Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-04-30
OUR LEGISLATIVE LETTER.

The New Castle County Five Commission
ers Bill is Now Law--The House With
out Quorum Again--Two Detectives
Bill.
STAFF Correspondence Of Gazette and journal.
Dover, April 22,-There is a general
feeling of great satisfaction here to-
night that the Five Commissioners bill
has finally been disposed of so satisfac-
torily. Kent Democrats and Kent Re-
publicans, too, are justly proud of the
three men whose firmness and sense of
Justice have wrought this happy con-
clusion. To Senators Hall and
Williams and Representative Eisenhrey
is due the chief need of praise. They
saw what they believed to be the right
path and they held to it when it took
nerve to do so; they have their reward
In seeing their fellow members come
over to them and acknowledge and en-
dorse the rightfulness of their course,
now that the clamor of partisanship has
run its course and the second sober
sense of the people has reasserted itself
and the animosities epgendered by the
dead and buried Force bill have passed
away, with the Fifty-f1rst Congress, into
gathering oblivion.
The wires have told THE GAZETTE
the story Of the passage of this bill. 1t
had been amended by Messrs. Hall and
Williams to provide that the levy court
shall hold over until the first Tuesday
in January. 1893, when it is to be super
seeded by the commissioners, who are to
be chosen by the qualified voters Of the
five districts at the general election of
1899. The tax collectors are to be abol-
ished, and the county treasurer is to be
superseded by the receiver of taxes and
county treasurer, whom the governor is
to appoint within ten days after the
passage of the bill. This officer is
to receive salary of $4,000 per
year and the prevailing opinion
Is that the right kind of man
will be well worth it. This salary will
be considerably less than the annual
commissions of Wilmington tax col
lector. The governor is also to appoint
the county comptroller within ten days
after the passage of the bill, The other
amendments to the bill have been pre-
viously fully reported.
The bill as passed by the Senate goes
back to the House as a Senate bill and
will require three readings upon its
passage.
When the Senate reconvened this
afternoon, Speaker Donahoe called Mr.
Williams to the chair and, himself
taking Mr.. Ross vacant seat, moved to
take up the amendments to the bill
These amendments had been put into
connected shape along with the rest Of
the bill, making it, in effect, a substitute
bill. This substitute bill was read by
Clerk Hearn; the reading occupying
something over half an hour. When
this had been done, Mr.. Donahoe moved
the adoption of the amendment; Mr..
Hall seconded the motion; Mr.. Williams
put the question; there were several
"ayes" and no "noes," and the amend
ment was thereupon duly declared
adopted.
Mr.. Donahoe then moved that the bill
as amended be taken up and read by
paragraphs with view of passing the
Senate. Mr.. Hall seconded the motion,
and 1t went through without opposition
When the first section of the amended
bill had been read, Mr.. Pilling arose
and said in substance:
II was taken somewhat by astonish-
ment when this amendment was read,
and want to say to you, my Demo-
cratic colleagues, that thank you very
much on behalf Of the people of New
Castle county for what you have done.
You have held in fullness and sincerity
the trust the people have reposed in you
and warn you now that l will support
this bill. I know the people of New
Castle county want a better system of
government, and you have respected the
wishes of the people in retaining in
power those whom they elected. There
are many good features in this bill; there
are some few would have otherwise;
but we all have to give and take, and |
will support this bill. Imove the adop-
ton of section T."
The reading of the bill was then pro-
ceeded with, the succeeding sections
being adopted seriatum by unanimous
consent. When the clerk had finished
the reading and Chairman Williams had
asked the usual question: "Shall this
bill now pass the Senator" Senator Hall
arose and said: GAS this is an important
bill, | call for the yeas and nays" The
roll was thereupon called, as follows:
Ayes-Hall, Houston, Pilling, Rich
ardson, Williams, Speaker Donahoe--6.
Noes-McMullin.
Absent-Moore and Ross, who had
gone home paired yesterday.
1t was understood that Senator
McMullin objected to the salary Of the
receiver of taxes and county treasurer.
During the consideration of the bill
the Senate chamber was pretty well
filled. All the members of the House
in attendance were in there at different
times. In the small lobby sat Levy
Courtmen Buckingham, Grub, Jolls,
Clark, Sutton, Eliason and Killgore, ex-
Marshal McMullen and three or four
others. On the floor of the Senate were
Mayor Harrington, DR.. Nathan Pratt,
Henry D. Hickman, w. +. Causey,
Register Cooper, Henry G. Turner,
George Jones, Peter l.. Cooper, Jr.,
John +. Salisbury, Edwin R. Paynter,
Frank Temple, Treasurer Burnite, w.
+. Smalley, Abram Vandegrift, Julian
u. Janvier, John r Nicholson, Gilbert
Cannon and others.
DOVER, April 23.-Although this House
of Representatives passed the so-called
cigarette bill with rush nearly tive
months ago, yet there were enough mat.
ter-of-fact members in their seats this
morning to call halt on that Senate
amendment upon which Mr.. McMullir
tiSliNSlS GU ollt VI HIS llltSI entertaining ora
tons few DAYS ago.
This was the amendment Furnishing BY
fine Of So, or imprisonment in Tho
county Jail for three days or less, any boy
who should misrepresent his age for tho
purpose Of procuring tobacco. Mr.. Jack
son, who generally talks good hard sense
took the floor and metaphorically wiped il
up with this amendment. "What. shall
this Legislature send a hoy to Jail for
chew of tobacco; cast a stigma on him fol
life for the sake Of a cigar" This VA:
the effective plea. Members of this Legis
lature have been boys themselves, ant
some of them have boys Of their own
And not all boys Of 10 years are patterned