The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-09
1T WILL BE INVESTIGATED.

<|AN
Our board of aldermen is no doubt COM
posed of eminent gentlemen, but the m ost
OF them are not built on the Chesterfield
plan. They are plain, plunt men, with
strong propensity for being suspicious.
When gift horse is rendered them
they not only look him in the mouth,
but they insist on taking him all apart
to see If there are not some hidden de-
fects in his anatomy. 1t was great
treat to see them perform as guardians
of the city's interests the other night
when three rash gentlemen had the hard
ihood to tender through them to the
city $50, 900 building for the accommo-
dation of manual training school, DID
they accept it with thanks? Not they.
The majority of them with one accord
began to .smell mouse" right of.
They scented a diabolical plot for I'M
loading white elephant on to the dear
people. One of them Immediately
thought of bridge that had been given
to the city and had since cost the city
several thousand dollars to keep in repair.
The same one also limited at an limo
cent looking ORDER" which might come
along with the building. Another one
said he didn't think it was much of a
gift anyway. A third, who was evident
ly not cup to snuff suggested that it
was somewhat ungracious to insinuate
that the gentlemen who had rendered the
building were trying to play some kind
%ho NIT ht1th 6,y ruioly-
ly suppressed as altogether too ''soft a
mark Still they were not quite ready
to relinquish all chance of getting the
gift if there were no bombs inside of it,
and SO it was finally decided to appoint a
committee to investigate it.
The committee has not yet been an
nounced, but no doubt the alderman
from Ward 3, on account of his long ex-
perience as an Investigator, will be ap-
pointed chairman, and power given him
to send for persons and papers, and per-
haps to put witnesses on the rack, if a
suspicion crosses his mind that any of
! them are not telling the whole truth. II
the chairman can fish out of his pocket
any more checks, "given him to do with
as he sees fit,'' counsel will probably be
employed. Inquiry will first be made as
to the way in which the late Mr.. Walker
accumulated his fortune, for the possibili-
ty of the city's having school house
built with tainted money" is hate
full to the moral sense of Alderman
Rounds. This point settled, probably the
committee will call the architect and
interrogate him as to the building. A
rumor has already reached the ears of the
gentleman from Ward that all the arohi.
tect is planning to do is to stick mp in
the air four walls, and that the city must
put on the roof and put in the
| floors and windows. To be sure
the proposition of the trustees was
to erect a building, but the aldermen
want everything under oath If the
architect is not broken down, the trustees
will be called and examined in regard to
their motives in offering this building.
There is a suspicion that it may give
them some satisfaction to lie instru-
instructing it's youth in the useful manual
arts. If this proves to be correct the gift
will be rejected. No one will be permit
ted to fatten his pride on the city in that
way. The Investigators will set their
faces sternly against anything of that
sort. While the investigation is proceed
ing detectives will be employed to scour
the town in search of evidence which
may throw light upon the motives I'M
derlying this gift, and parties who have
| been after the money for other purposes
will be invited in to show that the city
cannot accept it without blasting the
hopes and wishes of somebody else. The
committee will sit in secret, lest some
of them be intimidated by public opinion,
but stenographer will probably be en-
| ployed and the public given the privilege
of looking over his minutes. The prospect
tive chairman of the committee is more
opposed now than ever before to public
| Investigations.