USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1848/49-1855 > Part 1
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WORCESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 8139 0129 6529 1
Free Public Library
Worcester, Massachusetts
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TOWN.
FEBY.29.1
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The Gift of
Added.
June
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Worcester Mass. City Council City documents, No 1-10; 1848/49-1885
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014
https://archive.org/details/citydocumentnoan1848worc
R352.07443 W9220
CITY DOCUMENT No. 1.
VALEDICTORY ADDRESS OF
HON. L'EVI
LINCOLN,
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF WORCESTER:
WITH THE
REPORTS
OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE,
THE CITY TREASURER, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, AND THE
CHIEF ENGINEER,
FOR
THE YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 1849.
CEST
TOWN
JUNE
FEBY.29.1848
14 ..
WORCESTER: PRINTED BY HENRY J. HOWLAND, 199 MAIN STREET.
THE
ADDRESS
OF
HON. LEVI LINCOLN,
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF WORCESTER,
TO THE CITY COUNCIL,
APRIL 17, 1848,
UPON THE FIRST
INAUGURATION OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT
UNDER THE CHARTER.
.....
OWN
JUNE
FEBX.29.1848
14.11
...
T
WORCESTER : PRINTED BY HENRY J. HOWLAND, 212 MAIN STREET.
ADDRESS.
GENTLEMEN OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN,
AND OF THE BOARD OF COMMON COUNCIL :
The practice of seizing upon every occasion of public business, for the purpose of rhetorical dis- play, is one which, in my humble judgment, will in the future, however it may have been in the past, be " more honored in the breach, than in the observ- ance." I am before you, in my present official posi- tion, through the influence of no interest or desire of my own. The seclusion of private life, leisure opportunity for attention to personal concerns, do- mestic arrangements and social enjoyment, after more than thirty years of varied public service, had become the most cherished hope of my declining years ; and naught but deference to the judgment and expressed wishes of esteemed friends and hon- ored townsmen, appealing to a sentiment of deepest gratitude for, former distinguished favors, and a sense of obligation to contribute of my humble abil- ity, in association with others, to the delicate and
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
responsible task of a new organization of Municipal Government, in this endeared place of my nativity, could have drawn me from my chosen retirement. And here too, I find myself with no personal ex- perience in the management of the affairs of the Town; bringing to the counsels of my respected associates, in the Government of the City, the bene- fit of no present knowledge of its special concerns, sincerely distrustful also of the adaptation of my own powers to the new duties which I assume, and confiding only in your able assistance and kind in- dulgence for their acceptable performance to our common Constituents.
The short time which has been allowed me, be- tween the election and the required organization of the City Government, under many previous pressing personal cares and engagements with which I have been necessarily occupied, must be a sufficient apol- ogy, if indeed one was required, for not even attempt- ing an elaborate Address on this occasion. I have yet to learn, with you, the untried path of our pub- lic duties. I know only, that these duties are of no light consideration ;- that in the outset, our labors will be arduous and highly responsible, and taking the Charter for our guide, that they embrace, in the scope of their operation, the entire range of the present interests, and future prosperity of this large and growing community.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
The organization of a vigilant and efficient Police will be among the first duties requiring our attention. It may, indeed, justly be said, that the importance and need of this was one of the most urgent, and probably, the prevailing motive to the adoption of the new form of Government. Within the brief period of a few years, a homogeneous population, almost purely agricultural, of native citizens of the place, personally known to each other, with few and simple objects of attention, and bound together by common interests, has been succeeded by vast acces- sions of new residents engaged in all the varied pur- suits and occupations of business, and by a constant influx of transient persons of every description of character, brought hither by the inducements which increased facilities to communication, an active spirit of enterprise, progressive improvement, liberal ex- penditures of money, and rapid growth in prosperity, never fail to attract. In such a state of things, more stringent regulations become absolutely neces- sary. Firm and energetic, but temperate and wise restraints should be applied to the inconsiderate and . vicious. The unprotected, in their very feebleness should find the shield of the law their security. Property should be held in safety,-order and quiet maintained by authority, and morality and virtue enforced by rules of sobriety. A great responsibili- ty, in this respect, is devolved upon the City Govern-
'S te
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
ment. The Charter invests the City Council with adequate and ample powers to these beneficent ends. The Ordinances of the City and the vigilance of the Police may be made to reach every occasion of just offence ; and it will be of little credit to us, who have succeeded to those, who had but a restricted and imperfect scope of authority, if practices of error and of evil, which they were unable to curb, now made subject to our animadversion and correc- tion, are longer indulged. With Ordinances of a considerate and judicious character, adapted to the peculiar requirements of the City, in addition to the Statutes of the Legislature of general applicability, and under the administration of the law, by an able, learned, and discreet Police Magistrate, the blessings of domestic tranquility, social order, and public con- tentment will not fail to be enjoyed. The making of these ordinances is the enjoined duty of the two branches of the City Council. The fidelity with which they are enforced will more particularly rest with the Board of Aldermen, in the appointments to executive offices, which they shall sanction.
The interests of learning and the cause of educa- tion, within the City, are committed to the care of its Municipal Government. A more important and solemn trust, alike in its character and its conse- quences, cannot be conferred. For the ill, or the welfare of all coming time, it will be faithfully dis-
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INAUGURAL. ADDRESS. 9
charged or thoughtlessly neglected, in the present day, and by those by whom it is now assumed. There is no better, I might well say, there is no other assurance for the enjoyment of the blessings of good government, of civil and religious liberty, of personal and national independence, than in the cul- tivated intelligence of the people. The instruction of the young is at the foundation of our Republican institutions. Remove this corner-stone of our polit- ical fabric, and the beautiful structure, which Patri- ots and Sages have reared, in toil and in blood, so strong in its symmetry, so massive yet so harmoni- ous in its proportions, consecrated to freedom, and pointing to Heaven, will totter to its fall, and crum- ble in ruin. It is cause for unreserved congratula- tion, this day, that little remains to be done, in refer- ence to the Public Schools, but to continue and carry out the excellent arrangements, which are already in a course of successful and satisfactory operation. The enlightened and munificent liberality of the Town, of late years, has furnished spacious edifices for their accommodation, and appropriated adequate and ample means for their support. Competent and accomplished teachers are engaged in their instruc- tion, and wise and discreet, and generous-hearted men disinterestedly give their time and services to their supervision. The immediate care of these pri- mary seminaries of learning is confided to an appro-
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
priate department of City officers, but the necessary provision, whereby to sustain and uphold them in their usefulness, is made dependent upon the City Council, in annual appropriations of money to their use. Let these be made with discretion, but in no stinted measure. Let confidence, and honor, and gratitude be accorded to those to whose charge it is given to train and discipline the manners of our children, to store their minds with useful acquisi- tions, and fill their hearts with the love of virtue. Let there be no neglect, no indifference, no remiss- ness in attention to this first in importance of all public objects,-the education of the youth of our City. So shall we best secure our own domestic hap- piness, and the abiding welfare of the community which we have been called to serve.
The care and superintendence of the public Streets and Highways of the City will be found among the most difficult and troublesome of our · official duties. The very great extent of these ways of travel, within the limits of the municipal- ity, involves an annual amount of charge and occa- sion for attention, little appreciated, or generally understood. The concentration of vast business operations here, justly imposes the obligation to maintain convenient avenues and thoroughfares for their transaction,-and the public may well expect, facilities to their intercourse with us, corresponding,
$
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INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
in some good degree, with the advantages which we, so largely, derive from them. Something is due also, to the comfort of our own citizens, who reside, or do business, upon our principal Streets. The condi- tion of Main street, especially, in very dry, or in very wet weather, has long been a subject for just and loud complaint. Projects and estimates for va- rious modes of remedy, have frequently, heretofore, been submitted to the consideration of the Inhabi- tants of the Town, but in the uncertainty of the pre- ferable application, or from regard to the great ex- pense of any permanent improvement, nothing effect- ual has been attempted. I cannot but advise, that some plan should be speedily entered upon, and by reasonable appropriation, from year to year, gradu- ally and steadily prosecuted, for relief from the intolerable annoyance of suffocating dust, or impas- sable mud, to which we are now, alternately, and almost perpetually, subjected. The direct superin- tendence of the Streets is given, by the Charter, to the Mayor and Aldermen ; but the means of their repair and improvement are in the grants of the City Council.
The security of the lives of our fellow citizens is intimately connected with the safety of their dwell- ings. Hence, the efficient force and proper organi- zation of the Fire Department becomes an object of important concern. It is believed, that the supply
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
.
of Engines and apparatus, in connection with the Hydrants of the Aqueduct, furnish ample means of defence from extensive conflagration. If more is required, or any modification of existing arrange- ments needed to the encouragement of the hardy 'and daring men, who keep vigils and render severe and hazardous service for the common protection, I respectfully bespeak to these purposes your favor- able consideration.
With the change of the form of Municipal Gov- ernment, although it will simplify and greatly facili- tate the management of our local interests, we are not to expect exemption from some of our most heavy pecuniary burdens. " The Poor we shall have always with us," and for these we must continue to provide ; and were it not for the mournful consider- ation, that privation and want are, to so great an extent, the consequence of profligacy and vicious indulgence, it might seem a privilege, as it is made a duty, thus to administer to afflicted and suffering humanity. The excellent arrangement made, many years since, by the Town, of a large farm establish- ment for the reception and relief of the destitute, would doubtless furnish sufficient accommodation for those of our resident population ; but the influx of emigrants from abroad, which starvation and wretchedness have driven to our shores, has already added greatly to our charges, and the recent civil
13
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
commotions in the old world will, doubtless, aggra- vate the burden. In nothing is the exercise of judg- ment and a sound discretion more indispensable to right action, than in furnishing supplies to those who are thrown upon the Public Charity. The vicious and the merely unfortunate, alike make the appeal. The lazy and idle, equally with the feeble and the helpless, plead their wants, and if there be any difference in the urgency with which the claim is presented, it is often in the greater im- portunity of " the sturdy beggar." While the spirit of sympathy and kind regard should be prompt to solace and succor the truly distressed, a firm and resolute denial should drive the healthful to their labor, and the dissolute and unworthy vagrants from a residence among us. To the care of a sepa- rate body of City officers the Charter has properly assigned the delicate and difficult task of riglitly discriminating, and discreetly providing, in this inter- esting matter. But it yet devolves upon the City Council to cooperate in the work of benificence, by adequate appropriations to every provision for the support of the really necessitous, and to the relief of the virtuous and dependent poor. Whether more ample and very different arrangements should not be made, whereby entirely to separate strangers who are thrown upon our Alms House, afflicted with loathsome, dangerous, and it may be, contagious dis-
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
eases, from the merely decrepid and infirm of our own people, who need but care and nourishment, is an inquiry most worthy the considerate reflection of the Board of Overseers, and to their prompt atten- tion I shall not omit distinctly to present it.
The City, in succeeding to the rights and privileges of the Town, has become charged, also, with its responsibilities and obligations. Among the latter, and of no inconsiderable moment, is the duty of pro- viding for an outstanding debt. Of the precise amount of this I am not advised, but I apprehend, including that of the Aqueduct Corporation, which, embracing as it does, so large a proportion of the property and persons of the tax-paying citizens, is hardly to be distinguished as a distinct interest, it will not fall far short of $70,000. Provision having been made in the Charter for merging, by mutual agreement, the rights of this Corporation in the property and under the authority of the City, I recommend that early measures should be taken to effect the arrangement, if it may be done upon reasonable and equitable terms. The original pur- pose of the Corporation, and the main if not the only inducement to its creation, was to obtain a supply of water of sure dependence and ready application against the ravages of fire; and there is a manifest repugnancy in the right of property in the water itself and the care and management of
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1
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INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
the only means by which it may be applied through the pipes and hydrants of the Aqueduct existing under one direction, and the uses to which these were designed, in the operations of the Fire Depart- ment, being made subject to a separate and.distinct control. It is now confidently believed, by those whose attention has been most called to the subject, that the surplus waters from the Reservoir, beyond a constant and certain retention for all possible occasions of public protection, will yield large sup- plies for private use, and may thus be made to pro- duce an annual revenue, which will sensibly relieve the cost to the City.
The increase of tax, by the purchase, to those living without the present limits of the Aqueduct Corporation, would be so very light, in their propor- tion to the whole taxable property of the City, as scarcely to be perceptible, while the direct interest which they have, in the preservation of that, which, to all other purposes, is a common fund for taxa- tion, must greatly overbalance any possible differ- ence in the sum of their individual assessments.
But, in whatever shape, and to whatever amount, debt exists, or may be created, it is the first dictate of prudence and justice to provide for its payment. It is neither right nor is it manly, to shift upon others, the burden of expenses incurred by ourselves. The apology, that we leave to those who come after us
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
the enjoyment of the objects for which the credit was obtained, is but a poor excuse for any neglect of our own obligations. This noble City Hall, our spacious School Houses, and our costly but inval- uable Water Works, may indeed pass to other generations, but time, and progress in population, and the course of general improvement, will bring with them new and constantly increasing require- ments, and posterity, in their day, like ourselves, may find need for appropriations and outlays, com- mensurate with all their resources. Were the cost of each considerable present acquisition carried to the account of the future, how long might it be before communities, overtasked and overburdened, would cease to have the ability to meet their accu- mulated liabilities. I would not however, in this matter, be misapprehended. There are often, impor- tant and interesting objects, in public as well as private concerns, which can only be accomplished gradually, and by the application of means beyond immediate control,-and which, if undertaken at all, must necessarily create occasion for subsequent con- tributions. These I would by no means discourage. But in all such cases, let there be fair estimates of cost, and limited periods for payments, and sure and certain resort for the fulfilment of the engage- ment. This City has no other source of revenue, than in taxation. This presses, equally, upon the.
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INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
hand of labor, and the accumulations of property. The savings of economy and the fruits of industry and enterprise are its subjects, and it is due to their possessors, that no unnecessary exactions should diminish the right to their personal enjoyment. Contributions in money become indispensable to the upholding of Government and the welfare and improvement of Society; but the purposes for which they are demanded, should be deliberately and faith- fully considered, and a rigorous accountability estab- lished in their expenditure.
The Charter, under which we are now constituted Officers of the City, has prescribed and defined our respective duties. Upon the Mayor it is expressly enjoined, "to be vigilant and active in causing the laws and regulations of the City to be enforced, and to keep a general supervision over the conduct of all subordinate officers." This duty I shall seek faithfully to perform, kindly and temperately, but firmly, fearlessly, and without respect to persons.
The And let it be cause of offence to none. injuctions of the law are not without wise inten- tion, and it is not for those who are bound by solemn oaths to their observance, to disregard their authority. It is farther made the duty of the Mayor, "from time to time, to communicate to both Boards such information, and recommend such measures, as the business and interests of the City
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HON. LEVI LINCOLN'S
may require." As these interests become known to me, I shall respectfully submit them to your con- sideration, and I here tender the assurance of earnest endeavors to co-operate with you in render- ing true and acceptable service to our common Con- stituents.
Fellow Citizens of the Boards of Aldermen and of the Common Council :
With the ceremonies of this day, the old and familiar form of Town government ceases, forever, from among us, and a new mode of administering our affairs is introduced in its stead. The change is scarcely realized by those to whom it is presented; and yet, how great is that change! Saddened by the reflection, that we here part with an ancient friend, under whose parental care the Town was nur- tured in its infancy, has strengthened to manhood, and been conducted to its present state of unsur- passed prosperity, I cannot permit the occasion to pass, without one thought of grateful acknowledg- ment to those, who, in successive periods, have so ably and successfully managed its municipal con- cerns. Good and faithful men, from the first, with no motive but the desire to be useful, and no reward but the approbation of their fellow citi- zens, and their own approving conscience, have freely given their time and their labors to the public
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INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
service, and we now receive, at the hands of the last of their successors in Town office, the charge of the City, delivered over to us in all kindness and cour- tesy. For the facility with which the transfer has been made, and the proffer of the counsels of ex- perience to our aid, in duties entirely new to many of us, the late Selectmen will please to accept our most cordial thanks.
Had opportunity for preparation permitted, I would gladly have recurred to other causes for acknowledgment and gratulation, in the history of the past. To have traced the old Town, from its early settlement, through long, and anxious, and doubtful struggles for existence; to have followed, year by year, its slow progress in growth, and to portray its bounding leaps, of late, to present rank in population, and wealth, and character, and influence among the Municipal Corporations of the Commonwealth, would have been a most grateful office. I would fain also, search out the names of those true benefactors, who laid broad our spacious Avenue, and reserved forever, from the cupidity of private gain, the old Common and Training Field, the only central spot, (restricted though it be,) which now remains to the enjoyment of all, for air and exercise; and who planted by the wayside, for shade and ornament, the stately Sycamore and the graceful Elm, so long the pride of the Village, and now the
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INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
comfort and crowning beauty of the thronged and busy City. I would recall to grateful memory too, those, even in my own time, who contributed, either by their wisdom, or their enterprise, or labors, or personal example, to form the character of the town, and to build it up, rich in property, and great in numbers, and happy in all which constitutes a pros- perous community :- the Chandlers, and Paines, and Allens, and Greens, and elder Lincolns, (Levi and Abraham,) Thomas, Heywood, Curtis, Bangs, Flagg, Mower, Salisbury, Austin, Bancroft, Waldo, and a host of others, honored names of a past generation, whose works are seen in all the blessings, which under Providence, we enjoy, and whose witness for good to us is in every heart! Who that knew them, can ever forget their dignified and graceful manners, their courteous deportment, their lofty principles of honor and of duty, and their generous self denial for the public welfare? They have shown us, by their lives, the pathways of public usefulness. May we now, emulating their spirit, and fervently invoking the blessing of Almighty God upon our endeavors, enter upon the duties which have been assigned to us, to do that, in our day, which shall also be re- membered with thankfulness, by those who come after us.
GOVERNMENT AND OFFICERS
OF
THE CITY OF WORCESTER. 1848-9.
MAYOR. LEVI LINCOLN.
ALDERMEN.
WARD 1 .- Parley Goddard, 5 .- William B. Fox,
2 .- Benjamin F. Thomas, 6 .- James Estabrook,
3 .- John W. Lincoln, 7 .- Isaac Davis,
4 .- James S. Woodworth,
8 .- Stephen Salisbury.
CITY CLERK, AND CLERK OF BOARD OF ALDERMEN. CHARLES A. HAMILTON.
COMMON COUNCIL.
THOMAS CHAMBERLAIN, President. WM. A. SMITH, Clerk.
WARD 1 .- Freeman Upham, John Sutton, Samuel B. Scott.
WARD 5 .- Isaac Goddard, Josiah G. Perry, Benj. F. Stowell.
WARD 2 .- Horace Chenery, WARD 6 .- Edwin Draper, Adolphus Morse, Edward Lamb, Calvin Brigham. Nathaniel Brooks.
WARD 3 .- Benj. F. Heywood, WARD 7 .- Alex. H. Bullock, Charles Bowen, John Gates. WARD 4 .- Alvan Allen, Albert Curtis, Daniel Goddard. WARD 8 .- Wm. T. Merrifield Calvin Foster, T. Chamber'
Darius Rice, Stephen Bartlett.
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CITY OFFICERS.
CITY MESSENGER. DAVID GLEASON.
SCHOOL COMMITTEE. The MAYOR, Chairman of the Board.
WARREN LAZELL, Secretary and Prudential Agent.
WARD 1 .- Geo. W. Russell, WARD 5 .- Austin G. Fitch,
James F. Allen, S. B. I. Goddard.
Isaac R. Barbour,
Henry J. Howland.
WARD 2 .- Warren Lazell,
Charles Washburn, Alonzo Hill.
WARD 6 .- Samuel B. Swaim, Albert Case, Pitt Holmes.
WARD 3 .- Wm. N. Green, WARD 7 .- Caleb Dana,
Frederic Janes,
Elam Smalley,
Samuel Flagg. George Jaques.
WARD 4 .- Seth Fisher, WARD 8 .- Joseph Mason,
Calvin Newton, Alfred D. Foster,
Chas. G. Prentiss. Seth Sweetser.
TREASURER AND COLLECTOR. JOHN BOYDEN.
ASSESSORS.
Fred. Wm. Paine, Putman W. Taft, Samuel Davis.
ASSISTANT ASSESSORS.
WARD 1 .- George W. Wilder, 5 .- Francis Strong,
2 .- Benjamin Walker, 6 .- Daniel Stone,
3 .- Alvin Wait, 7 .- Horatio N. Tower,
4 .- Sạm'l D. Harding,
8 .- Mason H. Morse.
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR. The MAYOR, Chairman of the Board.
WARD 1 .- Alpheus Merrifield, 5 .- Samuel Perry,
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