Middletown transcript., 1893-01-07
THE OLD AND THE new.
THE OLD LEVY. COURT WINDS
UP IT'S AFFAIRS.
The County Commissioners Organize
and Make Their Appointments.
No Provision Made for the
Payment of Election
Officers.

and Make Their Appointments.
No Provision Made for the
Payment of Election
Oficers.
The old Levy Court wound up its
affairs at Wilmington on Monday, and
the reins of government is now in the
hands of the County Commissioners.
The last act of the old court was a
pleasant exchange of compliments
among the members and the passing of
various resolutions.
To show their appreciation of chair
man Buckingham the members presents
ed him with a han some gold-headed
cane. Mr., Grubb made the presenta-
tion, saying as he handed it to Mr..
Buckingham:
"Mr. Chairman, you have been
chairman for two years, and you have
always presided impartiallv, and as a
token of the appreciation Of the MEM
bers present you this cane. 1t may
help you in your old age"
In accepting it, the recipient re-
ferred briefly to the pleasan: relations
existing between the different MEM
bers.
Each member had his little piece TO
saw and Mr.. john w. Jolls started the
ball rolling by saying:
There IS something that desire
to say before this body goes out of ex-
istence. | came into this court With
some mistaken ideas. l have found
that as a general rule public officers are
honest. One of the first acts of this
court was to pass resolution TO in
vestigate the methods of the old Levy
Court. I was made chairman of that
committee. We went to the expense
Of some $500 and we concluded, and
our attorney .sill bear me out that the
end would not justify the means. The
committee have never reported, but We
found nothing that would in he least
lower my resi- ect and regard for any
member of that old Levy Court. The
old system of bookkeeping in this
county was poor, and some things may
have been done loosely, but under the
new system this can be avoided"
Mr.. Grubb, who was the chairman
Of the old Levy Court, said that it
pleased him to hear Mr.. Jolls make
tile statement which he did in regard
to the investigation, as he had been
chairman of the old Levy Court. He
would rather die in the almhuuse than
to 60 out of Of public office branded as
a thief. He moved that Mr.. .Tolls' re-
marks be spread on the minutes, which
Was ordered.
Mr. Clark extended his thanks to all
the members for their kindnes and
courtesy to him, and Messrs. Simpler,
Gillis, Sutton, Killgore. Eliason and
Hutchison did the same.
Thanks were extended 10 Comptroller
Staats, Chairman Buckingham, Mr..
Jolls, Clerk of the Peace Biggs, Clerk
Nicholson, Receiver of Taxes Dickey,
Deputy Clerks of the Peace Eliason
and Janvier and all the Court House
officials.
Edward G. Bradford, Counsel II
the Levy Court, was present and was
unanimously invited to speak.
To-day, he said. the present Levy
Court closes its official career and a
new order of things begins. 1t is
hoped by all that the new plan will be
to the advantage of the citizens. He
thanked the members for their uni
form courtesy to him and said that
no matter what may have been the
question, financial, political or other
wise, has there ever been hard feelings
between the counsel of the Levy
Court and any of its members.
In the past two years there has
been great political agitation. 1t is
right and well in free government for
honest difference of opinion to exist.
Questions which had political bear
ing came before the court, and, as ex-
pected, the same honest difference of
opinion existed, and though some of
the members of the court differed with
the speaker, none of them had ever
doubted the sincerity of his advise and
his conviction.
If he had failed in practical re-
suits he had done what he believed wa;
his duty, and he was glad that NO
member had ever doubted his honesty
of purpose. Personally his relations
with the members had been pleasant
and he wished them happy new yeal
and bade them farewell"
The new Commissioners met or
Friday and organized by electing W
A. Scott, of Townsend, presiding
officer, and Lawyer John H. Rodne!
was chosen as their attorney.
The members of the new court are
Il. Lewis Armstrong, Henry M
White, John J. Mealey John ]. Gala
CHER and W. A. Scott.
| IT is Larceny.