The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-06-28
COMBINES
DEFEATED.

! The ordinance providing that the fire
chief and assistants shall be elected by
rotation from all the companies was
passed by City Council last night af-
ter heated debate, during which
Messrs. Smith, Healy and Cannon
strongly opposed its passage.
A large crowd of tiremen made up or
representatives of the combine and anti
combine companies watched the proceed
ings with great interest
The ordinance was reported fayorably
by the law and fire committees and its
passage recommended.
Mr.. Mousley, chairman of the fire COM
mittee called up the ordinance for final
passage. 1t was to have gone into effect
on the second Tuesday in May, 1902,
and the officers elected were to have en-
tered upon their duties on the LIST Mon
day after election. Mr.. Mousley had the
ordinance amended so that it will not
90 into effect until 1904. The part fix
ing the time for the officers elected to en-
ter upon their duties was stricken out.
This leaves the time as at present the
third Monday after election.
The ordinance provides that the chief
and assistants shall be elected in rota-
ton from all the companies, as follows:
Chief beginning with company No. l,
Friendship; LIST assistant beginning
with company No 4, phoenix; End as
sstant beginning with company No. 7,
Washington). ,..s'''s' .-'
Any company failing to comply with
the ordinance will forfeit one-ffth of
its annual appropriation.
Mr.. Healy opposed the ordinance and
claimed it conficted.
Before the vote was taken remarks
were made by different members. Mr..
Smith said he was surprised to learn
that Council was a superior body to the
legislature. There is a law to regulate
the fire department election and Council
has simply to canvass the returns and
declare the men elected. He held that
Council could not take off one-fifth of the
appropriation Of any of the companies
and the ordinance was therefore null and
void. 1t was start he declared for
paid fire department. There had been
continued trouble in the fire department
and the sooner it the Department. was
broken up the better. The companies
are private corporations and can close
the doors tomorrow il they chose. Coun-
ell had no right to say what officers
they should elect and if they did, it be-
came gag law.
Mr.. Healy said Council had no right
to amend an act Of the legislature.
Mr.. Cannon opposed the ordinance and
said he thought the matter ought to
be left TO the fromen
Mr.. Stewart, eulogized the fire depart
ment-
The ordinance was adopted by the
following vote:
Ayes: Willis, Monaghan, Kane, Pier
son, Fisher. Stewart, Johnston, Mousley,
Oberly and Alexander-10
Nays: Cannon, Healy and Smith,
After the meeting there was much
speculation as to what effect the pas
sage of the ordnance would have on the
fight in the fire departments.
The anti-combines were jubilant and
declared that it would heal the breech.
Combners held that the ordinance was
not worth the paper it was written on.
1t was stated that there was nothing
to prevent the combine companies going
ahead under the act Of the legislature
and electing chief and assistants in MAY
1904, as they have been doing.
The anti-combine companies, acting
under the ordinance, would elect chief
from the Friendship. a first assistant
from the Phoenix mad second assistant
from the Washington. This would give
the city two chiefs and four assistants
aud result ip numerous complications,