The daily gazette., 1883-01-10
pailulE Gazette
WnM1soroV. 7WED5saIEiEsDAT Jan. 10
aIunIclpal CofnlnIaalons.

While the movement has taken no definite
shape, there Is talk In certain quarters Of
applying 70 the present session of the Legis-
lature for the formation OF commissions for
the Government Of at least two Of our muni.
cipal departments-Police and Water.
On general principles commissioners are
regarded with disfsvor by majority of the
people, but IT cannot be denied that they
possess many virtues, and In numerous in.
stances better serve the interests Of public
economy and the public welfare than tht
ordinary machinery OF municipal govern
ment Given q commission of competent
honest citizens, governed By law carefully
regulating their expenditures and exposing
all their proceedings to the fullest publicity,
and the people have a better chance of get
ting the worth Of their money than through
the medium Of a cumbersome, unwieldy and
ofttlmes incompetent City Council.
The most important measure of public
economy that the people of Wilmington vii
have to face in the near future Is the in
crease Of our water supply and improve
ment Of the pumping facilities. This Is a
work that is actually necessary and can bt
accomplished with no small expenditure OF
money. 1t requires the most judiciou,
management, and no one VIII deny that
such an important public improvement
should be removed from the domain Of
politics and conducted upon the principlt4
OF business and common sense.
Every citizen who Is inclined 10 reason by
analogy and draw wisdom from experience
will certainly admit that the very best
means Of satisfactorily accomplishing this
great public work will be to place It in tht
hands Of q commission composed OF sound,
practical business men, Of whom there are
hundreds in Wilmington to-day The con
struction Of the Cool Spring reservoir Is still
fresh in the public mind and people will well
remember how 1t was started BY Republi-
can Council that squsndered the public
money without accomplishing any visible re-
suits, continued by sn Independent Council
with less jobhery but almost equal extrava-
gAnce, and then taken up BY q Democratic
Council aud continued until every dollar
appropriated for the purpose was expended,
and still the reservoir was nothing more
than hole in the ground,
Thoroughly disguised with the idea Of 9
Councilmanic control Of vast public i'm.
proyements the people readily scquIesced
in the proposition to have the work com.
pleted by Water Commission, and John P,
Almond, James Bradford and Cesar A,
Rodney were appointed by the act Of 1877
These gentlemen went 70 work with only
half the money that had previously been ex.
pended, gave the bulk Of the job out By
contract, attended 10 all the necessary de
tails, and in fifteen months had the reservoir
in complete running order and small bal
anee of their appropriation stll on hand
This, we believe was Wilmingtou's onll
experience with municipal commission
and We are confident the people would fayo
the appointment of similar body to TAX
charge of the contemplated improvement o
the water works. There are plenty Of mel
like Messrs. Almond, Bradford and Rodne'
in the city, and good, reputable commits
sion could be selected without the sightes
difficulty or fear Of mistake.
As TO Police Commission We believe th
people would welcome any measure to d
away with the @ model lncompeteuts VIII
have been masquerading as policemen 70
the past six months, and suppisnt ther
with well-disciplined, bipartisan force
appointed for personal fitness instead c
political services, aud held TO strict pei
formsnce Of police duties. The " models
have proved miserable failure and hav
themselves demonstrated the necessity
another change