Daily Republican., 1880-02-27
Trustees OF the Poor, Halt!


business, the Trustees of the poor have
rot themselves into snarl which
causes not only considerable bad feel
ing amongst the members but besides
promises trouble ahead. The great
need of an enlargement of the county
Insane department has been apparent
: for many years and has led to many
discussions pro and con upon the pro-
priety of enlargement. Two strong ar
guments prevailed against the COM
mencement Of active operations until
the present time, and those two were
the stringency of the times and the
inadequateness of the location. The
times having become good one difficulty
mas been removed and as the sequel
will show money was only too easy to
be had at six per cent with which to
carry on the contemplated work. From
our local columns elsewhere it will be
seen that $4,000 of the $4,000 needed
has for some time past been negotiated
for by the wide awake Treasurer of the
Board at six per cent which could as
alleged by other members Of the Board
been procured at five per cent or even
four and half had the plan adopted
BY the Levy Court Of the County and
she City Council of Wilmington been
followed. This apparent over prompt
oficiousness of the Treasurer is what
causes no little difference in this lit
tie Democratic family that sits with
closed doors and wines and dimes
1Gonthly at the expense of the county.
From what little has leaked out it az
pears that the Board las for a year or
go been paying this high rate Of inter
est for two thousand dollars lying dead
in the Treasury, said money having
been borrowed by the Treasurer
without the knowledge of, we
can't say all the members of the
Board, but at least without the knowl-
edge of some of them. AS might have
been expected this has been resented
by those not in the secret of this little
financial transaction, and heuce the
question arises, "Why might not this
interest money have been saved and
have been given to the poor ?" We are
rather inclined to think that those
making this inquiry have the strong
end OF the argument, and will have
the appreciation Of the public. But
this is not all the financial difficulty |
which stares the trustees, in the face
right at the commencement Of the con-
templated enlargement of the County
buildings. The question arises, has
the Board any right to borrow money
at all without special act Of the Leg
islature We all know that the City |
Council Of Wilmington possessing plen.
ary powers to do almost everything else,
has no power to increase the City debt
without a special act of the Legislature.
and we also know that the Levy Court
of New Castle County could not even
enlarge the old or build a new
court house without a special legisla-
tive enactment. How much less power
then must the Board Of Trustees of the
Poor which is only creature of the
Levy Court have t0 contract q debt
without the authority Of the Legisla-
ture? These are questions which have
entered into the discussions Of the Board
Of Trustees Of the Poor, and which
have caused a considerable divergence
of opinion. Even the closed doors which
shuts the Board in from the inqnisitive
prying curiosity of the outside world have
led to the idea that something must hase Q
been going on behind those doors that
it is desirable to withhold from the
taxpayers of the county. There seems
to be prospect now that hidden things
shall be brought to the light, and We
are amongst those who believe that
nothing would be lost blythe taxpayers
being more infinitely informed of what
transpires in relation to the keeping of
the poor and the insane of the county.
Now word in regard to the locality of
the County Aims House. Soon after the
war closed it was argued with such
great force that the buildings were SO
near the city proper Of Wilmington,
that the Levy Court purchased a farm
in the vicinity of Hare's Corner, with
the expectation at some time not in the
far future of building a new Aims
House, hospital and building for the
insane Of the county. The farm was
purchased at time when real estate
was high, and for few years it was
leased to farmers, but the rents rsceiy-
cd did not pay the interest Of the pur-