The daily gazette., 1883-01-24

W llt ptOptt. DO
as he was concerned he would be willing to
have the elections OH Sunday.
Section 80 was adopted.
Pending the passage Of section SO, Mr..
Quinn objected to the great power given hy
1t 10 the clerk, and then branched off TO the
matter Of returning the ballot-boxes on
Sunday. He was declared out of order.
Section 60 provides the manner Of pro-
cedure In the event of contested election
cases, and states that the day set shall be
advertised In two newspapers In the city of
Wilmington. When the section had been
read Mr.. Quinn moved "to insert in lieu of
two newspaper the words "a German
newspaper, II such there be published. :"
When laughed &C by the rest of the members
he remarked that he twas not the champion
of the Germans, bnt there was no one
present to look after their Interests"
The section was passed as read. Sections
81 and 62, also concerning elections, were
passed, and 63 stricken out being of no at
count. MIR. Turner stated that the section
WAS an old one aud had not been inserted by
| the revisers.
Section "a, containing 80 lines of the
printed charter distributed among the mem.
bers Of Council, was read
Mr.. Quinn thought the section left loop
hole for political tricksters, especially for
majority party. There was, however, no
monkey in the section. He was surprised
that the City Solicitor had allowed himself
TO be "jerrymandered" into inserting the
section, and thought it threw open the aood
gates for political corruption, He wouldn't
vote for the section even II his own party
Was In power.
Mr.. Turner thought it would be we'll to
bear Mr.. Patterson upon the subject.
MIR. Paynter thought the redistricting of the
city ought not to be done by Council, for
the party In power might JAKE advantage of
close wards and redIstrict the city to suit
itself. Neither party was ~ be trusted, as
either would take advantage of the other.
| The legislature was the best suited TO do the
redstrictBg.
President Conrad, calling Mr.. Mention to
| the chair, took the floor. he thought the
legislative body best able to judge OF the re-
districting of the city was the City Council
| itself; aud he said that without any political
bias whatever. The section pleased him very
much, he had read 1t With satisiac-
Llon, and he failed to see how any
reasonable objection could be made to I.
He was willing, also, 10 add one provso,
| and that was that the present City Council
/ should not do the redisJrictiug. He thought
the gentleman from the Third district Slr.
Blake) could see the necessity Of the
division Of large sections. The City Council,
composed as it was Of gentlemen from all
sections of the city, was In every way better
qualified to judge than the State
4 Legislature, aud even II the in
| creased representation were granted, which
he hoped &c would be, he would only give
| them six or seven. members, whereas here
lhey had "a. The items OF the section were
Just and equitable and he favored them,
and he suggested that the matter stand over
till after the election and then let the redis-
trlcting De .arried out, so that they might
not see the counting OF votes going on till
ur O'Clock In the morning as hitherto.
Mr.. Patt, Tson said he had no desire TO
speak on the matter, as there was q mani
| IL ct disposition not to have the revisers
heard. He thought the revtsers' reasons
should be heard, after each section was
read, but he would let that go. The section
under discussion had received much atten-
ton by him, his attention having been
called to the subject by prominent gentle
men. He explained how the section had
been framed 10 accomplish two important
purposes-the relief oil the pressure on the
day of election In getting IN votes In large
wards, and the avoidance of mons and riot
Gus demonstrations by multiplication of the
election districts. BY spreading bodies o
people into small masses 1t tended TO pre-
serve order and regularity In voting. he
was uudesirous OF Dragging into the city OF
|
Sussex. The citizens OF Wilmington endured
the burden of taxation among themselves,
and they ought to have some of the privi-
leRes arising from 1t. They were surely
better qualified to handle the matter than
the gentlemen who inhabited the bogs OF
Sussex, the woods OF Kent and residents OF
the hundreds surrounding this city. There
was Integrity enough In this city
TO control 1t. Would any one say
l u
Council were trieksters or knaVesi Were
they not qualified to make territorial divis-
|, ms of this citya If SO the city was capable
of sclf-p poSernment Shoold IL not be lett
TO the delegated bodies of this city to define
such boundaIiesi This action was not
framed for the purpose of increasi' g votes
It was simply TO give facilities for casting
votes. 1t had also the advantage of prevent
ing the preparation of fraud. The fact oil
there being easy Inspection OF voters tended
to promote the purity of the ballot box. 1t
was contended by the gentlemen on the
other side that there would be partisanship
and gerryman ering. Alter correcting
Mr.. Quinn on the pronunciation Of the
latter word Gin which the Speaker gave the
"g" hard aud traced Its origin to Eldridge
Gerry he said the contention that Council
WAS political body would equally apply 70
the Slate Legislature. No public body
could be divested of political power aud
influence. II the members OF Council Were
invested with the power of taking money
! out of mems pockets by taxation they
could be surely trusted with the territorial
J division Of the wards In which they voted
The sect, proposed government of them
selves by themselves for themselves. Why
should they 20 out of the city of Whining
ton and appeal TO the citizens of Milford
J and Duck Greek to divide their districts fol
} theml
Mr. Paynter followed with objections, and
Mr.. Quinn felt almost certain (atter saying
I he was not college graduate aud thanking
Mr.. Patterson for connecting his prOnuncia
. tion) that there was something wrong, al
; Mr.. Patterson had referred to the gentle
man on the "other side" without pointing
) what side.
On motion af Mr.. Blake the yeas and nayi
were called aid the section adopted by th'
. following vote Ayes-Messrs, Bailey
I Beecher, EastburD, File, Garrett, johnson
Mention, Miller, Moore, Smith, Stevenson
Talley and President COnrad-13. Nays
Messrs. Abele, Baugh, Blake, Denny, Nc
. Kenna, Newall, Payuter, Quinn anC
I Shaw.
Q An adjournment was then taken unit
this evening, alter 80 sections had becl
: adopted, 8 deferred aud one stricken out.
, Section "a is as follows:
i Sc 81. For the purpose Of facilitating tht
| holding Uf electiuns ana securing as nearly n
D may be equality and fairness therein, thi
! Council may, from time to to time, as in thei
: | Judgment may be required, but not oftner thar
No. Las aatxF Nan ala