of the re-
speotive cities soTthat under it Deerlng
presents to Portland as free gift about
seventy-five thousand dollars, perhaps
Coco. HOPKINS.
Final Resolve Concerning the Fourth