Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-04-17
THEwORK OF TEE LEGIsLATURE-A con-
sPTCUOus FAILURE TO NEXT THE Re

QUTREMENTs OFFTER SITUATION.
The one prominent and overshadowing fea-
ture Of the recent session of the Legislature is
its-Fdihae (! 1t could not do what the public in
terests demanded il should do. Its ruling ma
jority proved to be incapable of comprehending
the necessities Of the State, and still more un'
able, OF course, to fashion the laws which would
supply its needs.
The Legislature, 1t is to be remembered, met
in period Of profound Peace. Political feeling
had comparatively subsided, and the personal
Intercourse of members WAS more cordial, than at
anyprevious time within fifteen years. The State
Treasury-by the proceeds of heavy taxation
was FULL and the public credit was not suffer-
ing.
Under those conditions, most favorable to
fair and thorough consideration Of the public
business, and to . careful and patient maturing
of such amended laws as should prove necessa-
ry the Legislature sat for fourteen weeks.
When It is considered that Delaware has the
population Of q single Congressional district
this il a very long session, and should
have afforded ample time for the discharge of
all public duties.
But in spite of all this, little Of good has been
effected. The expectations of the people are
not answered-their prayers have met no favor
able response. Failure sits Oh one hand, and
disappointment on the other. The popular YER
dict must be that the Legislature Of 1878, (Dem-
ocratic nine to one in the Senate, and two to one
in the House,) was so inert, SO sodden, so mori-
bund, that it could not discharge its appropriate
functions. Like dull, weak, imperfect instru-
ment, it has produced no good work.
Nr~. a. "a 4. to
in the records. The Legislature just adjourned
accumulated long and gloomy list of its own
delinquencies, and the injured and indignant
people Of the State may read it in all its details.
The Legislature
Refused to permit a vote by the people upon
the question Of holding Constitutional Conven-
tion.
Refused-in both Houses-any redress of I'm
equal Repre- sentation.
Refused to amend our wretched and inefficient
school system.
Refused all forms of aid for the colored peo-
pies education.
Refused to reduce the peoples taxes, and
maintained them to an sexcessive and unneces-
sary extent.
Refused all amendment and modification Of
the Usury law.
Refused to repeal the tax on mortgages,
though the revenue from thsm-which is paid
by suffering debtors-is not needed.
Refused to repeal the ten cent tax on travel
Refused to repeal the tax on Loan Associa
tons.
Refused to repeal the law by which wages are
summarily seized for debt; but
Changed the law so that the costs to the
debtor are doubled while his situation is no
improved.
Refused to repeal the tax on marriage.
Refused a liberal Exemption Act.
Refused to permit the people of New Castle
county to express, by vote, their preference
as to the location of their County Seat.
All the measures, thus referred to- had beer
earnestly asked for by the people. While there
is not unanimously favorable judgment as t,
some others of these Reforms were demanded
by great majority OF our people. The amend
ed Public School law, for instance, is great
needed, and all classes know it. But the Legis
lature, dead to popular appeal, has refuse
each one of all this long and important list o
Reforms.
On the other hand, however, it had time I
pass two bad measures, one relating to IL
Assessment and the other to the Collection,
Taxes both being designed to disfranchise IL
colored citizens OF the State. 1t framed an
adopted several patches Of .buncombe resolution
for partisan effect. The Senate passed mo
iniquitous act to encourage and reward the d.
fance of the United States laws, aud the Hou
would have pissed it, but for a wholesome fe
Of consequences.
Three measures, only, stand to the credit
this deeayed and parAlyzed legislative bod
The first is the proposed amendment to tt
Constitution, permitting a General Incorpor
tion Act. It was framed and engineered by Il
Republican members. The second is an a
increasing the legal rights of married wome
1t was also framed by a Republican membt
The third is the new license law, which, fro
the present rule of free sale of liquor, rusbes
the other extreme Of the utmost stringency
regulation.
This is the record OF the Legislature, viii
aggregates nothing but total of Failure. Su
body may not have deeply injured the Sta
but it burdens the public energies like an inc
bus, and it deceives and disappoints the hop
of the people.
THE GAMERICAN CLYDE
The distinction is sometimes insisted upon
speaking of the industrial operations of "