Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-15
CITY GOVERNMENT.
A Flood Of Petitions Filed, on Thurs
day Evening.
One for Better Enforcement Of Liquor Law
With 725 Signers.

The new city government has started
in on a businesslike plan, that Of dis
cussing fully every point that is touch
q upon, ana by the way that the petit
tioE.s have been 1locking in. and were
presented at the meeting, Thursday
evening. they viii have a plenty of
discussions before the year is out.
There is one great consolation, and that
is that the discussions are of 4 purely
business nature ANA not at ali unfrend-
ly, as some city governments are apt
to be.
The meeting began at the usual time,
80 o'clock, and for three hours the
session was held
After a little preliminary work. a
dele cation Of the W c. r L. and some
gentlemen headed by Eev. j. =. wy
man, were given the floor, and Mr..
Wyman, in behalf of the temperance
people of the city, presented petition
signed by I25 people, asking that the
prohibitory law he better enforced.
Mr. Wyman's remarks We're as fol
lows:
To His Honor the Mayor and Mem
bers Of the City Governments
Gentlemen: 1t has been made my
duty to lay before your honorable body
the accompanying petition for the en-
forcement of existing laws relating to
IN, N i,.t1 nf the liDliDr tr1ltlc.
1t is, as you may see by examination. 4
very respectful and Respectable pet
ton 1t contains more than 600 names
of our people who nave a definite and
all sufficient reason for seeing the law
enforced. 1t could easily be multiplied
by two and perhaps by four. If organ
izatiOn extended over the entire city
on if it were thought necessary to pre-
sent such a petition in order to accom-
plish the desired object.
A few things should be said in regard
to the work Of securing these sigma
lures as We'll as in regard to the petit
tion itself.
l. In the first place. it was thought
| best to defer any definite action until
after the municipal election. We pre-
| f=rred to have the people make register
of their choice without any attempt 1n
our part to influence their decision
| This choice has been made. ol cour6%
| the inference may be drawn from Su-h
| a petition as this that We diStruSt the
purpose of those in power. In fact 1t
is this consideration which has pre-
vented many from signing the petition
| But this is not the motive III clrcuiaC-
| ing it,
The petitioners would respectfully
| and courteOusty suggest to your honor
| able body what has manifestly been
forgotten on many occasions. that You
have not been elected to serve eXcIu-
sively the interests of party. IT II
the high honor Of our Republican pr1-
| ciples that they shall mean more Than
this. You are more than Republicans
and Democrats. When elected You ar"
The. peoples representatives,. You have
been empowered to see that the laws
which regulate US shall he faithfully
administered.
| 1t is proper. therefore. for citizens
who have been brought 10 open shame
and grief and who have been ronpnllei
again and again to apologize" for ON
cial neglect in the past, to call nttrn-
| tlOn 10 ItliS, liiit tlltl' l'i"S iA'N 49, =
similar cause during the present ad-
ADMINISTRATION. We do not present til"
petition as members of an orGaniZa-
ton or of a party. We GENE as law
abiding citizens claiming the protection
which the law affords.
You may note the omission OF
names yoi. might have reason TO expect
| in a document ~ thlS kllld.
This is accounted foF ID variety ~
Wax& Ia the first place rs AltnAN& IN
tinatcd, "A large plumber have Ielt tta'
lsuci, a request was wholly unnecessary
''hpv have said that they nave Jointo
in electing those to oilice, VINO nave
taken their oath to administer the laws
i,nnartially officers often interpret
tbfs ne Indifference to the law Ihes2
peoplc do toy "a regard it. 1hey tel'
u; we have il tisHt Ia expect 'has
officers will lie true IL ttspiF can 81
office without suggc stton by iistitt"A,
rhev tell us that to petition man |"
40 what he has faithfully taken MS
oath to d. - distressing him 30
MANY of the wartt.-g, advocates OF thls
law have declined to hate A,%lF names
apoear in this petition.
! Ag.i,, lowing to lack of organization
and time iii which 10 circulate the peti-
ti0n) very many OF or GjlEeh9 III
not seen it or had opportunity - sisH T.
Many more have hesftaled fh reg
that their personal interests mlshl
suffer. and we understand that some OF
these have already lost patronage an"
they i-.tlsy deserve to- Tor thelf iich'''
if not hypocritic4t tRjniflpn.
B.r WithstanatinG ait tif@$e ana
other reasons We have q strong hei-
ton to lay before yDtis
We have among the signatures nhhieF
of prominent clergymen residing mere
Of physicians and lawyers; pain
caahiers and officials and leading puS'-
ne.;a ,nat} such as ex-GoVernor Coiiioi
Oscar Hoiwax, Hon Geo. T. Macombe.
Clarence &. Bur.epsi. ii. " o"nle, =
f. Davis. Ira Randall, G. l'fhiH, 4: n
Wight, Chas. A. Milliken, KEY ff
Cbas. w Doherty.
A,a,;t 725 names. secured Wiih IL
definite p,at spd without undue effort
You can exan,,,,r the same al your