Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-03-23
CITIZENS TAKE A HAND.
THE STREET AND SEWER DE-
= PARTMENT BACKED.
A Strong Committee To Urge the Claim
of the Citizens Upon the Legisia-
ture-The City Council Left
to its Own Course.

day night, and The Street and Sewer De-
paItment and the Citizens had their say
last night. Between the two there Is now
AN almost imps sable gulf, which cat not
be cas- ly bridged aud now the question is
who will winl
The meeting OF tie Citizens Ast ocia-
tion last night was an enthusiastic and
earnest one, indicating the erecdy end OF
committee meeting bedding on the part
OF the City Council. Even Mr.. Quinn ol
the City Council might well wish now
that he had OF drawn aside the curtain
and exposed Sunday COMMITTEE meetiugs
by committee OF which Mr.. Baugh las
Chairman. This Sunday committee re-
ceiyed the severe castigation that 1t de-
| served at the ha1ds OF Mr.. Vandegriit
last night.
The meeting in the Builders Exchange
was large one and 1t was evident from
the start that it meant business.
Among those present were the follow
lug, which shows the cast and character
OF the meeting:
J. Bradford W. ii. Lungren, A. Cav
throp, DR.. j.. 7. Bush, J. Newlin Cav
throp, DIR. j. A. Draper, Ephraim Wal
ton, Lewis Bowen, Samuel q. spsakman,
Joseph L, Carpenter, James Carmichael,
David w. Harlan, Il. g. Bradford, Esq,
a. G. Wihop, Watson R. sperry, l.. ..
vandegriit, ksq., Mayor Austin Har-
rington, Samuel Murphey, AZ. Aims
croft, J. II. Ho1ecker, ESQ.,,
Charles Baird, Holstein Harvey, VIM
Lawton, Amos Eastburn, h. Conant, q,
w. Pusey. William Belts, DIR. O. Elton
Buck, W. d. Muilin, W. II. rierson, A.
j. Hart, Joseph Phillips, II. d. McClos-
key, William II. Foulk, John McUlos-
key, Otho Noland, Daniel w. Tayler,
George L. KirkmaD, Har,an Cause, John
I. Davis, DIR. jacob Frantz, II nry II.
Dure, George w. Dorsey, a. S. Reed,
Samuel N, Trump, John NJ. Turrer, j..
d. Sisler, Job II. jackson, Newbold
Trump, T. Alien Hillts, james L. DeVou,
Rnoch Moore, George w. Bush, 8. j.
Wiley, Y. l.. Buck, DR.. J. ?. Pyle, g.
M. Curtis, Esq. and number OF others
| William H. Swift, president OF the City
Association, occupied the chair, aud q.
Wesley Weldin acted as secretary.
The chair stated that the meeting had
been called to hear the report Of the
Legislative Committee, composed oi Geo.
w. Bush, F. N. Buck, Joseph l.. Carpen.
ter, Jr., and A. G. Wilson. Chairman
Bush being absent, l.. q. Vandvgriit,
Esq, made the report Of the committee
verbally.
He stated that the committee had had
a couple of interesting meetings with the
heads OF all the departments of city
government. and had as the committee
thought arrived at q satisfactory conclu-
sion as to what legislation To ask for. Ac-
cording to the Instructions given at one
of those meetings he In conjunct on with
HE law partner, MIR. Bradford, had en-
bodied the suggestions made at those
meetings into three bills, to be presented
to the Legislature for passage at the
present session As the City Council had
passed "a resolution requesting the Legis-
lature not to act on any bills touching
the city government without having first
been submitted to that body, the bills
were presented to Council for concur
renee and two OF them had been rejected.
Copies of the bills had also been sent to
the Legislature, aud were now before
that body for enactment into laws. Con-
tinuing, Mr.. Vandegrit stated that the
bills referred to were known as the
amendmendment to the Registration law,
the City Council bill, and the bill for the
relief OF the Board OF street aud Sewer
Directors.
Tho two latter, Council had rejected in
such manner as to leave very little hope
OF having anything done except In oppo.
sitlon to It's efforts. The committee, how
ever, had shown the utmost courtesy, and
had acted under the idea that co-opera
tion between the heads OF the city depart
ments, City Council and tho Citizens'
Committee would have made the passage
ol these desirable laws an easy matter.
The bills were then read, aud in CON
3eetit with Mr.. Vandegriit's statement
were accepted, aud on motion OF DIR. j.
A. Draper were formulated into a report
and adopted as the report of the commit
tee.
DIR. Draper then moved to take up and
consider each bill separately, beginning
with that of the Street and Sewer Depart
ment, which mot on was adopted.
In reference TO this bill, Joseph L. Car
penter, Jr., chairman OF the Street and
sewer Commission, made calm and
careful statement In reply to the harsh
criticisms oil City Council of that depart
ment at Its last meeting. He then pre-
sented trial balances taken from the
books of the d, partment for the first ten
months of the departments existence,
aud also figures covert. & City Councils
expend lures for the streets for the years
1884, 1885, 1885, proving that the depart
ment uaI spent less money and cared ior,
IN addition to Its work on the streets, to
the Survey Department and to lighting
the city
He claimed that the directors of the
department had acted honestly, could &C
count for every dollar and show where 1t
was expended, and had doue all they
could viii the money they had. They
could do no more, and II this were not
satisfactory they were ready TO be turned
out and give way to others.
Mr.. Carpenters statement was greeted
with applause, and /. was evident that
the meeting was strongly on his side.
William Lawton said that the only
mistake the commission made was In
asking for too small al amount oi money.
He thought they should have Sl50,U00.
Mr.. a. 4. Reed warmly commended
the department aud endorsed what Mr..
Lawton said.
DIR. l.. P. Bush highly euIcglzed the
commission and declared that il should
have all the money II needed.
Remarks backing up the commission
were alio made by Dir. Draper, A.. u.
Alfred Gawthrop.
l.. C. Vandegrift, Esq replying to the
censures Qi City Council as to the man
agrment Of the Street and Sewer D. part
ment, severely criticised Council and de-
elared that it was largely made up OF the
men whose notorious efforts to rob the
city, through committee meetings, had
given rise TO the Citizens Association.
This inquiry, "when did they become SO
viriluous" was greeted with applause. He
described them as only industrious In
picking up the city's half dollars. They
had, he said, gone so far as 10 hold COM