Evening journal., 1890-04-03
TWO EXCELLENTSPEECHES
DEMOCRATIC REFORMS ADVOCATED
BY DAVIS AND TURNER.
No Patchwork, But New System
Needed-rhe CountysHas las omcers.
The Number Might be Reduced-A Fine
Building for Nothing.

rooms last night TO hear the speeches of
Deputy Attorney General Thomas Davis
and City Solicitor H. @. Turner.
Attorney General Biggs had been in
vited to make an address, but previous
engagement had taken him from the city
and made his acceptance impracticable.
After the usual formalities Mr.. Davis
was introduced to the meeting by Presi-
dent Campbell, and said in part:
1t is well that the inner workings of
the county should be considered, some of
the defects pointed out and remedies
suggested. While some of the machinery
is imperfect, some of the measures are
wise and economical. There is nothing
SO bad but what it has some good.
Mr.. Davis mentioned some of the
measures adopted for the relief of the
people. The elections for inspectors and
assessors, the abolition of which saved
the county $1,000. The changing of the
channel of fines from the state TO the
county treasury was another measure
which lessened taxation. The aims
house which did not cost the county
anything because the old property on
Fourth street hill and the sale Of the
insane asylum property had almost
equaled what the almshouse cost. The
value Of the old ground would add to
this sum. The statement was q bold one,
but he readily proved that the county
had enjoyed the benefit of an admirable
piece of financiering by which the build
ing had cost the county only few paltry
thousands.
Mr.. Davis referred to the rapid
methods of transportation which made
the county much smaller, relatively, than
it was years ago, and there is not the
need for large Levy Court at the
present day as there was years ago. The
number could be reduced and the ex.
penses lessened. Mr.. Davis mentioned
the large number of county officials, such
as county collectors, road commissioners
in each hundred, oyerseers of roads.
trustees of the poor county treasurer, in
all 145 He was not in favor of wiping
out the present system until a better one
could be perfected. He thought there
was a middle ground He was in favor
Of doubling up the work of the county
officials and suggested that the county be
divided so that there would be five Levy
Court commissioners instead of the
present number. He was opposed to the
three commissioners bill, unguarded and
unprotected. He thought taxes could be
collected by the county treasurer.
Mr.. Davis said the demand for re-
trenchment was a wise one, and while it
came from an overburdened part of the
community, the farmers, it should be re-
membered that the city of Wilmington
pays $47, 600 more taxes than the rest of
the county.
Ia speaking of the Superior Court Mr.
Davis said that there was a disposition
toward economy among the judges He
had often heard the chief justice ask if
there was anything for the jury and If he
should discharge them. The chief justice
has often stopped the production Of un-
necessary witnesses and unnecessary
CROSS examination by lawyers. He said
that it was often impossible to discharge
a jury because there was no telling how
soon the bottom would drop out of a case.
The February term, which caused so
much comment, was unusually long be-
cause the judges were sick at times
OF the convicts, he said, on one side
was idleness and the other the bringing
Of convict labor into competition with
honest labor. he thought the latter
was the lesser evil. Some men were glad
to spend few months at the Hotel
Allen. He advocated some system
which would lessen, If not totally re-
lieve, the payment of $4,000 annually
for the feed Of prisoners He favored a
state penitentiary and called attention
to the law on the statute books which
says the sheriff can put the prisoners to
work within the Jail He thought they
could be put to work on small knitting
machines if nothing else wolld do. II
not, he favored the tread mill or carry
ing stones from one part of the yard to
another, merely to show that the con-
victs were being punished.
at the conclusion of his speech the
audience complimented and approved the
speaker with applause.
Mr.. Turner, after being introduced to
the audience, made an admirable speech,
full Of good sense and intimate knowl-
edge of the subject.
Mr.. Turner said that his experience in
reform had been confined to the city gov
ernment, but some things had set him to
thinking about the system of county
government. There is great deal of
dissatisfaction prevalent concerning the
system Of county government So much
of it needs revision and correction. The
Democratic party should take high
ground on the question Of reform or
they will have to take TO the woods.
The matter should be carefully con.
sidered. It will not do to Jump at con-
clusions Every man who has an idea on
the subject should contribute 1t. No
discussion Of the question can be value
less.
A good system of government must
contain four things to make 1t a success .
It must be simple; il must have efficiency
toward an end; it must be economical,
and there must be responsibility di-
rectly to the people.
About the present system Of govern.
ment there are two defects: lack of direct
responsibility and a lack Of proper
system Of checks and balances He
spoke against the three commissioners
bill and thought the best thing to do was
to make reform in the Democratic lines
as well as outside, when the people would
derive the same benefits. Mr.. Turner
went into q lengthy discussion of the
five commissioners bill, advocating that
measure. At the time the bill was before
the Legislature, Messrs. A. g. Wilson, F.
n. Buck. l.. Q. Vandegrift and George d.
Medill admitted that the Eve commission
ers bill was better measure than the
three. Mr.. Medill, who Is an estimable
gentleman, thought Nesry, Dickey, Lee
and myself only made the five commits
sioners bill for the purpose of killing the
other one. He thought we were only
novitiates in the cause of reform, and he
thought we would have to stay in the
cloister before we could be admitted to
full apostleship. The Republicans
thouuht that anvtbiuor x,,bfob c.,,,a from