Evening journal., 1895-01-04

Dover ana mad public hearing In the
Hall Of Representatives. That will
doubtless be repeated this session and at
time to be designated by the two
Houses.
Delaware College WIN BE There.
Delaware College has not yet been
heard from There Is not the remotest
possibility, however, that 1t will permit
itself to be overlooked when the appro-
priation plums are being passed around
"WhRt is q Session without siIverbrookg''
That will be the motto hung over the
speakers chair In each house should
Peter ]. Ford fall the people this time.
1t has always been customary for the
Sllverbrook question to convene on the
first Tuesday In January and to adjourn
sine die simultaneously with the two
houses There was no caucus, but
Peter ]. Ford was speaker Of the Sl YER
brook Senate with Willard Salisbury.
Jr, as speaker OF tho Silver
brook Honse Mr. Ford repre-
sented himself and his neighbors
while Mr.. Salisbury appeared for the
Jessup and Moore Paper Company and
other owners OF riparian rights who
objected to the condemnation of the
tortuous little stream on the southwest
side Of Wilmington. Joseph L. Car
penter, Jr., as Street and Sewer Com
missioner, was, by virtue of his office,
ex-oficio member Of the House
These two houses could never agrse on
anything but breakfast dinner, supper
and the time for koing TO bed
The indications ara that the Silver
brook matter will not come up this
session. From what Mr. Ford told your
correspondent this week It Is almost safe
to make positive prediction that 1t will
not. With Mr.. Carpenter out of the
Board of Street and Sewer Commission
ers and the board constituted as at
present Mr.. Ford seems inclined to trust
himself TO its tender mercies and declare
the fight off for the time being. Ii is
sort os an armed truce, with both sides
sleeping under arms.
1he Third Street Bridge Trouble.
In delivering bis opinion on the Third
street drawbridge trouble John II Rodney,
attorney for the court, said that further
legislation was needed regarding the
duties of the bridge-tenders In dealing
with small craft plying up and down the
Christiana. The complainsnts in August
were Harbor Master Edwin Kershaw,
the Charles Warner Company, the Atlas
Dredging Company. The burden of
their complaint was that the tenders of
the bridge refused to turn the draw for
the p assage Of small boats which could
not get under, and kept them waiting
until 1t suited their own pleasure to let
them through. There was q public
hearing which resulted in the Levy
Court doing nothing, because Mr. Rodney
concluded his opinion by saying:
This matter, as l have said, must of
necessity be arranged In the best manner
practicable now, and I would suggest
additional legislation authorizing the
Levy Court Commissioners more particu-
larly to regulate the passage OF vessels
through the county bridges and make
proper rules TO govern the same
Now Is the opportunity for that legisla.
tion and this is the place to get it.
It is to be presumed that the Levy
Court will take advantage of it. There
is good deal of ice in the river Just now,
but the small boats will be out again
after the thaw sets in.
The Street aad Sewer and Police Com
missions OF Wilmington will ask for
needed legislation, the principal items OF
which will be increased appropriations.
The former wants to have the censorship
Of all legislative bills affecting its public
functions in any way. City Council will
be thankful II 1t is allowed TO keep the
little power that it has, while the mayor
will ask TO be allowed to do something
for She city in return for his salary, as he
has never yet been allowed to do enough
to make him realize that he is mayor.
The Marriage and Divorce Laws.
Judge Grubb, as a member of the
National Bar Association, has always
been keenly interested In the matter OF
securing uniform laws relating to mar.
riage and divorce. Representing the
association, he has already laid the
matter before the General Assembly and
urged upon it the necessity for favorable
action. He may renew his efforts this
session.
The National Reform Association is
also taking an active interest in this
matter, and II the program Is carried
out will ask the General Assembly tc
appoint commissioners to cooperate with
similar commissions Of other states tc
secure uniformity Of laws, to establish
the claims Of the Christian law Of mar
riage and TO abate the divorce evil
which has greatly increased under the
loose and conflicting laws Of the several
states
Twenty-Five states have appointed
commissioners, and 1t is the intention oi
the association during the present
Winter to endeavor to induce the others
Delaware included, to do so.
Taken altogether, the laws Of ell ths
states recognize 40 grounds for absolut,
divorce; or, eliminating different forms
Of statement for the same ground no
less than 25 The association holds that
the evils Of divorce is increasing proper.
tlonately more than twice as fast as tbs
population Of the United States.
Sturgeon Fishsrmsn's Qualification.
Fish Commissioner Mulligan will in
troduce a bill to prevent New Jerse,
fishermen from raking the Delaware
oyster bids for sturgeon. He wants thu
qualifications Of sturgeon fisherman {,
be twelve months residence in thu
state.
VIII the Governor Do 1t?
Those Republican workers who wan
to be state detectives want the Law
amended so as TO give them berths. 1t 1
not likely that the Senate will concur Ii
any such attempt. The enthusiast
Republicans say If 1t does not Governo
Marvil will make the appointment