The daily gazette., 1883-02-12
ON COUNTY DIVISION.
PETITIONS ON THE SUBJECT
IN RURAL PARTS.
SOME VIEWS FOR AND AGAINST.
WHAT the Wilmington and New Castle
Opposition.

Petitions are being circulated for sigma
| lures through the lower part Of the county
which make q request to tie Legislature
which will necessarily tend to complicate
and embarrass the efforts to secure increased
representation for New Castle. The effort
has started In the city of New Castle and
seems to be almost wholly confined to that
place. The petitions are as follows:
To fbs Honorable the Senator's and Rspreseafa-
ttDes IN the General Assembly Of the State of
DeId5Cdre
WHEREAs, The County Of New Castle by It's
large and rapid increase Of population has
other counties Of the state, and by reason
thereof It's people rightfully demand an in
crease OF representation, and believing that a
most equitable and just solution Of such ques-
tion, therefore we pray your honorable bodies
to enact such legislation proposing amend
ments to the Constitution as Will lead to such
division.
1t will be noticed by reading the above
that stress is placed upon the general desire
for and great need of an increase in the
number of representatives In the State Leg
islature, and the sentiment is expressed that
the proper way to solve the problem is to
divide the county. The GAZETTE has gone
tn some trouble to ascertain the sentiment
in Wilmington and New Castle, and also to
some extent the feeling of the people in the
more southerly hundreds.
So far as can be learned here there is a
feeling Of decided opposition to dividing the
county at this time. There has been no
general demand for any thing Of the kind,
and has not been since the great excitement
of 1875. At that time the agitation was
started with two objects in view. The most
important was the removal of the court
house to Wilmington, and it led to the
action of the Legislature in 1879 in passing
an act authorizing its removal. The other
object was the increase of representation,
but when the court house came to Whining
ton the general desire for county division
seems to have ceased, and people now ap-
pear to hold that the adoption of such a
course to secure fair and equitable repre-
sentation would be direct evasion of the
whole vital issue.
The views of the New Castle people seem
to be rather fully expressed in the petition.
They say, however, that New Castle county
should be divided and New Castle be given
her old proud distinction to being a county
seat. "Here we heYe the Court House."
said one well-knewn citizen of New Castle
on Saturday "and there would be very little
expense In making the change. The upper
county would have the new Court House
and the old Amshouse and we would have
the old Court House and the new Aims
house. Then you Wilmington people would
be given full representation and everybody
ought TO be satisfied"
Senator Cooper says he has not yet made
up his mind on the question, but he told
GAZETTE reporter on Saturday that he is of
the opinion that the people of the rural
hundreds, and particularly around New
Castle and Middletown, are desirous Of hay-
ing the county divided. 1t is stated that IL
the Legislature passes q constitunal amend
ment New Castle and Midd. d.etown will
quarrel over the Court House.
A gentleman living in the neighborhood
OF Delaware City, who is one of the most
intelligent of Delaware farmers, remarked
to-day that majority of the people In the
lower districts did not desire to have the
county cut in two, and would be emphati-
cally opposed Dit If the Court House would
be located at New Castle. "Since the rail-
road has been operated to Delaware City and
through that section we can come to VIII
mington almost as quickly as we can go to
New Castle, and we can make the round trip
cheaper. 1t was the drive that made us
prefer New Castle at that time. l don't
think the plan to divide the county will meet
with much favor among our people,"
The bill to provide for county division in
1875 was defeated in the House of Represen-
tatives on March IS by vote of 8 ays and
10 nays. OF these four New Castle members
voted aye and three voted nay. Before the
matter came up in the House there was
very general discussion in favor of the
matter, and the people at that time, de-
manding both increased representation and
court house removal were In favor of it.
Now court house removal has been secured
and increased representation will be forth
coming by direct enactment or constitution
al amendment at the present session If there
is not too much difference of opinion among
New Castle county's own people.