Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-01-14
FROM OUR CAPITOL.
Az Interestinx SessiOn-A ResOIu'
tion "a Onst william Fisk Town
sesd Rsilroaded ThrOuxh-Ise
Daily Republican to be Adsssittsa
into the House-PrOpOsed Change
In the License Law.

IN tue kuGeubd 1AS"s
Special Correspondence for the Republican.
DOVER, Del. January l3, 1879.
To days session although short has
b.-n one Of unusual interest. The
principal cause for this state Of affairs
was the springing upon the House in
the absence o! a portion Of the Sussex
delegation the following:
Resoirsd.-That a joint committee,
consisting OF three from the House and
two from the Senate, be. and are here
by appointed to investigate certain
charges OF immortality and neglect OF
duty against VIM. Fisk Townsend, the
Clerk of the Peace, in and for Sussex
county with power to send for persons
and papers, to hear testimony and II
in the judgmentsG the committee, i,
shall be necessary, to appoint a com.
mission to take depositions and EN-.
ploy counsel: and that they have leave
to report at any time by resolution, bill
or otherwise.
The above being offered by Mr.. Cannon
a delegate Of Sussex County fell upon
the hearing of the members with no un-
certain sound. The matter of offend.
ing was one based upon charges OF
gross immortality. A high-toned Dem
ocratic official had done this. lie had
gone wrong and they were called upon
to pass judgment upon him. They
didn't see any underlying actuating
principle upon the part Of the commit.
tee; nor did they consider or stop to OBJ
serve the undue haste with which the
resolution had been presented.
Ths mover Of the resolution
wanted tn. investigation to take place
Immediately. Mr.. Ware did, however,
want to know what the charges were
and Mr.. Conway did object and move
for postponemsnt until Friday; but
they were overruled, the motion ia
postpone was voted down, and the mo-
ton to adopt tho resolution was passed
and Messrs. Cannon, Hall and Cochran
appointed committee to investigate
the matter.
By this action it appears that some
body has placed upon his hands an I'M
dertaking OF considerable magnitude,
W. Fisk Townsend may have been er-
ratio even to total disregard for the
duties or the dignity of his position;
but for all that the members OF the
Sussex delegation who were absent, do
not see any reason why the matter
should have been pushed to such an
unlocked for extremity; with this de
velopment came to their minds the idea
that their absence was taken advan-
tage of purposely to have the investi-
CATION pIaced Jetore a committee, as soon
as possible.
Moreover, the securities Of the gem
tleman, w. Fisk Townsend are charged
with exerting an influence altogether
most hasty, and decidedly prejudical.
Mr.. Townsend, in the artic. of i'm
peachment, has been charged with ne.
glect Of duty, aud those charges it is
said have been hypothecated by actual
facts. For the-e the exercised Sussex
Countians do not mean to apologize or
even deny. They mean simply this,
that as Mr.. Townsend was not given Il
chance for defence, to stand by him to
the last. Mr.. Townsend has employed
William G. Whitley, Esq, of New Cas-
tle county, Jacob Moore, Esq, and
John paynter, Esq, both OF SUSSEX
county.
That the matter is one in which the
liveliest apprehensions are concerned is
patent to the minds OF the most inil-r-
ent. What the ultimatum will be is at
present among the members the subject
of much conjecture.
In the evening the joint committee
appointed to investigate the charges
against Mr.. Townsend, retired to its
room, where it elected MIR. Rust, Of the
Senate, as chairman. The matter was
discussed for about two hours after
which it was decided to notify Mr..
Tow nsend to appear heters the commit
tee to answer the articles of impeach-
ment. Witness will also be summon.
ed, and Attorney General Pennington
it is understood will con luct the ex-
animation on the part of the State. 1t
Is the determination of the committee to
force the matter to the utmost limit. On
the other hand the friends of Mr.. Town.
send in the House will do all they can
for him; and will, it is thought, move a
reconsideration of the motion by which
the committee was appointed.
NARRow-NISDED PRPJuDICEs.
This afternoon in ths1Iouse consider
able discussion was caused through q
resolution offered by Mr.. Doran, from
New Castle County, to purchase ten
copies each of the Morning Herald,
DAILY Gazette anS Erery Erening. Mr..
Dean objected to the motion on the
ground that it created feeling savoring
strongly narrow w-mindedness in omitting
ten copies of the DAILY REprBlIcAN and
moved that it be included in melton.
He was not in favor Of such discrimi-
nation because of political difference.
He wanted the DAILY REPUBLICAN, be-
cause he could then have both sides of
question; what is said for them and
what is said against them. The amend
ment was accepted by Mr.. Doran. Mr..
Collins moved that twenty-five copies
of the .Uorniay HerohL DiIy Ga=cttc
and Erery Ereni"g and ten copies Of the
DAuY REPUBLICAN le purchased.
Mr.. Dean opposed this and thought
that ten copies of each were plenty. A
discrimination of any kind, like that
intended, he was opposed to. Re-
trenchment, too, was the order of the
day, and therefor" he thought that ten
copies of each with the various other