The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-08

street school was legal. Hs claimed that
u was not creating city 6obt and was
NOS included In the original appropri-
alton bill and therefore could NOS Be
legally passed by the council. He moved
to reoonslder the appropriation for this
school, His motion was dafsated. The
matter was finally referred TO the city
solicitor for an opinion as TO It, legality.
The committse on conferences In rsfation
10 the order regarding the contracting
for lights on Peaks island having failed
TO agree. the Common Council appointed
q. new committee OF conference and sent
message to the upper board to this
effect. Later ON ths evening the Council
being informed by the city messenger
that thu Aldermen were about to adjourn,
the clerk of the Council was instructed
to call the attention Of the upper board
to the fact that they had appointed a
new COMMITTEES on conference on this
Peaks island contract and desired that
the upper board should appoint CON-
mittse ON Its part as they deensd IL neces-
sary to have this matter settled at onoe
Alderman Moulton. In the board of al
dermen, thereupon made some remarks
about the board of aldermen not desiring
any advice from the council on regard
to the way 1t CHOSE 20 settle its business,
and introduced "requsst" which was
neithsr an order mar o resolution, but
a cali-down for the council, oouohed In
no Indefinite terms. The "request"
read that the board Of aldermen felt itself
competent to transact the city's business
in business like way and did not wish
the council to give 1t any advice about
the way It ohoss TO act This request
when read by the president OF the council,
created somewhat OF sensation and was
the. cue for Mr.. Goudy to take thu floor
and show how some members of the
board of aldermen had been transacting
the city's BUSINESS In the past.
Before Mr.. Cloudy took the floor Mr..
Wilson said that the council had no desire
of taking the credit ''for any OF the things
done this year by the board Of aldermen"
and his remarks were made in highly
sarcastic manner.
MIR. Cloudy then proceeded to show up
what he termed some of the business
methods of the hoard of aldermen in the
past. lie offered an order as preliminary
to his remarks authorizing the appoint
msnt OF joint special committee ito in
quire into the way In which S25c0 WAS
spent by the special committee on the
New England fair of 1898 aud TO report
back with the items Of this expenditure"
be said that not voucher could be found
for the way this money was expanded. Ii
had been turned over TO the treasurer Of
this COMMITTEES, Alderman Smith, on his
personal reoeipt to the city treasurer and
was expended by that gentleman without
voucher icing required for it. When
if came to entertaining the deet this year
the question arose ms TO whether the city
owned the 1000 lights used to illuminate
the streets or whtt ber those lights were
owned by the Consolidated Electric Light
company. Members of the committee ON
the New Englane fair of 1s9S all said
that they had bought these lights and
paid for them and they belonged to the
oily. Alderman Smith claimed that they
belonged to the Consolidated Electric
Light company. The Consolidated Eieo-
trio Light company held these lights and
claimed to own them Mr.. Cloudy
thought they belonged to the city. No
vouchers for the expenditure of this
s250o could be found and the committee
In MIR. Goudy's order was instructed to
find out what became OF this money.
Mr.. Cloudy said he wished to cast no re-
aeotions ON any one, but he thought the
citizens Of Portland had right to know
whether this money was spent legitimate
ly or not. Another thing MIR. Cloudy
mentioned was that the contract between
Light company conld not be found in the
city archives. He said 1t was question
whether this contract was for $50, $50
year or sss,c0a Nothing that the city
had in the way of documents could he
found to show which it was.
Mr.Goudy then said he held In his hand
q bill for Sli4.s0 from the Consolidated
company which had been paid April j.
1899. Within 10 days after this another
bill had been presented to the committee
on lights by its chairman for exactly the
same amounts and for the same thing.
1t WAS approved by the chairman of this
committee, W. Il. Smith, but by no one
else. 9his bill the city auditor refused
to pay. Alderman Smith claimed that q
mistake had bssn made and the bin
which came over from last year, had
never been paid. Mr.. Cloudy intimatea
that many bills had been duplicated by
the Consolidated company and paid by
the city in the past. the method being
not to question any bill which this CON-
pany presented. He said he didn't charge
a dishonesty directly or indirectly. but
he wanted committee appointed to
look into this matter.
Mr. Goudy's order then had unani-
nous passage.
The Park street school matter was not
considered by the council which adj
journed until next Monday night.
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