The advocate., 1897-09-08
HOW PAUPERs ARE TREATED IN
MAINE.

MAlN6s
This is the first year since Maine was
set OFF from Massachusetts that the sup
port of from one to FIVE hundred town
paupers has not been put UP at auction
and sold off to the lowest bidders. Care
full inquiry among the selectmen and
other town officers has failed to find a
single case OF this kind in 1897, though
In former years the practice was common
In all the sixteen counties OF the State.
In all the cities and In most Of the larger
towns OF Maine are almshOuses with
farms attached, where the poor Of the
municipalities are housed, clothed and
fed at the public expense, the paupers
doing what work they can In order to
lessen the cost. The smaller towns, haV-
ing but few paupers, cannot afford to
support an almshouse, so they let out
their poor at 80 much week, and allow
everybody OF good repute to make bids,
the lowest bidder getting the paupers
for the next municipal year.
Until long after the war there were
dozens of towns In Maine that sold their
paupers at auction, and nobody saw any
harm In the practice. The auction was
usually held on the day Of the annual
spring election, as soon as the officers
were chosen and the money needed to
run the town was raised. The moder-
atOr, or first selectman, was the auc-
tioneer. Standing on the platform OF
the town hall he would give an account
Of the pauper ne was about to sell, tell
ing his age and general habits, and
dwelling upon the work he was able to
perform. When he had made cata-
lOgue of the pauper's virtues he would
ask for bids, and the man who felt the
need of pauper work or who wanted the
money which the town would pay for
the pauper's support, would make offers,
splitting dimes and Scent pieces until
they came to cents, when the lowest bid
der would get the pauper, and another
unfortunate put up for sale,
In the days when every Maine grocer
kept a barrel Of New England rum
housed alongside OF the mOlasses hogs
head, the annual auction sale Of paupers
was looked upon as a general holiday
for the men who came from all parts Of
the town, and never went home until
the last paUper was sold of, Jordan
Batchelder a pauper who died In the
town OF Prospect about twenty years ago,
was sold at auction thlrty-one years in
succession, and was always present to
speak for himself, and show his strength
when anybody doubted his ability to
labor. Bill Greene, pauper Of the same
town, who was also a shoemaker, used
to take his bench and cobbling tools to
town meeting and sit on the platform
naendlng shoes while the citizens made
bids for his keep. AS this was before
the day OF shoe factories, men who had
large families to keep In footwear were
always impressed with Greene's talents,
40 the old man was frequently sold as
high ais so cents q week, or $25 a year.
Clark W. Menden, Of Evansville, who
has been State Senator, says he has seen
fourteen paupers ranged In line on the
town hall platform and sold of, one by
one, like so many slaves Daniel Har-
Fiman. reputable citizen Of Searsport,
remembers seeing paupers sold at auc-
tlon in FRANKFORT, Stockton, 0rland and
other towns.
For few years after the war bust
ness was 80 good that everybody pros
pered, and most Of the paupers either
died or were were able to earn their own
living. When the panic OF 1873 struck
the country many persons became pau
parB, but she habit Of selling ut auction