Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-02-05
THE WATER DEPARTMENT IKvEsTIGA.
TION

Majority and minority reports were presented
to Council, last evening, from the special COM
mittee appointed to inquire into alleged abuses
in the Water Department. The one finds that
reprehensible system OF g leyying per cent.
for charitable purposes has been pursued by the
officers Of tho department, the other exculpates
them from all censure and commends them for
their course. The conclusions OF both com
mittees are very fully given in our news columns,
with the main points in the testimony upon
which the majority ask the censuro Of the chief
Engineer and Water Committee
We have given the majority report very close
examination and fail to perceive the justice Of
it's conclusions, or the correctness by which they
were reached. The very proposition upon which
the censure il asked Ia all untenable one, and
not warranted by the evidence which accom-
plnies the report. The report assumes that
"coercve measures had been resorted to " to
extort money from poor laboring men, The
testimoney all goes to show that the contribu
tions were vountary-given OF their own free
will by the employees to charitable purpose,
which was clearlt understood by them. There
is no evidence to prove that threats of discharge
were employed by the officers of the department
the report intmates. On tho contrary, each
witness states positively that he was /" asked by
Mr.. Burton or Mr.. Hyde to aifix his name, ex-
ce2t in single instance where enc of the men
was absent, and when lie returned lie did not
refuse to contribute with the remainder. II any
employee assumed that the holding Of his posi-
ton depended upon the placing OF his name
upon tho contribution list, it only shows
the oyer-suspicious nature Of such employee
and reach of the Imagination for which there
was not tho least shadow of warrant Neither
Mr.. Hyde nor Mr.. Burton lad any personal in
terest in this matter. They hold receipts which
evidence tho payment OF the money collected to
the purpose for which 1t was subscribed. And
as they were without personal interest it in fair
to presume that they resortcd to no undue
means to obtain subscriptions to the fund, to
which they obligated to pay like amount with
the other attachoes of the Department. No
part of the evidence shows any arbitrary action
on their part in compelling the under employees
to aifix their names to the paper nor yet does 1t
appear that nny were more than asked to sgn it.
so far Az the discharge of one of the employees
il concerned, We arc assured 1t waa upon purely
personal considerations which was IN no way
connected with this matter.
II, then, the action Of the employees was vol.
untary, and no undue influence wa used to OBJ
tain their signatures, the ccnsure OF Mr.. Hyde
would be All unwarrantable and oven cruel e1er-
cise of authority, and would only confirm the
opinion now entertained by most men that the
whole thing s set up Job, oyershadowng a
purpose which is transparent through the veil
with which it il cnveopei.
Much loss reason is there to cen.rro the Wa
ter Committee. No member of tint commit.
tee was examined or heard in his own behalf
on tho contrary there was studied ef-
fort made to keep the committee away
even tho opportunity To be heard which
was asked for was denied. BY at least q
portion of the Committee the matter was never
heard OF until the investigation was proposed in
Council They disclaim all knowledge of the 4.
fair Even had thoy been aware of it, it il 1,!es-
tionablc whether they would have had any right
to interposc their authority to prevent the con
tribution so long Az the amounts given were oh.
tanned voluntarily and without compulsion. In
this country each man is made tho dispenser OF
his own means, and in at full liberty to e1pend
his money as he may sec iit.