Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-02-12
THE LEGISLATURE At WORK
Mr.. Ridgeley Finds Ample to
Engage Him.
BETTER COLLECTION OF TAXES
Kent County Wants Them
4 Paid Speedily.


DOVER, req. 4.--'lQIer dTlluS SlleDI
leges" and legislators too, sometimes.
They sat and listened, most of them, in
the State House parlor this afternoon,
while J. Alexander Fulton and the sol
der boys exchanged rhetorical grape
and canister over the two bills which
the House committee on Federal rela-
tions has under consideration-the
Ridgeley bill, which by the way Mr..
Ridgcley says was not drawn by John
+. Salisbury after all, and the Essen
brey bill. Mr. Fulton opened the dis
cussion, and was supposed by his
auditors to be speaking to both bills,
until he reached his peroration when it
was discovered that he was advocating
the Eisenbrey bill only, which contem-
plates the abolition of the encampment
feature, and did not know anything
, about the Ridgeley bill, which proposes
TO tear up the whole militia system by
the roots.
WHAT MIR. FULTON SAID.
Mr.. Fulton was quite emphatically of
the opinion that the National Guard Of
Delaware was an expensive and mis-
chievous supertluity Moreover, he
maintained that the taxpayers agreed
with him in this opinion. In private
assemblies and in public meetings he
had found the pervading sentiment 10
be that the existing militia system is not
only expensive and unnecessary, but to
a great degree immoral. The farmers
of Kent county took this matter up last
winter and appointed a committee and
invited the other counties to appoint
committees to consider and report Both
the institutes and the oranges did so.
The committees met at Dover last sum
mer and by unanimous vote recon-
mended that the Legislature abolish the
encampments and excursions.
Mr.. Fulton then took up the expense
objection. He quoted from the State
treasurers report to show that the
militia cost $17 800 in 1889 and $16,63S
in 1890; an amount exceeding the pei
diem and mileage of legislative term
Is Then as to immortality. The enCamp
ments are not conducted in manner
that adds to the credit Of the State
for sobriety and coed order. Bishop
Coleman had found it necessary to de
nounce the last encampment in the pub
lie press. 1t took two large farm wagoni
to carry homo the empty bottles at the
end of the camp. Again. on inaugura
ton day the soldiers were disorderly or
the. streets of Dover; some people had t.
get Of the sidewalks because Of them
and two of them misbehaved so badly
that they had to be arrested. He heard
women say that they would rather fol
low their sons to the grave than see then
in the militia.
Mr.. Higgins-"Do you think thost
whom you represent would have any
objection to the guard as provided 70
in the Revised Code?n
Mr.. Fulton-"Not that T know Of
Most of them think it useless but they
go no further than that. !"
Mr.. Higgins-"Do you think the,
would object to a reasonable allow
ance?"
Mr.. Fulton-"They would seriously
object to anything beyond the allow
ance of 5000 to a company"
Mr.. Fulton went on to say that Della
ware has no need of an ORGANIZED
militia, He was in favor Of keeping tn
army and navy of the United State
also from being increased. Why SHOULD
we ape the standing armies of Europe
We can get, under the code, all tn
soldiers we want when we need them
1t may be qualification to certain gen
tlemen to play soldier, but they SHOULD
do it at their own expense.
Mr.. hat was the expens
At the camps n
Mr.. Fulton--"I don't know. Thor
was @l0,513 general expenses, but
understand a great deal of it was TO
whisky
CAPTAIN RICE REPLIES.
Captain +. L. Rice, Jr., took the foo
to reply and made a speech that was u
strong as it was concise. II am ii
orator, as Fulton is, was the substance
OF his opening, but nevertheless, ther
is $4,000 worth Of arms and equip
ments to show for the money that ha
been expended, and the men behint
them would report for service, ut Til
call of the governor, ut "a hours motto,
Taxing these men us body they vii
compare favorably with any other bod
OF men in the State, In morality inte9
rity and reputation. They are made ii
Of sterling young mechanics, farmer
and clerks. And they did not Deepen
on what they got from the State. Hi
own company received S225 per Yea
rom the State and it took at lea.
$500 to keep it lp as 1t Shout
be kept. If they were satisfied 10 dri
in the streets and do some other thint
they might get along On 1925, but the
were not brought up that way. II
charge of general drunkenness |
branded as false, and he didn't care wi
made it. Take a Sunday-school eXcu
ion Of 500 men and somebody woul
get drunk ON it. The cosmopolita
population Of this country is getting
that some day soldiers may be needt
to take care Of men who see no Use 1,
them now In Wilmington $500 Is rats,
annually by voluntary contribution
from manufacturers and others wi
recognize this The city Of Wilmingti
ne would remind his hearers, is not alt
gether an agricultural community. III
militia should not be held acc0untab
.or the spcak-easies of BrandyWil
springs. They Were rather to
aid to the charge of the proprietC
whose guest Bishop Coleman Ma
There We're not two wagon loads
bottles taken off the grounds, nor an
thing like it.
EX-GENERAL KENNEY SPEARS
Ex-Adjutant-general Kenney, on Il
halfof Apiutant-genera ian, followt
in rousing speech vi half IN houl
duration. He devoted part Of his tin
to a restatement of his published expl
nation ms the origin Of the fund ont
which the State militia has been ke
up, This money was appropriated |
the United States TO be used in the pr
chase Of ordnance and equipments al
could not rightfully be diverted 10 9th
purposes. lie claimed that the militia
organization of Delaware was support
ut less cost per man titan those Of oth
states. AS 70 the charges IF IMMORAL
il the incampmentS were hlamable
this, the fault lay with the man in char
nj IhnIn- HIM snlf -nlll L. ,rnn1a-.l-