Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-02-26
For the Delaware Republican.
HE AMENDED CITY CHARTER


Some Of the prov isons of the law, passed ut
tho present session OF the Legislature, amend
ing the City Charter, might be considered as
improvements If they stood alone and disGon-
nected from others which cannot fail Of receiv-
ing the eSndemnaiun Of every impartial and
fair minded citizen. The mode of assessing
and collecting taxes proposed by the new law,
has many advantages over the present system,
and the new regulation concerning the paving
Of streets, &c, is also an Improvement; hut
these changes, even il they turn out for the
better, (Which is by no means certainly will not
compensate for the glaring end radical defects
contained in one or two OF the sections. Take,
for instance, section ~, and weigh the conse-
quenees of giving the City Council such unrc-
Stricted power of disposing of the property.
Here it is;--
"S ~, And be ii further enacted as atore-
said, That the City Council are hereby declared
to have and shall have authority, in its discre-
ton, to let or demise for such term Of years and
subject to such rents and reservations as it
may deem eXpedient, the landings at the ends
of the, streets terminating upon the Brandywine
Creek or the Christiana Greek; and may, by
the terms of any such demise or otherwise, aud
subject to such regulations as it may prescribe,
permit such lessee or lGssees, or other persons
Interested under such demise as aforesaid, to
makc,or erect improvements for the purposes
VI ndiiuidCthle UT iruue upon BTOunu SO ut-
missed Provided, That in all cases any person
or persons owning or holding land bounding
upon such landings as aforesaid shall have I'M
DISTRACTED the reasonable use OF so much and
such part thereof as may be necessary for in
gress and egress, between said street and the
land so owned and held. All demises hereto
fore made by the City Council, Of any such
landing, as aforesaid or permission given by
the City Council, for making such improve
I .N
declared TO be, and the same shall be valid and
eiectual."
The effect Of this will BE- 81 ll Rgaboa h ssii
IN 1ripaieG dfsposing of the public property,
ana TO gi,e that body power to repeat those
I Will any member Of the Council, or any
advocate of the Amended Charter, point out
| the benefits accruing to the public ut large by
| sail demises heretofore made by the City
Council of any such landing % Is it not the
taot that the fruits and advantages Of these
"demises" are wholly and exclusively private
and personal.
Could any such demises, with the privilege
OF erecting buildings, indefinite as to time and
compensation, have been obtained, had the
public attention been called to the subject be-
iorehandl Or could any person, not q MEM
| Der of the Council, have secured such cheap
| and beneficial leases Let these questions be
answered how they may, the imprudence and
danger of comforting this unrestricted power
| in the Council are obvious. 1t opens wide the
door to tavoritism and corruption. The want
Of limitation as to the length of the demises,
| and The discretionary power of fixing the rents
are serious and fatal objections. The only fair
wayof disposing of public property either in
| selling or leasing, is by public auction, or
sealed proposals, to the highest bidder. The
| concluding sentence of section 2T, inieren-
| tially admits that the &c demises heretofore
made' were not eractly according to law, and
istslerefore the new law, in respect 10 them, is
made retroactive so as to make crooked things
straight.
Again, there is no exception or reservation
in the grant of power to the Council, and that
omnipotent body will be able to barricade the
end of every street in the city that terminates
| in the water.
In a political point Of view, objections may
be taken to other Of the proposed amendments
but the injustice arising from the Latter will bt
of short duration, and of triiling consequence
compared to the gross and outrageous inqui-
ties of the section above quoted,
The evil is not yet consummated. Before
the law can become operative, it must be &c
eepted by the Corporation, and that acccptanc,
certified, on or before the first day of Apr
next, to the Governor. Tho acceptance mus
be in pursuance of a resolution Of the Council
/ Shall law containing such provisions bo nc
cepted1 PRO BONO PUBLlCO.