Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-04-25
Mapll defended the poster as well as he

! could.
Toe passage through both houses OF the
Dill to authorize this laying out OF rev
/ road from Stanton, via Ne uport, TO vii.
mington will teach the Wilmington and
Uhristana Turnpike Company that some
/ thingS can be done rs we'll as others and
that he laughs best who laughs last. II
the STATE cannot revoke turnpike com-
pany's charter, it can at least parallel the
company's road.
Dover April 49, The House did three
or four things TO-DAY we'll worth noting.
1t passed the Wilmington biennial
election bill, and this measure awaits now
only the concurrence OF the Senate in an
nnimportant amendment and the sigma
lures OF the speakers to become law.
Il passed the Davis bill to amend the
act for tho collection OF county taxes,
after there had been some horse play
over an amendment, fsthered by Maui
and ooncurred In by Lodge, which pro-
ylded that the collactor who failed to
comply with it's iron. Glad requirements
should be guilty of felony and punish
| able by death.
1t passed the substitute for the Down
ham school bill.
1t passed the Eckles bill requiring the
levy court OF New Castle county 10 do
precisely what the City Council of Will
mlngton has done from time immemorial
advertise for proposals for doing work
or furnishing materials in all cases where
the probable bill will exceed $50 and
award the contract TO the lowest bidder.
This will knock ont an incalculable
amount of favoritism and jabhery and
save the tax payers thousands OF dollars
annually, II the Senate follows the good
lead OF the House
1t eoucurfed in the Senate amendment
TO the Wilmington Street and Sewer De.
partment bill making the annual appro-
priation $12l,0 900.
ANOTHER CONVENTION BILL.
The new convention bill, reported by
Messrs- Downham and w. e. Davis of
the House committee as substitute for
the Senate third Tuesday in May" bill
provides that special election to ascer-
tain the sense OF the people, &C., shall be
held on tho day of the next general cleo
tion, ito be conducted in the same man
ner, at the same time, in the same place,
and by the same officers as the general
election, at which electors shall be priv
legged 'for" or .'againatn q convention.
The returns Of the election are to be
4
There the bill stops, leaving the Lsgisla.
ture OF 1891 perfectly un,etterod to p ass
upon the sufficienoy of the vote in its own
way.
Mr.. Lodge, the third member Of the
committee, dissented from the report be.
canss the bill does not establish stand
ard by which the sufficienoy of the vote
shall be measured. He announced that
he will, when the bill comes up for action
on Monday afternoon, offer an amend
mept embodying such b standard.
The report accompanying the bill and
designed as q reply to the Senate's ad-
verse report on the former House bill, is
lengthy document. II deplores the
fact that this bill does not measure up to
the expectations of the people, but this is
not the fault Of the House, IS, under the
circumstances, it is regarded as the best
that can be passed. A careful considera
iion of the bill sent in from the Senate,
says the report, leads to the conclusion
that II has been framed with the purpose
Of delaying or defeating convention. Its
defects are obvious 10 the most casual in.
spection. II would be unreasonable to
expect to poll full vote in May. In the
judgment of this General Assembly,
officially rendered in joint session, SUIT
tiniant vnts WAS cast in November. 1887.
but the Senate. after taking part in this
joint session, has refused TO abide By
its verdict and has denied the
Bufficienoy of this vote. Under the
Senate bill, even should q full vote be
polled in May, it would delay the calling
of convention, in. the Judgment of the
committee. 1t has been suggested that
the governor might oonvoke tine Legisls-
ture in special session to pass upon tine
sut1i ciency of the vote and to cali q con-
vention il the vote proved sufficient.
Bat, aside from the fact that such strict
, oonstructionists as the members of this
Eenate could not admit the competency
of O special session to consider this, the
governor has given no indication what
ever Of willingness to call q special ses-
sion. The Senate bill adheres strictly to
, the one unexceptionable mode, When
both the language and history Of Article
IL show that the position taken by the
Senate that this is the only mode
Ia clearly untenable. II surely re-
! quires no elaborate argument TO
! show that the designation of an unex-
ceptionabla mode carries with ii the plain
implication that there are other modes.
! Even were there any doubt about this in
the language Of the article, the history
OF its adoption and the utterances OF
! John M. Clayton in framing 1t contain
convincing proof. the report goes on to
quote from speeches of John NJ. Clayton,
, James A. Bayard, Benjamin I. Biges and
! Martin w. Bates, in the convention oil
1862 The report adds: Your committee
Inqualifiedly disapproyes of the Senate
bill. There is no warrant for it. The
Senate took part in the proceedings OF
,, the Joint session that declared the sufd-
i cheney of the vote of 1887 and that there.
, upon It was the duty Of the General
J Assembly to call convention. Should
the cause OF constitutional reform ba
buried and the urgent demand Of the
people be ignored by the insstenoe oil
the Senate on an Questionable bill
Your committee think not.
THE WILLIAM JENKs FELL BILL.
The House COMM ttee having over
looked the questionable features OF the
William jerks Fell bill, (Senaye bill to
incorporate the Enterprise Real Estate
Improvement Company, summarized in
recent letter to the GAZETTE. the bill
was taken up and passed in the House
. this afternoon. Shortly after MIR. White
man "caught on" TO the provision that
this company may issue obligations bear.
ing interest, 80, and moved for recon
Rideration OF the vote by which the bill
had passed. In making this motion he
said that this looked like merchantable
! charter and that it contained an objec
tionahIe provision, such one as has
been opposed here from time almost im-
memorial. The motion was adopted,
and the bill reounsidered and recon-
mitted.
THE COUNTY COMMISSION BILL.