Evening journal., 1889-03-28
A BUSY DAY AT DOVER.
The Senate Says Nay to the
Bank Presidents.
FOUR IMPORTANT CITY BILLS

BiGh License and Local Option Bill-An
Improved State House.
stan Correspondence of EVENING JouRNAr.
DOVER, March 27-There is way
which the Senate does things this session
that cannot but excite admiration, and
that is their demonstration that they
have opinions which are not formed or
influenced by lobbies Of prominent law
yers paid to talk them into voting for
things that are for the personal interests
Of the lobbyists. Delegations-heavy ag
gregations Of prominent men may come
down here and argue until they are run
out Of wind but the Senate will give
them respectful hearing and then will
vote the way that is for the best inter
ests Of the people. There have been
three examples of this recently. The
first being the Eleventh and Monroe
street bin. the next the valued policy bill,
and to-day the attempt of the Whining
ton banks TO make a grab at the city Of
Wilmingtons money was similarly
treated. The aggregation Of last night
almost talked themselves out of wind
and then talked the mem 5ers to sleep.
Farmer Lore threw out the alluring bait
that If the Farmers Bank had had the
interest on the city's funds there would
be any number Of $1,000 school houses
in Kent and and Sussex counties did not
catch and this afternoon the committee
on city and towns reported the
bill adversely, Senator Donahoe then
moved the indefinite postponement
Of the bill In doing so he said: This
measure is only here now because the
City Council have been economical in its
management Of the city's affairs the past
two years, and have performed their du-
ties well and managed TO have a balance
in bank this year. Almost every year in
the past they have overdrawn their ac-
count and there was never any trouble
about division of the funds by the other
banks. ! think that the Council repre-
sents the people Of the city Elected by
them to manage the assessment and col
lecting of taxes. and disposing by appro-
priation Of all monies. This is now and
has always been the principal Of our city
government and / see no good and sutii-
cient reason to now strip the servants of
the city from the management of their
own affairs The bill was then unani.
mously lowered into the Senatorial grave
yard.
CITY BILLS.
Senator Donahoe introduced quar-
tette Of city bills this morning in the
Senate. City Councils bill in relation to
triennial elections was the first one. 1t
provides that the Council shall be con
stituted as at present of twenty-four
members. The present members shall
hold their offices until June 1890 and
then an entire new Council shall be
elected to serve for three years Seven
members are to compose quorum in
stead Of twelve as at present The coun-
cilmen are to meet on Monday after their
election TO organize. The city solicitor
and assessors and collectors are to be
elected by the people. The present solici.
tor is 70 fill out his present term. Coun-
Gil is then 20 elect a solicitor for one
year after which the people are TO elect.
The bin viii be amended before pre-.
sented for final passage in order to still
retain twelve members as quorum and
TO have one-half the members term ex-
pire every three years instead as the bill
provides for them to expire all at one
time.
The Street and Sewer bill provides that
the department shall have power to com
pei the paving Of sidewalks and assess
the owners Of the property in front Of
the pavement the cost Of laying The
owner is also TO be responsible for any
accident caused by any hole, excavation
or obstruction on the sidewalk.
The third bill is the one in relation to
street peddlers, and the fourth is the
UNDERGROUND WIRE BILL,
and this one Is liable to cause some fun.
The act provides that hereafter all tele-
graph, telephone and electric light poles
or wires shall not be erected in the city
of Wilmington under penalty Of 800
a day for each and every pole or wire
faa l.
underground by the FIRST day Of December,
1892, and al that are erected at that time
must come down or the person, company
or corporation SO offending shall suffer a
penalty Of $50 for each and every pole or
wire standing az that time AS an indi
cation Of the gathering storm, s. ~
Trump, W. T. johnson and Captain
smith Of the Wilmington Electric Light
Company were here TO day circulating
among the members and endeavoring to
impress the mpracticability Of the con
duit system Al the present time They
claim that Il will cost the Wilmington
Electric Company $3.50, 600 alone to place
their wires underground The company.
they say, have nearly seven miles Of wire
in the city Of Wilmington. j. H. Hof-
fecker, counsel for the Wilmington com
pany. arrived later In the day and took
part IN itlt NNI0clAAOus hey talked eler-
trical conduits, currents, resistance
insulations. until the members who ran
against them almost called for life pre-
serving non-conductors The other side
win be here tomorrow night in the shape
of electricians from Chicago, Boston,
Baltimore New York Washington, st
Louis and elsewhere. who will show that
conduits are operated successfully and
at comparative little cost in those cities
Jonathan W. Aydon. superintendent o
Wilmington's fire alarm telegraph, vii
have the delegation in charge.
NEW STATE HOUSE
There will be no new state house, bu
there is considerable reason to believ
that there viii be considerable alteration
in the present building. The Senate thi
morning went into secret session as
committee Of the whole on Senator Rich
ardsons bill The object Of the secre
session was TO better consider the mattel
in quiet than for any concealment AS
result Of the meeting a resolution wa
adopted this afternoon TO appoint com
mittee Of three on the part Of the Senate
aud six on the part of the House to view
the State House and library and see wha
alterations are necessary in the building
The committee are also empowered t
hire an architect and have him sugges
plans in accordance with the committee
suggestions. Senators Ferguson, Rich
ardson and Dorman were appointed tn
Senate Committee, and Representative
Maui, Lingo, Hoffeeker, Richardson