The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-16

atterdar ca for an on night.
Mr.. Wilson called MP an order which
had already bsen passed ~ the aldermen
changing the designation Of Gisnwood
street to Glenwood avenue, and the order
had'a passage without dsbats.
Mr.. Dyer then requested permission
to address the council for few minutes
in relation TO the curfsw ordinance. and
the time was granted him. he began
by repeating the statements made by the
gentleman from Ward 2 (Mr. Miliiken),
who had stated at former meeting that
Bangor aid not consider Its curfew ordi-
nance success while In Gardiner and
Lewiston there was grave question
whether or not the curfew enactments
had been SO very successful Mr.. Dyer
read an item printed In the Bangor
News few days after this statement
was made by the gentleman from Ward Z,
which said that he was not correctly In
form ed In regard to the ourfew ordinance
10 Bangor, as Chief Gilman and the po-
lIce officers of that city thought IL was
great So ,ess and most Of the people Of
Bangor were of the same opiE Ion.
MIR. Dyer went on to say that In Gardi-
ner and In Lewiston the ordinance had
been found to work well and he wished
something of the kind could ba enacted
In Portland. lie said that the ordinance
which lies On the table In the council
provided no renalty for violation, but
That as long as the children and their
parents thought It had q penalty attached
to 1t they would obey 1t without ques-
tion. IL. said that ex President Wilson
OF the Maine Central railroad, had told
the Mayor that the curfew ordinance In
Bangor was very successful and that the
people thers would not know what 20 do
with out 1t.
The ordinance relating to this matter
was taken from the table and Mr.. Aill;-
ken replied to Mr.. Dyer. He said that
be had no special desire to oppose the
passage OF the ordinance and didn't
know but that 1t might work all right.
but he did not wish to see any action
taken on the matter In haste. He said
that the editor OF the Bangor News.
Virgil q. Ea5on. had no children and
never ha1 any, and SO far as the Item In
the News was concerned, Il could not
have much barring on the matter before
the council anyway. As for Mr.. Wilson
Of Bangor. 1t WAS not likely that he lived
dren would be liable to oongregats any
way after O'Clock, and the chances were
that he didn't know great deal about
how the law was enforced.
"Ihsre Ia question IN tho minds of
many Bangor people," said MIR. Milliken,
"whsther this ordinance Is a good thing.
L. Ia an honest difference OF opinion too
and We might quote many prominent
men from :hst 0iy who have oeon heard
to say that they did not thoroughly bs =
lieve In its enforcement. As far an Lew
iSton Ia concerned those who read the
Lewiston Journal and the Lewiston Sun
must frequently have een.itsms In those
papers recently relating to these very or
dinancss. They were to the effect that
though the ooasting was excellent and
the skating never better the children
who had been confined In schools all day
were forced 60 90 home at s o'clock by
the police whether they wanted to or not.
The Lewiston papers have commented
upon this state Of affairs a great deal
lately and expressed their sympathy with
the children who were thus deprived Of
their SPORT by the ourfew law. There
IL feeling OF opposition to the curfsw
law and many people of that city whom
I have met have expressed themselves as
being opposed to 1t.
"As far as Gardiner Is concerned, I"
continued Mr.. MiIliken. "the curfsw or
dinanoe there IL not an ordinance at all,
but merely an order giving Instructions
to the police"
Portland has no such localities as has
Lewiston, Augusta and Westbrook where
there are large French sett dement's. There
is no section Of this city whin approach.
90 the condition OF affairs TO be found
this city requires such drastic measure
as a curfew ordinance.
"Ihe ordinance without a penalty
which the gentleman from i've Mr.
Dyer). wishes us TO pass, would give the
police no authority whatever. Young
America is shrewd enough, and bright
enough to know that an ordinance with
out a peuAlty attached TO IL is worthless
They would som learn TO snap their
fingers at the police and dare them to en-.
force the law. do not wish TO be under
stood as being absolutely opposed to such
law however, but wish the matter to
be thoroughly considered before It is act
ed upon. Let Us not our cucumber our
books with ordinances which will net be
obeyed or carried into effect.
There are many homes In this city"
said Mr.. Mnllxen, (which IL would be
imposing a hardship upon children Co
force them to stay In any longer than
they have to. Some Of these homes are
woIss than the streets and the children
are much bsttsr of In the streets than
they are at home In many cases. II tho