The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-02-01
PETITION OF
ANTI COMBINE
City Council Will Take No Ac-
tion on It.
MATTER CAUSES SENSATION
Fire Committee to Report That it Has
EO Jurisdiction in Such an
..s..-.AAftair-The Anti-ComDlne- -.AsA.
--A.. Fire Company's Bill.
CAUSES SENSATION

| \ decided sensation was created ut the
meeting VI CITY Council last evening
when the matter of the bili winch VIII De
presented by the "anti-couibine' hire com
iJalIcS OF TINS city, to the Legislature,
| vas Iarlnaliy brought ~ the nouce VI
council III tne shape VI pelluon pre-
5clteu Dy committees ot these companies
ASKING IL to approve the bill.
| t.uvn member ot Council was presented
with il copy OF the Dlli by " imam f..
iAurtz. lne petition was presented To
council by Mr. Monaghan On behalf ol
me committees, which We're us tollows:
j ohm L. Laiiy, james L. Buckley, james
n. Kane, committee OF lteilance Co.;
Charles Shut, John Il. Henderson, VIII
llam Hickman, Delaware Co.; Thomas
IL. Reynolds, Thomas T.. Duud, Joseph
AZ. ADAMS, Water Witch Co.; Frank l..
Drand, William j. Lutz, George Il.
Crockett, Fame. Most OF them We're
present ut the meeting.
| After the reading of the petition had
proceeded for some time Mr. ilealy NOV
I'd that further reading OF the petition
1 oe dispensed with. Ills motion was car
ried.
Later he had his motion reconsidered
saying he thought that each member OF
| Council was supplied with Il copy of the
petition. The reading of the petition was
.esnmed and then the petition and bill
were referred to the fire committee.
After the meeting considerable discus
ion took place on the matter. 1t was seen
that it would be impossible to get Il
unanimous vote Of Council in favor OF
The bill from opinions expressed by GER
cain members and it was decided that il
would be best to not press Council for al
! expression OF its opinion on the matter
and ut the jieXt meeting Of Council the
fire committee will present report that
Council deems that it has no jurisdiction
III the matter. This will be satisfactory
to tho friends of the bill.
The petition was in part as follows
Our aim and intention by this measure
is to eradicate from the politics OF the
lire department that vicious and unjus
tactionalism which now dcprives foul
out of nine companies of sad departnlrn4
from havi,.s-- nlSIneer and. his assistants
I and which prevents said large minority
from having sue Ii influence in the conduct
of the Department. affairs to which it is
Justly entitled.
Under til. present method Of clectinl
the chief engineer and his assistants, ivt
companies, namely. the Friendship
phoenix, Washington, Weccacoe ant
Liberty lHirc Companies, constituting
bare majority of all the companies dur
ing the past ten years have been bount
: by compact which absolutely ignorin
: all of tha rights of the minority compan
les in such election and which IS in viola
ton of and subsersive of all the prln
ciDlcs OF government, of which we ar
} rognizant in this land of popular gov
ernmcnt. Masquerading under tn
guise that is simply question of ma
). iority rule, these companies have forme
, / combine which is as near the natur
4 Of the modern trust OF monopoly as an
a combination can be. BY this unfair con
5 nact the present members of the con
S bine' companies are not only bound !
d their opinions for the next ten yeai
II hut future members also. so that the
c opinions form the individual opinions
e The members OF those companies an
d whatever change may take place in the
l. opinions during that time, they are a
Z .outely bound by the compact entert
i 'nto by their companies and we may ac
q that the honor of the respective compa
10 les embraced in the combine is bat
s. and will stand by the seal of its cor