Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-08-13
The Municipal Court.

Clerk Pennington OF the Municipal ,
Court should be to make their despsed
little institution popular instead of un
popular. They mistake iii q temper of ,
the people if they imagine lat they
can establish their court upon | >asis
that will be respected by holding star
chamber trials, and by snubbing the re-
porters of the press. They accepted
their offices knowing the unpopularity y
of the court, knowing that even the ',
most dignitied demeanor of Judge md
Clerk would fail to bring to it that re- .
spect which should be entertained for "
courts of justice, and knowing of this
they cannot afford to be anything else
than open and magnanimous in their
actions. The exercise Of little -
spite against the reporters W. 1'"s
their cause and a term r" ~ not heAP
in Office will not II =. twelve years
porters' mouf' md the matter. he
nounce" Is will not he shut by an
tr' .epts that there are no cases TO !
AND afterwards, when the reporters
are gone, bring in prisoners ana near
cases, We are net queS lonlug incl
honesty and truthtulnesS Of either Judge
or Clerk, but the people will judge their
actions
We are rather surprised that III view
of the impotency and total failure oil
the Water Com mission, twin brother TO
the Municipal Court, to establish itself,
that the court should pose itself before
the public as a creature that had even
a large respectable following. How
ever, it will work no harm to the pubic
for the Municipal Court to turn on the
thumb-screws and try to force their
institution into responsibility. The PEG :
nile will measure it for what it is worth
and will be guided accordingly.
We are not surprised at all at the
lack of repect on the part of the people,
for an institution 50 constituted. They
are not forgetful of the fact that afte'
ten years of Democratic Mayors, the
people changed this long service to Re
publican rule and elected Republican
Mayor. They do not forget that that
Republican Mayor was only permitted
~ serve one-third his terln-one year,
when he was displaced by the mos
despicabie partisan legislation Una
ever disgraced the statute books o
Delaware and the functions Of his ono.
have been taken from him aud divided
between two Democrats. And now
these two officials, aggravated ana
clagrined no doubt al the failure OF the
party machine they have undertake.
TO work, and eNasperattd at the lack
respect shown for it, have res"rted u
bulldoziug of rep TT rs. They are lhlS
taken if they think they will succeed
in bringing additional character and re
spect to the Municipal Court by sdcl
means,
So far as the REPrBLI'AN Is con
cerned it has been disposed to Civ" til
Court Il fair trial, and it often Win
held deserved criticism IN order to CIV
il "A chance. We had hoped that 1t wa
not Il, repugnant as it was pictured an
we thought after all the people Won!
show enough respect for it 70 make
potent for good. We have been "lsal
pointed in IA great measure lhHtta
of closing up the gap between In
Court and the people it has grown
wider. The principal part OF ID" erin
nal business of the city Is taken h'
fore Justices of the Peace, and now
cOuuteract that we have the puuy edl'
of the City Solicitor that it /, l,I"E0
totry cases Of assault and battery
the city before any tribunal or Ju''l'
except the Municipal Court Thus y
have the Court in thepitiabIe conditio
of begging Tor griSt for its mill
wants more than the common ever
day cases Of " drunks,' and . tr"mps,
and the civ solicitor has hrcon
the tugcman to drum ny lart
game.
Seriously, now long is tins stat"
affairs tu continue For t"'I'" years
For the SAKE Of the lcace aud Lo"d or!
of tine tI'y Of Wilmington, "" hol
not Judge tumm ms and Clerk Fe