Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-04-20

ment.
MIR. Salisbury rose to a point of order
and sprung Rule No. 10 upon Mr.. Cooch
Just as Mr.. HutSon, two years ago, sprung
the same rule upon Mr.. Higgins when that
member essavel to amend the Five Com
missiOners bill Rule 10 prohibits material
amendments after bill has been taken
up for final reading.
The chair ruled that Mr.. Saulsbury's
point of order was sound.
Mr.. Cooch thereupun moved to recon-
init the bill. Upon this question a rising
vote was taken. Nine members arose in
the affirmative to eight in the negative
but the chair failed to count Mr.. Whittock
among the affirmative voters and declared
the motion lost by a tie vote.
Speaker Whiteman, who was on the
tioor. thereupon grapplcd with the cloture
rule, in the interest of fair play. There
is no doubt that the rule is perfectly
plain" he said. AT the same time il
may not be proper or fair that advantage
should be taken of members desiring to
bring propositions of this sort before this
House. As one member, should always
hesitate to shut off in any manner any
proposition that anv member might desire
to advance. | would therefore move that
rule Is be suspended, that the gentleman
from New Castle may offer his amend
ment.n
The plea prevailed and the rule was sus-
pended.
Mr.. Cooch then put in his amendment
and supported by strong speech. to the
effect that if overhead crossings were good
for the Wilmington & New Castle they
ought to be equally good for the Will
mington city railway; that he had always
been inclined to regard the public safety
as jeOpardized by grade crossings of steam
railroads, but had waived that COnsidcra-
tion temporarily in the case of the Viii
mington n New Castle railway. n new and
struggling corporation with the under
standing that two or three years from
now, when the new railway got little
ahead, overhead or undergrade crossings
should be required on its line. But the
Senate had insisted upon requiring such
crossings at once and it was only fair to
exact the same thing from this established
and wealthy company.
Mr.. salisbury replied that such an
amendment. would be simply equivalent
to the defeat nf this bill, as the Whining
ton City Railway Company would not ac-
Gept It. The company possesses the charter
right TO extend its lines in any direction
from Wilmington, with no restrictions as
to grade crossings. and OF course will not
surrender this right for the sake of secur-
ing the power to increase its capital, which
is sought through this bill.
The debate continued for half ali hour,
or more, Messrs. Cooch, salisbury, White
man. Dasey and Watkins taking part. Mr.
Watkins said that since the Senate has
unmistakably shown its determination to
insist upon overhead or uudergrade
crossings, provision to that effect has
been inserted IN every railway bill in his
committee. Two bills, the New Castle and
the Brandywine Springs, were sent over
to the Senate without this provision, but
it has been incorporated in every bill now
in the House. The amendment was re-
iected by vote Of IA to e, as follows:
Ayes-Cooch Conoway, Day, Gam,
Watkins, Whittock--6.
Noes-Armstrong Dasey, Hall. Harr!ng.
ton, Hickman, Jacobs, kenney Lynch,
Pratt, Prettyman, salisbury, Sevil, Spru-
anCe Speaker Whiteman-l4.
The bill was then passed by 10 TO /; Mr..
Gam voting in the negative and Mr..
Cooch, who had voted mo, +" changing his
vote TO aye Then Mr.. Salisbury pro
ceeded to clinch the matter beyond recon.
sideration in the usual parliamentary way
by moving to lay on the table motion to
reconsider. This was the first application
of such tactics in this House, and most of
the members failed to understand what
Mr.. salisbury was driving at The iinality
motion. however, went through by l6 to 1.
still more prOtractel debate followed
over the House joint resolution to continue
for two years more the Il. ,S L. X. Il. an
nual communication tax of $4,000 This
tax IS made payable in semi-annual iu-
stalments of $1,000 on April LIST, 1893,
October LIST, 1893, April lst, 1894 October
lst, 1871 and April lst, 1895. Captain Dlsey
and MIR. Cooch spoke in favor of the rcso-
luton and Mr.. salisbury in opposition
thereto, and the argument lasted nearly an
hour, but when the vote was finally taken,
Messrs salisbury and Hall were the only
members voting in the negative, to 10 votes
cast i'll the affirmative. The resolution
was then taken over to the Senate, where
it was referred to committee.
Representative Day will report, from
the divorce committee, for passage to NOR
row, a substitute for the bill to divorce
Elizabeth from Charles W. Stein. The
substitute will he strange bill TO emanate
from the divorce committee since its title
Will be AN act to incorporate the Gordon
Heights Railway Company" The com
mIssioners named in the bill are William
Bcadenkopf, Harry Emmuns, George X.
! Townsend and Philip Il, Clark; capital
stock, $4,000. The route prescribed is
from point at or near Gordon Heights
station to the northern or northeastern
boundary line of Wilmington; Il distance
Of about two miles. 1t is possible that the
new line may connect with the Whining
ton City railway system at Shellpot
Park, which would leave only II
miles of new road to be built, The road Is
to he commenced in six months and com
pleted in two years, and contains an over
head or undergrade crossings provision.
The projectors calculate on doing a large
excursion traffic. They have arranged for
the building, in tile near future, within 80
days MIR. Townsend saws of a wharf at
Gordon Heights, running out about 800
feet into the Delaware river and capable oil
being used as a landing by the largest
steamers. Mr.. Townsend is quite enthusi-
astlc over this prospective opening of
new road to the river" and is sangune
that it will be an important factor in build
ing the city ont to q river frontage. The
bill authorizes the company to run its cars
by electricity, cable or horse power.
The Chester and Wilmington railway
bill passed the House this afternoon
without sign of opposition 1t empowers
the commissioners therein named To CON
struCt railway from Claymont To the
ShellpOJ terminus of the Wilmington
system, with the right to construct .
branch line to any point in Brandywine
hundred. 1t also contains the overhead or
undergrude crossing provision.
very cOmmendahle piece of work was
quietly done by the House this afternoon
iii the passage of Mr.. Saulsbnry's bill to
remedy the hasty and unjust delinquent
poll tax legislation of March 30th and 3lSt
The bill had been amended as to few de-
tails in committee, the amendments being
in the direction of rendering it still more
favorable to the deinquents Of 1892 who
may wish to avail themselves of its pro-
visions. In passing this bill, and it passed
by a unanimous vote and without oppose
ton, the members of the House have well
retrieved the blundcr into which they were
misled last month,
The Senate passed this afternoon sub
stitute for the Murray Sewer Assessment
bill, which substitute was agreed to last
o. al a hal N