Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-04-06
Special correspOndonceot Gaaet,e and dournr

The necessity of holding special cleo
tioH'tp fill the vacancy caused by Mr.. Con-
oway's death is felt as a burden at this
time, with the General Assembly trim
ming along oh the verge of narsimony in
appropriations in the effort to get through
without all issue of State bonds. The cost
of such an election is estimated at not less
than $1,000, and this estimate is based
upon the assumption that official ballots
will be dispensed with and the simplest
regulations followed. 1t will take a
special legislative act to exempt this cleo
tion from the general law and 10 provide
for some other matters.
The House bill 'in relation to municipal
elections to be held i'll the city of Will
mington," passed this morning is
lengthy document of rs sections. 1t wipes
out the department of municipal elections
and places the municipal elections under
the management OF the Wilmington de-
purtment for the holding of general cleo
mons; consisting a. present Of Messrs
Doud, Dobbs and Thomas. Most of the
bill is making this transfer and providing
the machinery for applying the Australian
system TO municipal elections. The vital
amendment is one requiring the clerk
OF the department Of elections to sit, in the
office Of the department, during the month
OF April preceding city election, Tor the
purpose Of noting removals. He shall
sit every day i'll April, Sundays excepted.
from TO . p. NJ, and during the last week
from TO Gin the evenings, with power to
administer oaths. Registered voters who
have changed their domicles may appear
before him, make oath to their removal,
and the clerk shall enter the new residence
in red ink, on the registry lists. Any
scoundrel perSonatlng voter and by
misrepresentation, securing an entry of
removal on the registry lists. will be
liable to two years Imprisonment, or 500
hne, or both, while such traudulently OBJ
tained entry shall not vitiate the right of
the voter to cast his ballot from his proper
domicile. Each member Of the department
OF elections shall receive $500 extra in the
yearsin which municipal elections are held
The Wilmington Registration bill
passed to-day, is a necessary adjunct to
the foregoing. 1t adopts the general regis
tration law to municipal elections, gener-
ally by inserting the word ''city" or
municipal" where necessary. There is
one important and wholesome addition,
however to wit: If any police officer re.
fuses to obey the commands of the elec,
tion inspectors, acting in the exercise Of
their duty as such, such recalcitrant police
men shall, in addition to the penalties now
prescribed by law, forfeit his office and be
ineligible to serve on the force for one
year thereafter IL will not be healthy for
partisan ''stars" TO lounge and laugh on
the opposite side of the street, fafter this
law goes into effect), while rioters drive
ont the election officers and take posses
sion OF and swarm all over the polls, shout.
ing, hooting and threatening as they did
in one of the Fifth ward districts at the
city election of three years ago.
Attorney Woolley is drawing for Repre-
sentative Spruance. bill to regulate tele.
phone charges. Mr. Woolley has chosen,
for his model, the Maryland law, the CON
stitutionaity of which has been affirmed
by the Supreme Court of the United States.
The bill will i'll all probability, limit the
rental to So per month for telephones
within one mile radius of the Wilmington
exchange, with 81 additional per month
for each additional mile.
DOVER, March 30.-For the fourth time
since the opening Of this General Assem-.
bly,ia joint committee was appointed to-
day to draft resolutions in memory of the
dead. EX-Chief Justice ComGgys, Chief
Justice Robinson, ex-senator Eli salisbury,
and now Minos Cunoway. 1t is death
roll unparalleled at least III the recent his
tory of Delaware Legislatures.
just one week ago to-day the House bill
in relation to the collection of taxes in Kent
and Sussex counties passed the Senate and
became u law. Its object was the re-enact-
mont of the delinquent law of lS73--Te-
pealed two years ago-so far as the lower
counties are concerned. This re-enact.
ment was urged upon the claim that since
the repeal of that law some of the poll
tayables of Kent county have discovered
how to qualify themselves for voting by
paying taxes only twice in eight years.
1t was designed at the time this bill was
introduced to shut out the delinquents of
1892, but the bill was gotten through too
late to effect this. To remedy this short
coming was the object of this afternoons
special meeting Of the House.
The result demonstrated that there are
always ways and means OF getting in new
legislation, when the matter is considered
sufficiently urgent. Every ybody knew that
the regular limit for such business expired
with the 10Th instant. The difficulty WAS
gotten over by the snbteriugc of putting in
a "a new bill as substitute Tor an old one.
Il The bill selected for sacrifice was one ill.,
troduced by Mr., salisbury us far back as
January 10Th, legalizing the adoption of
Mary Emma Colclazer us the daughter OF
James Hubbard. AS both parties to this
measure are residents Of Philadelphia, it
was never very clear what Il Delaware
LEGISLATURE had to do with this bill in the
first place. But certainly anticipation
never ran so wild as to imagine that there
was any legitimate connection between
this Philadelphia family transaction and
the delinquent poll lists Of Kent and
Sussex.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Salisbury, as chair.
man of the Revised Statutes of the House,
reported back this bill favorably this after
noUn'in the shape of substitute entitled
"A supplement to the act in relation to
the collection of taxes in Kent and Sussex
COUNTIES IhlS remarkably lar-tetched
substitute bill was at once read IA third
time" Git was really the first reading to
such members as had not heard it in the
privacy of the committee room and passed.
1t was then rushed over TO the Senate,
where Mr. Ross called it up for first
reading in that body.
Mr.. Pilling, when the bill had been read,
objected to its being entertained by the
Senate. He claimed that it was new bust
ness, sought to he introduced in direct and
flagrant contravention of the joint resolu-
ton which shut out such business after
March 18th. r..
Mr.. Records replied. He explained that
the bill had been reported in the House as
a substitute bill and not new bill, and
claimed that it was perfectly legitimate for
a committee to report II substitute i'll the
stead of an original bill.
Mr.. Pilling thereupon renewed his OBJ
lection to this bill coming in under false
colors and as a subterfpse
Mr.. Pyle objected, that this discussion
was all out of order. There is no oles-
tion before the House at all, (" he urged.
"Just moment, Mr.. Speaker" reioined
Mr.. Pilling. "lf we are going to do things
this way, | contend that it is a privilege
belonging to us to object to il. by way of
personal explanation, when we find things
Soing contrary to rules laid down"
The bill was read by title, notwithstand-
ing and referred to committee.
Il