Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-03-18

| convening in joint session, Z. c.
Wardwell. mayor last year, presiding.
| The city clerk. ]. a. Letourneau. read
an order passed down by Justice Les
! lie c. Cornish, declaring &. c. Ward
| well qualified TO receive the oath OF
Office as mayor for the ensuing year.
Leon Q. Tebbetts. who was declared
elected mayor On the face OF the re-
turns by one vote, having neglected
to qualify as mayor at the forma-
ton Of the city government Monday.
March 10. The oath Of Office was then
administered to f. c. Wardwell by
City Clerk j. \. Letourneau. Mayor
Wardwell spoke as follows:
Gentlemen Of the City Council:
1t is not my purpose at this time
! to take UP your tirle with Z long
speech tina. will be forgotten tomor-
row by nearly everybody. l have a
few thoughts TO express and a few
recomHe ndations TO make. The in
auguration Of the present city gov
eminent has been somewhat broken
owing to the peculiar circumstances
of ;he election. Mr.. Tebbetts was re-
turned by the ward clerks as having
been elected by one majority. and a
certificate Of election was duly issued
| to him by the city clerk. according
to law. BY virtue Of that certificate
Mt. Tebbetts was entitled to present
himself at this place last Monday and
be inaugurated as mayor. But 1T
the meantime the Republican City
Committee had asked for and Oh
! Of ha
after errors found in each ward had
been compared the Republican com
r,llttee claimed my election by two
! votes. The Democratic committee
We're inclined to claim Mr.. Tebbetts'
election by one vote. in fact there
were several ballots upon which the
committee as a whole could not
agree. II the Republican committee
had to go to the court and ask for a
recount and the Democratic commit
Zee had exercised all their rights Of
appeal to the full bench Of the SUI
preme court. it probably would have
been several months before a final
decision could have been made.
This would have created an unfor-
tunate condition. Mr.. Tebbet,s be-
not knowing whether he was 10 stay
or not and having solid Republlcan
city government against him. Then
had the decision been finally in n+
favor, il would have been too late
for me to undertake any OF The meas
ures OF improvement l had planned
70 make.
After considering the conditions
fully Mr.. Tebbetts wisely, as | think.
but at any'ratc fairly and having the
best interests of the city in view. de-
cided TO waive his claims TO the Of
fee and allow the election 10 go to
M by default. This vas certainly
very generous action On his part.
The Republican City Committee
believed was actually elected 10 the
Office and that the courts would have
sustained my claim, but too late 70
lie OF any practical use. 50, Mr.. Teb-
belts had il IN his power - make
4 plenty Ct trouble had he SO "iiie1.
/ The city is TO be congratulated that
! the matte was settled by agreement
rather than 10 have political wr-n-
gle that would have delayed CITY
business ard left Il bad feeling,
! whereas now everything Is on
! friendly basis and Mr.. Tehbetts has
kindly offered 10 do anything III his
power to assist Inc in giving the Cit!
81 good business administration.
! To the officers elected and TO the
police and other city employees allow
me to remind you that We are ali ser
wants OF the public. and as such.
common decency requires that every
citizen with whom We come in con-
tact should receive uniformly cour-
teous treatment. You can eaten
more flies with honey than YOU can
with vinegar. II an unreasonable
complain, or request is made. II Is
the proper thing to give polite ana
courteous answer and if the request
should be one that is not proper to
be granted it should be either re-
fused with reasons why, or referred
10 the proper authority. But in any
case expect the public to have ccur-
tesy extended il all cases. II the 9TH
er fellow is a crank that is no rea-
son why you should be another.
/ In regard to conducting the bust
ness of the city the coming year we
! in the city to fill the various Offices
| and expect TO give the city our very
+ best efforts to make this year one in
! which the city affairs shall be man
aged on business basis and as eco
nom;caily as consistent with the pro-
per care of the vast interests intrust-
! ed to US, as have said III ray report
the valuation Of the property should
be equalized 50 that all should pay
/ their proper share Of the taxes and
no more. ] believe the valuation can
be revised upward 50 that while the
amount of money raised shall be the
same as last year the tax rate shall
be lower Our finances for the past
few years have been in very IN
satisfactory condition, temporary
loans for practically the whole com
nitnent have been made in advance
every year and a large amount has
been carried over unpaid TO he re-
newed by the next City Government.
Ey putting a fairer valuation on tho
property, while the taxes will he no
higher. we shall be in position To-
bond ap art OF our floating debt d.
a lower rate of interest that the city
now pays on the notes and relieve
the city OF what might easily be a
very embarrassing position in case Of
tight money market at the close OF
the fiscal year
An other thing that should he at
tended to is our method of account
ing. 1t would be money we'll spent
to install a proper set Of double en-
try hooks and the extra exnense of