The sun., 1900-02-07
Wednesday, February z, 1900.

The climax of folly in Street and Sewer
legislation has been reached. According
to the text of the resolution adopted by
the Street and Sewer Directors yesterday
in granting the use of the streets to the
Universal Light, Heat and Power Com
papy, they have given away,f for all time,
the control of the city streets and au-
-thorized the opening and obstruction of
the streets and alleys-all of them-in
any manner chosen by this new COM
pany, and for almost every purpose
imaginable except the laying of railway
tracks.
We call attention to this exception as
a matter of suggestive significance. Why
this exception has been made will ap-
pear later. 1t ought to be kept in mind.
Months ago we warned the people of this
city of the existence Of conspiracy to
gobbe up every and all the street fran
chiees that were unappropriated, and to
get them under conditions which prac-
tically prevent the city from deriving
any revenue from them. This has ar
parently been done in the grant made
yesterday.
Street and Sewer legislation has been
injurious to this city from its inception.
The history OF this department of the
city's government furnishes an object
lesson i'll bad city politics-Democrati
politics of a very undemocratic char
acter. The primary purpose in the
making of this department was to con-
tinue Democratic political control OF the
streets, and Democratic enjoyment of the
-spoiis of Office which it involved. The
movement which has eliminated in a
system of Objectionable departmental
government entirely independent of the
will or wishes of the people began in
1882. Ten years previous to that year
the Democratic party had succeeded to
the control of the city through factional
division in the Republican ranks, and
had kept it by means of the defranchis-
ing methods then in vogue. During that
ten years the city administration had be-
come SO bad that even the Democrats
had become disgusted with it. They ad
mitted its faults, and acknowledged
their inability to reform it so long as it
should depend upon the will of Demo-
ctic ward workers and managers,
and were casting about for some
means by which they could re-
tain control of the city and, at
the same time. check the rising tide of
corruption and incompetence that W;
flooding every city department. In the
city election of 1882 the Republicans
succeeded to the control of the city. Dr..
John P. Wales was elected Mayor. Tie
City Council was also Republican. This
Included control of all the departments
and, to set aside the Republican victory
at the ballot box, the Democrats appealed
to the General Assembly OF 1888. Gov
ernment of the city from Dover began,
and has steadily grown until the Mayor
of the city has been robbed of every
magisterial quality, Council has been
bereft of all legislative authoriy, the
various departments made independent
and irresponsible, and the people stripped
OF all real or practical participation in
municipal government, until there is not
single department that appears to care
Zig for the popular will, or in which
the people have any confidence. While
this condition has been developing, the
Street and Sewer Directors have easily
and always been in the lead, in disregard
for the common rights and for the popular
will. have been arbitrary and despotic,
have denied what ought to have been
given and conferred what ought to have
been withheld. 1t has caused more
costly litigation, has been the source of
more political scandal, and the subject
OF more adverse criticism, than any other
department of the city's government, if,
indeed, it has not exceeded them all. 1t
is the popular dissatisfaction with the
work Of this department that has de.
yeloped into an urgent demand for new
city charter. In the face of this demand
which must be met at the next session OF
the General Assembly, the Street and
Sewer Directors appear to be in great
haste to do all the evil they can do, and
in one act have attempted to give away
the most valuable franchises owned by
the city; to give them al away and to
give them away for all time. They have
created monopoly that will fatten upon
the vitals Of this city, that is intended to
hinder the exercise and prevent the en-.
joylnent of every other previously
granted right, and to contest every future
grant; that will assume proprietorship
control over the streets OF the city, and
be the source of the most costly litigation
the city has ever been party to.
X X 4
The predictions we make of things to
occur as the result of Street and Sewer
tn1iaiotiow oro xua lb;rb a.oori,, ;-l: