Daily Republican., 1883-05-23
WEDNENDAY. MAY 23. lsS3.
And 50 We are Rebels,

''~D' VI s'N " "NA A'N ptsA NhiVhi, anu VI
mandate of his Water Commission
most undoubtedly the City Counci
will have to plead guilty. But ther
are times when it becomes a virtue
and the highest type of patriotism tt
resist by every means the operation o
tyrannical laws. The Water Commission
law is one of those laws, The imposi
ton of the stamp act and the tax OF
tea which led to an active outbreak o
the Revolutionary war which gave us
our & orious charter of liberty, was not
more oppressive nor iniquitous than is
the Water Commission act. 1t is in.
iquitous and unjust because it takes
from us the principle Of local self-gov.
ernment, and ii is oppressive because il
burthenS the people Of Wilmington
with an additional load of taxes. Ii
the coloni,ts were right III resisting tyr
amy and oppressive taxation, so is the
City Council of Wilmington right in
resisting the same principles, but in
another form. Yet it is not likely that
the City Council, no matter how strong
iy backed up by the people, will 90 to
verge Of active resistance, when once
the Water Commission bill ha, been
aOJudSed constitutional by the State
Courts, and Ivy the Supreme Court of
the uiLtd States, il it he carried 40
far The Every Evening places the
1ity Council in the attitude of rebels and
violate RS OF a State law before that law is
put in active operation. II links the City
Council should yield and then if it had
any doubts about the constitutionality
OF lhe law test il in the Courts of the
State. This would place til" City Coun-
Gil i'll the attitude of contestant and
the Water Commission in the attitude
OF a defendant, and the City Counci
would have lost the point Ol possession
which l. Is said is nine points in law.
If the con,titu,ionality of the Water
Commission bill is to toe tested, it can
~ well be done with The City Council
as defendant and the Water Commits
sion as contestant, and should it be de-
Giared unconstitutional, no change will
have occurred IN tine cOuduCt of the
City Council, but it viii pursue the
even tenor OF its way rs II has always
done. Whatever embarrassment Ell
SUES III furnishing supply Of water
for the clty penuing the decision Of the.
catse III Ii tUurl, viii he caused by
the Water COMMISSION. NaJcr tor the
city via be promptly amt aDlndantly
shppli"d by TIE Gay CUuucu pending
the decision Of he case in the Courts.
It. would be hLlti to lmagIur the con.
fnSion and "inb rrraoslnehr Inat would
ensu" were The City Couurl to give Ip
possession Of the Water Works. to the
Water Commission. Tn" marhine, If
ever, would not get into working order
uudcra year, and only then at an i.ddi-
tional expense Of about thirty thousand
dollar, to he city. Then If the Water
Commission bill would be declared un-
con ,iturl"naI, aS probably viii he, til"
management Of the Water Works
would after ali have to rrver back 10
til CRY Council again after having in.
ttcl'd 'he people with an additional
not less Dhan twenty-five Or thir-
ty thousand dollars.
Then why not save thai much ruuncy
AMI Test the eCOnSltu'iouaiity Of the ra,e
with the City Council in py,sas,luu and
drienlAlt Is tp reverse the posi- lpu by
placing tine Water Commits. ion III pos
session and making Il the defendant"
Great stress /, laid by the Every
Evening upon the supposed action OF
tic City AudiDor dnd the cry ira>ur-
ct. 1t thinks il the first world refuse
to pass IN" water bii,s, and the latter
would refuse 70 draw warrants for
money, the ca,r would soon come be
fore the Courts and be- drridrd. So it
would. But !, il absolutely necessary
that every b.., contracted by the City
Council must b" audited by the Ciry
Auditor before It can br paid Has
the Auditor ~uDh roUmItcd power over
the finance, ol 'u, .u} as that Can
NJ say whpar UIl, -na be- and whose
shall not br pHi Auu if he takes a
notion for som" personal reason not to
audit bill, tn" cor. mes, IF " IIch is
not disputed, must t0r,t biz REMAIN un-
paid causing embarrassment to the per
sOn to whom the money y i, owing We
do not believe rhu e eyer was the in
teutiOn Of the law +, confer such power
upon one individual It ,o the business
o, the A udIOr luapdIt, to reckon, to
ca culatc, to Sc tlat Dhcre is no mis-.
lakes, ia adding up, subtractIng, multi
plying or dividing; tnat proper dis,
coGntS are allowed and interests added,
and then when his work is dom" audit
III" bill by subscribing his name across
If. 't'l had been intended that he
should pas, upon the legality Of tn"
la" uunnr - U.rh the bill was contract
ed ne Guy 'wucil would have pro-
ViLrd III muuc but lawyers should be
CRY Ald1or-.
HappIIJ thor. ia way out Of this
difficulty, and the City Council has
found that way The body that creates
an office certainly controls the same
If the City Ambition, who is but the
creature Of the CRY Council refuses to
perform the duties assigned him by