Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-05
THE LEGISLATURE OF '93
1t Makes a Good Beginning
and Impression.
An Act For the Ratification of the Pilling-
HutsOn Amendment the First on the
acknowledgements OF the Speakers
The Assawoman Canal.

Stnff Correspondence " Gazette and journal.
DOVER, Jan. 3.--The General Assem-
bly, of 1893 has started well. To begin
with, the caucuses Of last night were
married by no appreciable friction and
were put through with business-like
| promptltude. just think Of an "Organi-
cation" night and everything wound up
by IL O'clock, and that ton, il not TO the
satisfaction of everybody, ut least in
such good fellowship as to give rise 10
no post-caucus pickering And then the
biggest crowd of pc lple Dover ever saw
on such an occasion and yet among
them all, many with axes to grind, there
was no disturbance, remarkably little
drunkenness and by midnight the town
was go quiet that stranger would
| hardly have realized a legislative caucus
had been held and 80 or 40 applicants
for sergeantcies, not to speak of other
positions, disappointed.
In similar good-fellowship and with
like commendable straightforwardness
| the Legislature to-day assembled, organ.
ized and even laid the foundation for
some work. Several pills were given
notice of in the House and one in the
Senate; something unusual on II first
| day. Mr.. Cooch was the pioneer in
this work, and the bill of which he gave
notice is an important one, being The
| Pilling- Hutson amendment ratification
act brought down by Speaker White
man, as reported in yesterdays EVERY
EVENING. In giving notice of this
measure Mr.. Cooch spoke briefly of its
being the duty Of the Legislature to
give it early attention.
WHAT THE SPEAKERS SAID.
On taking the chair in the Senate
Speaker Houston said:
Gentlemen wish it were ii were in my
| power to express to you my appreciation
! of the honor you have conferred upon me
| i'll selecting me as your presiding officer,
| but can only say that. whilst appreciate
| the honor feel more deeply the RESPONSE
| bilitie3 of the position which reluctantly
have been called upon to fill. ! assure you
that assume the duties of the position
with deep sense of its requirements. In
the exercise of its duties shall endeayor
to he guided by fairness and Justice to all
and | ask your furebearance upon any
occasion ! may. appear to be at fault.
| There will doubtless he many delicate
| questions i'll the course of the session that
| will require a wise decision on the part of
each one of us and l trust that I'LL may be
able to act in accord. Feeling sure that
| shall have your indulgence and hearty CO.
| operation i'll the discharge of my duties
| and again thanking you for this evidence
| of your trust, | now declare the Senate
ready for business.
On taking the chair in the House
Speaker Whiteman said T;
Gentlemen Of Tho House Of Representatives !:
| In assuming the duties of the office 10
| which you have elected me desire to ex-
press my grateful Acknowledgements of
and to thank you for the honor which you
have conferred upon me, and it is but
| proper that you should have some assur-
| ance that the Office to which you have
called me shall not be wantonly and pur-
| posely abused. The chair will therefore
| endeavOr to treat all matters with fairness
| and frankness. and wherever error or
mistake may occur the causes shall be
those which pertain to the intirmites of
human agencies and not from motive or
| design. ! would hesitate iii assuming the
| responsibilities of this office were it not
for the assurance of the able and faithful
| assistance of each member upon the floor
! of this House. The chair is not unmInd-
| full of the undivided political responsibility
which rests upon us, nor is he Unconscious
of the pledges that have been made during
! the progress of liercely and stubburnly
/
assistance, let us hope that nothing may be
done to disturb the confidence which the
people of this little commonwealth have
| reposed in the political organization which
we here represent, being agents not of a
few of the people but Of the whole people.
Again thanking you. gentlemen, for this
distinction. the chair is now ready to pro-
coed to business.
CAPTAIN DAsEY's BIG DITCH.
Among the members of former Legis-
latures who have been accounted by
their constituents deserving of re-elec.
ton, the genial Captain Dasey of ASA
woman canal memory beams the EN-
bodment of good nature and sociability.
The jolly mariner reports the lower end
of his big ditch in fair order from ASIA
league to Indian River hay. Small
craft are to be seen navigating this in
land water way, but it is seldom they
can get ont of it through Indian River
inlet. The excavation thus far has had
| no apprecable effect on deepening the
| flow of water over the bar; sometimes
the ocean scours the inlet little
deeper; at other times it brings in a load
of sand and dumps 1t on the bar making
it as shallow as ever. What the navi-
| gGtors-and the farmers and others who
would like to ship their produce by this
route, are growing restless about is
why does the work OF cXcayating the
upper end OF the canal, from Rehoboth
bay to Delaware bay, drag so discour
agingly? The right of way has been
provided for by State appropriation; the
Federal appropriation for the digging of
the upper canal has been available II Il
long time; the route has been surveyed
over and over; but not spade has yet
been stuck in the ground and it does
not appear when there will be. Captain
Dasey thinks there is some antagonistic
railroad feeling and he intimates that
he may call for the appointment of a
committee to find out who is responsible
for the delay and what can be done to
remove distractions and permit the
digging TO begin and proceed.
Senate.
DOVER, Ian. 3.--The Senate was called tc
order at 1l.0j o'clock by Clerk liearne
Williams absent.
MIR. Records nominated William NJ
Ross for chairman pro TEN. lie wa:
elected.
Mr.. Watson was made secretary.
The certificates of election were read by
Clerk Hearne.
Mr.. Pilling objected to the returns oil
New Castle county because they We're moi
accompanied by certificate of Mr.. Pyle.
Mr.. Pyle moved to 60 into election of 4
Speaker. Carried.
Mr.. Records nominated Charles II
Houston. The vote was: Houston, ,
Clark, 8.
Senators Pilling and Pyle were appointed
to conduct the Speaker.elect to the char
lie was sworn by Chairman Ross. liz