Evening journal., 1901-09-06
COUNCIL FAVORS
NEW CITY LAWS
Committee Favorable to Non.
Partisan Charter
BODY ACCEPTS THE REPORT
Fire Committee Found Local Fire
Equipment and Houses in TX
cellent Condition


AT last nights meeting Of City
Council there was a full attendance of ]
the members. and the committee mp
pointed by Council to attend the Con-
venton OF the National League of
American Municipalities made an in
teresting report Of the meeting. In 1t
the committee makes some suggestions
among which Is recommendation
that Wilmington have a new and non
partisan city charter. The report of
the committee was as follows:
To the President and Members of City
Council
Gentlemen: Your committee APP
pointed for the purpose OF preparing a
report upon the proceedings OF the re-
cent convention of the League OF
American Municipalities held in James
town, N. Y, during the week Of Au-
gust 20. 1901, submits the following:
Your committee attended the various
sessions Of the convention and listen |
ed with interest and much profit 70 the |
able papers which were presented, and
we fee, that the lessons which we
learned there will in the future prove
of much benefit 10 our city. We were
particularly impressed with the paper
( read by Edward Kibler, OF Ohio. 1t
being an essay upon the charter Of his
lcity. We saw from It that there were
many good points which couad be APP
piled TO our city. We learned from
his paper and from the discussion that
followed the reading OF it-tal1en part
in by such men as Mayor Samuel
Jones OF Toledo: Mayor Hayes, OF
Baltimore; Mayor Harbeson. of Hart
ford, together with many more repre-
sentative and leading citizens OF the
Icountry that the only successful man
ner in which municipalities can be
governed is by eliminating party DOLL
tics entirely from elections aor city
lohices. Mayor Ashley, OF New Haven.
Conn. described the operation OF a
charter built upon those broad. liberal,
non-partisan lines his city at present
being under such a charter and from
his statements there seems to be no
doubt but that the non-partisan char
ter Is the best method OF governing
municipalities
Mayor Samuel Jones, OF Golden Rule
fame, gave one OF his characteristic
Addresses. in which he pictured. as the
only permanent American city one
Grounded upon American principles:
one in which politics cut no figure and
one. as he claimed. conducted without
Preference to party. He. OF course. is
famous as a free thinker and a man
without a party, and his views are gem
eraly credited as being the result Of
much thought and research. and he
ALWAYS commands the attention of his
laudience. We learned. too, that our
lefty stands in a class almost by itself
in regard 10 the source Of its revenue.
There being but few cities in the coun-
try which receive no revenue other
than from taxation upon real estate
Almost every city represented at the
convention receives a considerable
part OF its revenue from taxation Of
franchises and other corporate prop
erty granted by the municipality to
lprivate corporations. We learned by
our trip that what Wilmington needs
most is a new charter. one that Will
place the government of this munich
lpality as close 10 the people as possi-
lb,e; a charter that will be liberal in its
rights TO the citizens and thoroughly
bipartisan.
From the various reports and discus
/. sions that were presented at the con-
vention we are strongly of the opinion
that while a trip such as this to the
annual convention of the League OF
American Municipalities Is source OF
expense to our city. yet the experience
and knowledge which may be gained
by coming in contact with various city
officials and men of wide experience
in municipal affairs will be helpful in
lgiving TO Wilmington better municipal
government in the future The COM
mittee reports that the total expenses
Of the trip amount to $500, leaving a
balance in the hands of the committee
Of S210. which amount has this day
been turned over TO the city treasurer
and placed to the account of inciden-
tails and miscellaneous.
THOMAS NJ. MONAGHAN.
JAMES KANE.
DAVID ]. REINHARDT,
CHARLES II. BLAINE.
The report was accepted unani-
mously.
The Fire Committee reported having
made a test of the fire apparatus and
found it in first-class condition. The
lcommittee also recommends that when
a company sends an engine away for
Z repairs that another be substituted
and that when a horse IA i'll or out of
service another be substituted. Atten-
ltion was drawn 70 the Weccaeoe Com
pany having placed electric fans in the
: stable 10 keep its horses cool. Salaries
land appropriations were allowed the
department As follows: John p
! Welsh. $500: T. z Pauley and H "
WILEY $1O0 each; Friendship, Reli-