Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-01-13
DoVER.
The Town and Its RuIers-Down at
the Wharf - Tho Conference
Academy-CathoIic Fnir-A Slap at


The VOWu and Its hulers-DoWn Al
the Wharf - Tho Conference
Acadomy-CathoIic Fnir-A Slap At
Ingersoii.
Special Correspondents Of State journal.
DovEB DEL, January 9-Dover Is
bound by its onarter to be an
economically governed town. The govern.
ment is vested in council, composed of
president, chosen at large, and eight men,
bers, two from each of the four districts
into which the town ia divided. The
president is elected annually; the other
members for terms of two years each, one
being chosen from each district every
year. The present President of Council is
@. II. B. Day, ESQ leading Democratic
lawyer OF bis fellow members six are
Democrats and two Republicans. Politics
has not very much to do generally with
these town elections. the spoils are not
such as to engender much rivalry, but
more as matter Of party pride than for
any other reason, each party strives for
the presidency, with view of being able
to say: "We carried Dover"
The police force numbers two men.
The people OF Loockerman street employ
another policeman, for night duty, whose
services are paid for by private contri-
buttons. Alderman GoodiDg represents
the msgisterial power of the town.
Dover has population of about 5000.
The census tell a little short OF these fig.
ures but the official enumerators did not
visit those houses ION the ether side of
the railroad, because, though naturally
part of the town, they are outside the
corporate limits.
The town Garter prohibits the annual
tax levy exceeding 81 900. Added to this
Is revenue from the State, of about
$3.50. The Council must run the town,
therefore, on 81 $50 year, or must run
in debt. The schools are provided for by
separate board which is empowered to
levy its own taxes. The town tax rate is
about II cents on the 300.
There are no water works, but there Ia
gas department and about 40 street
lamps. Those around the Court House
square do not dispel the darkness of these
winter nights to any alarming extent.
AN UNDEvKLoPRD HIGHWAY.
When a school boy, I read in my
geography that Dover sis situated on
Jones' creek" In one of my first visits TO
Dover, few years later, hunted up the
creek. The sight was disappointment
Accustomed to looking upon the Brandy
wine and Christiana at Wilmington as
creeks, l made two mental corrections
20 my geographical store; first, that the
stream on which ] gszed was not creek,
aud, second, that Dover was not situated
on it, anyhow.
But, yesterday, walked down to the
primitive wharf that Captain Draper has
lately built and wondered, as l looked
around me, why this water highway to
the outer world has been 80 long egected.
That it is navigable Capt. Draper has
proven during the past summer by run
ming his steam tug the Water Witch,
sometimes with excursion parties to
Bowers Beach and sometimes with q
small schooner in tow with freight to and
/ from Philadelphia. The expenditure Of a
few thousand dollars in widening and
/ deepening the creek to Forrest Landing,
about four miles below, would enable The
| people of Dover to realize the importance
OF this 30 long neglected highway to the
/ Delaware.
And. as the Doverites of 1855 drove the
/ Delaware railroad half a-mile to the west
ward of the town and their successors
binding the railroad benefit instead of
curse, have since builded out to It anc
doubted aud modernized their town il
doing 50, 50 likewise may We look in the
course of another decade or two for al
excl siou eastward and the rise Of
commercial Dover on Jones creek.
ABOUT THE ACADEMT.
The Wilmington Conference Academ,
opens Tomorrow, after the holiday vaca
lion. The academy is fine, large, com
modious, well-arranged building, but i
has always been an elephant on the hand
of the conference, and an expensive ele
plant too and difficult to manage. MIR
Il, d. Skinner is the principal and ther
are about 100 pupils, the bulk of then
from other towns in Delaware and on tn
Eastern Shore. An interesting collection
of ores, minerals, stones, petrified woods
Iudan relics, continental and confederat
money and similar curiosities is to b
found in one of the rooms.
CHURCH Notes.
Rev, b. G. Parker, who is also chaplai
of he Senate, preached to small con
gregetion in the Bapt st church this morn
ing. His theme was that the man VIII
processes TO be Christian should b
intensely aud with all his might a Ohristia
aud, If IL member of any church, shoul
havs positive reasons for preferring tha
church to ouy other The B .ptist VIII
had no preference Tor that church owe
others, should not be Is .ptist. The ma
WIN is firmly anchored In religious fnitt
knowing what he believes and why he b,
hevrs 1t, need not fear the sophistry c
the blatant Ingersol. Ingersoli wants
religion of honesty and just ce, but is nc
Christian religion the most importar
agent IN the diffusion of honesty an
jnstice5 Are irreiiglous men prone to b
) paragons of honesty and justice?
: The Catholics of Dover are getting up
: fair, to be held in the Court House Hs
and 10 continue for week.
Ga Thursday next, at ~ 30 p. m til
Delaware Railroad Company will hold il
~ h annual meeting here.
; special meeting of the Town Oounc
I, was held on Saturday evening to consldt
some proposed amendments to the tow
: charter.
DOVER Jan. 10. MIR. Vanburkalo
assures me that lie has never entertaine
: any intention of offering a resolutio
. calling upon his f llow memb ela 10 give II
y their railroad passes He has surrendere
e bis, but does not propose to ask others
follow his example.
THE r. F. II Il
When the House was called to order til
. afternoon Mr.. Robinson called for IL
:. reading of the annual report of Audtt
Marshall, of the Break water & Franktor
a Railroad Company. The report shows IL
! expenditures and receipts for the yef
u 1879 as foiloWa.