Middletown transcript., 1891-04-30
LEGISLATIVE NEWS.

append to various sections OF the Dill,
offered an amendment the intention OF
which was to retain in Office the col
lectors already appointed by the Levy
Court. In explaining the supposed
necessity for such an amendment, Mr..
Higgins appealed to that sense of fair
ness which he knew pervaded the
minds Of the Democratic members.
He could not understand why these
men should not be retained, as he
claimed that they could collect the
taxes at less expense to the county
than the receiver could do under the
new law. When Mr.. Higgins had
finished, Mr.. Hutson who had the bill
in charge and who had reported 1t
from the committee, answered in his
usual good style. In concluding he
referred to the frequent allusion to the
+" doctors y who had prescribed for the
" patient y during its infancy and
thought that the gentleman who now
opposed the bill should take the dose
prescribed for them without complain
in. Mr.. Hutson remarked that 1t IS
customary for the doctor to prescribe
and the patient to receive, but in the
present instance the patients were try
ing to reverse the usual mode of pro-
cedure. When the vote on Section l
was taken the yeas and nays were or
dered, and this disclosed the fact that
the party lines were tightly drawn and
that every Democrat voted for the bill,
while every Republican voted against
it.
On the second section Mr.. Eisenbrey
made some remarks commendatory OF
the gentlemen who drew the bill and
eulogized those members who had
stood so firmly against the importuni-
ties Of those party friends who had
advised haste in the enactment OF a
radical party measure he pleaded
physical weakness as reason for stop
ping where he did. but he was anxious
to have it understood that be consider
ed the bill remarkably good one.
When that part Of the bill which pro-
vides for receiver was reached Mr..
Higgins again objected to the bill be-
cause, he said, it now costs the county
of New Castle $12, 900 to collect the
taxes, while under this bill it would
| cost great deal more he stated that
the times specified for the sitting OF
the receiver in Wilmington were un'
suitable, that the duplicate tax receipt
clause would be the source OF much
fraud and was even more to be dreaded
| in its conseq than the laws oi
1873. Mr.. Hutson explained the pro-
visions of the clause and stated that
| he believed that nine-tenths of the
fraud said to have been perpetrated
under the laws of 1878 existed only in
the fertile imaginations of the Repub-
licans. Continuing, Mr.. Hutson re-
marked When tine gentlemen on
| the other side wish to find fault with
the Democratic administration OF the
assessment and collection laws they
should think of the long list of errors
returned and allowed in New Castle
county this year, or of the disgracefu
acts of Republican Levy Court ir
Sussex
When the section was read which
places the pay of the commissioners al
$500 each, Mr.. Walton endeavored t.
amend the bill by striking out $SO'
and inserting 500. In support of thu
motion to amend Mr.. Walton statet
that the people whom he has the honol
to represent, would not be satisfied
with any thing less than actual reform
and that he believed that better mel
would be secured at 500 a year THAI
could be had at $500 he also wished
to amend by changing the Office hour
Of the receiver, while sitting in Will
mington on Wednesdays and Satur
days, to the hours between 10 and l;
O'Clock A. NJ. Mr.. Walton stated that
the arrangement would be very con
venient for those persons who attent
market he argued the question briefly
but as the bill was considered correc
his amendments were unceremoniousl.
voted down. The reading of the bill
was not afterward interrupted by an!
objections of serious nature. but wal
safely brought to the termination
which its friends have always predict
ed for it. The Republican member
voted solidly against it, but were no
numerous enough to accomplish thei
purpose. The vote on each section
and ON the final passage of the bill
stood as follows
| Yeas-C Chapman, Eisenbrey, Hick
man, Hutson, Jackson, Marvel, Nor
ris, E. J., Richards, Ridgely, Tindall
West, Mr.. Speaker, 12.
i Nays-Cranston, Day. Elkinton
Higgins. Smith, Thomas, Walton, Z.
Absent-Attix, Morris, R. R.
The bill to require the railroad com
pany to place and operate safety-gate
at the Main street crossing in thi
town is in the hands of Senator Viii
liams and has been read twice and re
ferred to the committee on cities an
towns. A penalty of fifty dollars
prescribed for a failure to erect th
gates and for every time they are nc
raised and lowered when necessary
The bill is good one.
The registration bill has passed th
Senate and is now in the hands of
House committee.
The Wolcott ballot bill has been ir
troduced in the House and will prot
ably pass without opposition exceE
from the minority it contains som