The Portland daily press., 1899-03-03
PRICE THREE CENTS.


Each time the alderman shouted more
people came in. Mr.. Rounds objected
to the plan Of placing the selection of the
board Of overseers In the hands of one
man. That would be too much like a
monarchy, a one man power. There are
a lot Of people in Portland who always
come down here to the legislature to get
laws passed in the interest Of the rioh
as against the poor. That Is. they want
the legislature to make the laws that
will elect all the office-holders Of Port
land without giving the people chance
to vote, II there Is going to be any change
Ii should be In the direction of getting
nearer to the people and not going far
ther away from them. l believe that a
board of nine members, one from each
of the wards OF Greater Portland would
be far better than the plan proposed by
Mr.. Sargent. Then the boardJwouad bs
In closer touch with the.people. as each
member would look aftsr the poor of his
ward.
don't think much fault can be found
with the present board. MIR. Sargent was
q member of the COMMITTEES having
charge of the department. but he sengnsd
because the city passed nm ordinance
prohibiting any member thoreof or any
member of the board Of overaeers from
furnishing supplies The secretary Of the
present board dictates who shall be
elected to Office and dictates how the ap-
preparation of s35. 600 year shall b
spent. l have told him to his face what
I soy about him. He has held the office
u years.
"The putting of criminals," said the
alderman, in an emphatic manner, lard
poor people together in the same house
and perhaps in the same room, Is all rot.
1t is no disgrace to be poor, but 1t is
disgrace to be criminal, and don't
like the idea of placing them in the
same house. One woman was confined
there for crime. She used to leave the
workhouse every night about Q o'olook
and return at in the morning. They
had a pauper actiug as night wstohman
and he would let this woman out at
night and then let her in next morning.
There was beaten path leading from
the back door of the house to the street
where this woman tramped In the night
time when she should have been kept in
the house. In order to stop this practice
there was An eight foot board fence built
to keep them inside. l think we had
better remain as we are until some plan
can be devised that will be better than
the present one; the one proposed is mob
the right kind"
Henry Ross gave a careful statement
as to the methods of the board Of which
he has been a mem ber for six years and
spoke of the personnel of the members.
Since the ordinance spoken Of was passed
by the city government he knew that no
member of the board either directly or
indirectly sold supplies to the food de-
partmsnt. They used to have duck"
supplies at the poor house, it used to be
said, but they don't have them now. All
large purchases like -four, corned beef,
coal and wood are placed on bids and
furnished under contract. These goods
are bought at the lowest. market prices
paid by merchants for the same GLASS Of
goods.
Alderman Lamson presented . remon-
STRANGE of more than 500 citizens of Port
land against the passage Of the Sargent
bill. Also stated that the city govern
ment voted unanimously against the
measure.
| q Councilman Philips. @. p. Waldron,
Isaiah Daniels and Councilman Il. y.
Milliken strsnuously opposed the bill.
They agreed that inasmuoh as Deering
had been annexed TO Portland there
would naturally arise q necessity for sorns
change in the future. but that at present
1t would be entirely unwise to do any
thing.
The committee has not acted ON the
matter.
THE FEED STUFTS LAW.
The bill to repeal the law Of the inspec-
tion and analysis of commercial feeding
stuffs was heard by the committee On
agriculture today. These feeding stnfs
arc tor farm animals. An attempt was
made earlier in the session to amend the
law by enlarging Its scope to include 9TH
sr varieties OF feeding stuffs. This bill
was strenuously opposed before tine com.
,pittse by Major Sidney W. Thsxter and
other Portland dealers. Today the same
gen tleman appeared to favor the passage
of q bill to repeal the whole law of 1887,
relating to the feeding stuffs inspection.
Major Thaxter told the committee that "
Is Impossible for traders to abide by eth
or the spirit or the letter of the. law
The gentlemen who want the law ~.
pealed are large dealers in the feeding
sJuffs and are we'll acquainted with the
business. 1t would seem that their word
should have some weight. The goods
come from far and near and must be sold
before an examination can be made
The goods are distributed from cars.
The dealers cannot entsr these cars. sx-
anime the bags and attach tags to them.
Mr.. Thaxter 4 told the COMMITTEES that
he had drafted q bill which left cut the
analysis feature as that 10 not prscti.
nl> hxI ,~~ovfdos that rou, N, arNf al