The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-03-22
City Government Organized
ADDRESS OF MAYOR JOHN R. DUNToN

ADDRESS OF MAYOR JOHN R. DUNTON
The members, of the city council elect met
in the common council room Monday, March
10th, and were called to order at 10 O'Clock
a. M by the city clerk, A. P. Mansfield. The
certificate of the city clerk of the elestion Of
aldermen and councilmen was read, and
the oaths were administered by William p
Thompson, Esq. The record of the election
of the mayor was read by the city clerk, and
John r. DuntOn was sworn in as mayor by
| VIM. P. Thompson, j. p. Prayer was Of
fered by Rev. d. l.. Wilson. Mayor Dunton
delivered his address as follows, after
which the convention dissolved.
| MAYORS ADDRESS.
| Gentlemen of the City Council
| Our fellow citizens have elected us to
| guard and direct the interests OF this NUM-
clpality for the ensuing year Whlie some
! OF you were elected as Democrats and some
| of you as Republicans, you are all pledged
| in honor and good conscience to the publlc
| service rather than to the service of your
| respective parties as such, and together we
| are responsible, not only to- those who elect
! ed us but equally to those who voted against
| us, Tor an efficient and honest aumlnlStra-
| ton OF municipal affairs.
While we should diligently seek enllghten-
; ment as to the need and effect OF proposed
| measures and welcome advice from those
| more experienced, yet we have no right to
| be the man of any master and the hnal Word
| must be spoken out OF our honest judgment
| in favor of that course of action which prom
! ises best for the city's good. 1t is clearly
| our duty TO see that no one suffers injustice
| by the exercise or neglect to exercise the
| powers delegated to us, but let US not for
get that when private interests conflict with
! vested public Interests, the latter have the
| right OF way.
Private ownership of all natural and ere
ated wealth entails the necessity OF levylng
| and:enforcing contributions in the form OF
taxes WhereWith to provide public utilities,
and upon you, gentlemen, devolveS the duty
of appropriating and causing to be collected
| from yourselves and from your citizen neigh
| bors, funds sufficient to supply the reason
able needs of our municipal departments.
Those who bear the burdens of taxation
and those who receive the benehtS, have a
| right to demand wisdom and economy in
| expenditure to the end that the burdens be
| not needlessly heavy and that the city re-
| ceive benefits commensurate with the eX-
pense But between the two extremes of
| extravaganza and niggardliness lies the safe
middle ground of Suticlency vouched
| for by the municipal thrift of all we'll gov
erned cities.
Our tax rate is the lowest in the list of
Maine cities and each retiring City Govern
ment points with pride to surplus saved,
but our school houses are poorer and our
streets probably worse than any other city
can show.
! | submit to you, gentlemen, the propo-
sition that the people want things done and
are willing to pay any reasonable amount
for having things done we'll. Your prede-
cessors no doubt, conscientiously endeayor-
| ed to do their duty as they saw it. May
| you see your duty, 'not through glass
darkly, but face to face" In this connection
, permit me to suggest to you that taxation
was not instituted for purposes of boarding
| but for purposes OF wisely spending. 1he
| people pay their money that they may get
dollar for dollar in desired municipal
values, and while expenditure should not
| by even one cent exceed the amount appro-
prated. no idle surplus should be fattened
at the expense of departmental efficiency,
and the spectacle of an uneXpended balance
yoled with lean and famished need calls
! not for prideful boast but rather for justiti-
able excuse or humble apology. l Will not
warn you against SWelllng appropriations
| for needless expenditure because you are
not Of those who leap before they look, nor
would you hesitate to characterize taxation
for such purposes as worse than eXt0ftlOn :,
nor do l warn you against extreme con-
seTvatsm, but in the presence OF acknoWl-
time mindful of the rights of private proper
| ty, | ask you to consider we'll your duty
before adopting the time h0nored policy
OF keeping both eyes on the tax rate with
no eyes to see or ears to hear the clamOrouS
| exigencies of this time, induced and perpetu-
| ated by that same policy and every year be-
coming more lamentable.
| Our city charter requires that the Mayor
| shall from time to time communicate to you
such information and recommend such
| measures as the business and interests OF
| the city may in his opinion require.
| 1t is my duty from time to time to make
recommendations and this occasion de-
| mandS only such recommendations as must
| be made now in order to receive your time
| ly consideration. What l have already
| said has undoubtedly suggested to you my
| convictions that the interests OF the city
| require larger appropriations IN some OF
| our municipal departments, and l there
| fore recommend that the several commit
tees hereafter to be appointed, between
now and the meeting for appropriations,
thoroughly investigate the needs OF their
| respective departments ana ascertain IN
detail, so far as is possible, what will be the
| probable cost of the various items to be
| provided for in order that you may lntelll-
| gently pass upon their recommendations
and make your appropriations accordingly.
A. the present time, and without eXplana-
| tion or argument, | wish to recommend i'm
mediate investigation as to the possibility
| and advisability of taking any action to
| provide suitable school building on the
common.
IWou Id also recommend that at the proper
| time some action be taken for the purpose
| of inducing the Belfast Water Company to
install filter at the pumping station, if
practicable.
further recommend that the Cemetery
| Trustees be invited to present at our next
meeting, statement as to the condition of
the tomb at Grove Cemetery, together with
information as to the cost of properly re-
building the same.
[ also recommend that the Street Com.
missioner be asked to present at our next
meeting a brief itemized statement of the
temporary and permanent repairs and i'm
provements he proposes to make in our
streets, bridges and sidewalks during the
ensuing year, so far as he may be able, to-
gether with an estimate of the cost of the
same and that the appropriate committees
investigate and be ready to make recon-
| mendatOns relative thereto.
In this connection | wish to remind you
| of the inconvenience often suffered by pc
destrans, occasioned by the failure Of alb
buffers to remove snow from certain side
walks or portions thereof and recommend
that you pass an ordinance requiring that
all walks not seasOnably cleared of snow
by the abbutter shall be cleared by the
street department and the expense of the
same charged to the delinquent abbutters.
The school department is practically in
dependept of our control except in the mat