Evening journal., 1897-04-28

ATTEMPTED TO HAVE IT DE-
CLARED DEAD by PARLIAMENT
TARY PROCEDURE BECAUSE IT
WAS ONCE CALLED UP AND NOT
PASSED-AT IT AGAIN TO-DAY.
Staff Correspondence Evening Journal
Dover, April 2S-The battle between
the Wilmington and New Castle Elec-
trio Railway Company and the Penn
sylvania railroad and Wilmington City
! Electric Railway lobby began in ear
nest yesterday afternoon. and when
| the sun went down the contendins
parties lay down on their arms, ready
to renew the conflict this morning.
The railway company forced the
! fighting from the start, being deter
mined to know whether the handful OF
men IN opposition to the bill were to
outweigh the overwhelming demanu
of the people for its passage. 1t gives
the company the right to extend It's
lines down the state to Smyrna via
Delaware City, and northward to the
Pennsylvania line.
After the State Work-house bill had
been disposed of to the satisfaction of
Representative Short, Representative
HAZEL called the Electric Railway bill
from the table, it having been pre-
viously reported favorably by the
Committee on Private Corporations
When the clerk began to read the bill
Mr. Short arose to a question of privi-
lege, and stated that he was under the
impression that the bill was killed
nearly two weeks ago, when it was
called from the calendar by MIR.
Thompson, but by a decisive vote of
the House was not taken up. He con-
tended that by voting not to take the
bill up at that time the House had
killed it. He declared that he had good
authority for such belief, and believed
that some Of his colleagues entertained
the same opinion regarding it.
Mr.. Dempsey declared the idea pre-
posterOus, and asserted that he did
not believe that anybody entertained
any notion that the bill was dead. 1t
is just as much alive" he said "as any
, bill ever introduced in this General
Assembly"
Mr.. Adams spoke in behalf of Mr..
Shorts contention, and stated that he
had understood that such was the ac-
cepted opinion. He said he had read Il
in some of the newspapers, and they
supported this opinion.
> Mr.. Dempsey said the newspapers
referred to published the report as
, coming from the people who were op-
posed to the bill. He deied the Kent
{ man to point out a single paper which
! had supported the contention. He called
! the attention Of the members to tho
: fact that not a line of the bill had beer
read on the day it was called up by
Mr. Thompson, and therefore it would
e have been impossible to kill it then
for il was not even under cOnsidera-
tion. The question voted on was as tc
whether the bill should be taken from
the calendar, and by a decisive vote Il
had been decided not to take it from
the calendar at that time.
I Mr. HAZEL said he did not think the
: bill was dead. He had taken the trouble
{ to examine the rules of the National
, House of Representative and hac
e learned that the custom there was thai
when o bill is called up from the cal
endar and by a vote it is decided moi
to take it up at that time, it gocl &c
the foot of the calendar, which is usu
: ally 50 long that the end is not reached
during the session, and for that reason
e a bill so treated is practically killed
r at least until another session.
!, Mr.. Mccullough asked for the read
ling Of a precedent in the House journa
gof 1853
Mr.. Johnson said that the journal o
I 1853 was no precedent for this Legisla
y ture. Mr.. Mccullough did not insis
!. on his request and the journal was no
read.
Mr., Johnson said the House had VIC
latel one OF its own rules when tn
j. 81, q N.
:. prohibiting a bin being called up d
u the absence Of its friends. Il also give
= the person introducing a bill the righ
to call it up.
, Mr.. Short declared that he under
stood that on the day the bill wa
called up by Mr.. Thompson that he wa
voting to kill it.
Mr.. Dempsey called for the question
but was interrupted by Speaker Rig
gin, who announced that he would Civ
L. a ruling on the question as to whethe
or not the bill was dead He read al
opinion, in which he ruled that as tn
vote had been en- the question whethe
d. or not to take the bill from the calen
p" dar the vote had been not to take it M
- and for that reason the bill was sti
alive.
He asked If any Of the members do
-, sired TO make any remarks. Mr.. DemI
ne sey arose and made a strong plea fo
the passage of the bill. His argumer
'9p showed conclusively that the people
New Castle county demand its passag
and urged his colleagues to vote for i
ID Mr. Adams said he could not vote fo
. the bill, because the Wilmington Cit
Railway Company had a perpetui
y charter that gave it the exclusive rigE
s to operate a street railway service
D. Wilmington. He thought the grantin
of privileges to the new road would
e harmful to the interests Of the old con
pany. He read letter which said tn,
there was an agreement between tn
- two companies whereby the Whining
ton and New Castle Company migl
operate over the lines of the old con
pany in Wilmington. For these rei
sons he was opposed to allow the ne
company to build a line through Wi
mington.
Mr.. Wilson stated that he was favo
able 20 the main features Of the bill