The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-01-27

. iitlt luDt 1lfBuI. hItulilBLOn JuSl
dumped her live citizens into Dover.
! Around the hotel corridors early in
! the evening were Edward G.. Bradford,
ESQ.,, H. q. Mahatfy, United States
Marshal; Watson r. Sperry OF the
Morning News, Frnnk D. Carpenter
George II. Hollis, II. d. Hickman, ].
Harvey Whiteman and George Lodge,
Esqs., John Biggs, W. Pierce BiEgs,
| w. A. Lee, Archie Given, Edward Kane,
c. w. Edwards Of the Evening journal.
A. McCloskey J. M. Solomon, w. X.
! Williamson, John Il. Tyler, Frank
Levy, II. L. Rettew, Horace johnson,
s. II. Baynnrd and about fifty others.
IL was past S.45 when Speaker Sir
man moved that Speaker Donahoe Of
the Senate take the chair of the House,
which by that time was crowded.
| Speaker Donahoe announced the
object OF the meeting to be u ventila-
tion of the Five Commissioners bill,
and that the meeting was now In their
hands. After this announcement the
meeting stood actually still for over
ten minntes. Then a call for Turner
| Turner" went round the room, but
Mr. Turner did not come to time.
| Another long wait ensued and then
upon suggestion Edward q. Bradford
took the floor and opened the debate.
Mr.. Bradford said at the outset that
he approached this subject with
great deal of delicacy. He knew that
the major portion of the assembly
which he was addressing was OF the
opposite political faith from himself.
He would have preferred had one OF
the gentlemen on the opposite side
preceded him, so that he could have
met their points.
He then proceeded to show the main
reasons which in his estimation made
this bill measure which should meet
defeat at the hands of the members OF
the Assembly.
He believed In county reform for
New Castle county, and he was in favor
of II commission. He was in favor of
changing the Levy Court of New Castle
county from a political machine to a
body which should have charge of the
/ financial interests of New Castle
county.
Butfrom time immemorial the people
Of this Stat, had enjoyed the right to
tax themselves through their locally
elected officers. Local self-govern-
} ment has been their boast and their
pride. This bill robs them OF both for
; the space of four years and herein it
was specially obnoxious.
The power of saying who shall levy
their taxes has been taken out of the
hands OF the people Of New Castle
County for four years, and placed in
the hands OF the Governor Of the State
} by this bill. He submitted to the Leg
J islature that this was going too far to
wrest from the people the sacred right
to tax themselves, through their own
chosen representatives, and vest this
ipower in the hands of body to be
named by tho Governor. It was bad
precedent, a dangerous step. He con-
! tended that all fairness and all Justice
demanded that the court which had
been selected by the people should
have the power to tax those people
until the same people selected others.
1t does not follow, continued he,
that this Levy Court shall continue in
existence for six, for two, or even orc
year. At any time the Legislature
could change, but he still contended
that the change shall be made In such
a way that the people should have the
power to name their SUCCESSORS.
He dwelt at length upon the inius-
tice OF the proposed change, and elo-
J quently pointed to the fact that il
must of necessity be obnoxious to any
people who loved the right to select
their own representatives. II has been
said, continued Mr.. Bradford, that the
machinery OF the Levy Court of New
Castle County has been used to dis
franchise illegally certain citizens and
to illegally enfranchise others, and the
promoters of this bill urge that II the
party which lately elected majority
of the new Levy Court were to obtain
. control they would use their power to
further the interests of their party
For himself, he would like to see the
present law so amended that the po-
, litical feature should be knocked out
of every Levy Court in the State. He
would like to see them, as they should
all be, bodies which should have CON
troll of the financial affairs of the State
pure and simple.
. He next took up the districting of
J the county as scheduled In the bill.
The city OF Wilmington, he contended
, had no right to two commissioners.
tax collectors, because of the immense
amount of taxes to be collected. But
she did not need, and it is not Just in
this bill to apportion to her two Levy
Court Commissioners. Her streets
We're looked after by municipal COM
mission, while in the rural districts
, the Levy Court Commissioner was
compelled in his large district to look
after roads and bridges and see that
, they were kept in proper order and
. repair.
1 liC iuth lOOh uD~ lilb tOhl lpIlblltE
subject and showed the fallaey and
apparent nOnsensicalness of this fea-
ture of the bill. Here we have the peo-
pie of New Castle county electing five
commissioners, and the same people
electing comptroller to control these
, five.
! He could understand why an auditor
should be elected to audit che accounts
of the commissioners, and to let in the
light ON all their transactions so that
the people could see just what they
We're doing But he could not CON
, ceive how the people could elect
I one man who should have the power
to say to the other five whom they had
: elected: "You shall or you shall not do
thus or So" He read section of the
bill, which sets forth the powers OF the
comptroller, and pointed out how he
had power to refuse to sign warrants
for the payment Of bills. There Is a
very inadequate mode of appeal pro.
vided, continued Mr.. Bradford. 1t is
that any person who shall feel himsek
aggrleved, he can abpeal-to what
the Superior Court. Now any lawyer
will tell you, us contend, that to hear
these appeals and decide on them Is
asking Che Superior Court TO assume
d function that is alien to 1t.
1t will be noticed that no grounds
are set forth ON which the Comptroller
shall base his objection to bill No
Specifications are set forth as to fraud
! or lllegality but he may refuse. that
Is the language OF the bill
| he picked out several other Haws In