The evening Republican., 1902-07-28
S. E. COR. THIRD AND KING STREETS.
MONDAY, JULY Is, 1000.

THE present City Council is the
worst that Wilmington has had in q
good many years. By their mis-
management they have caused to
be paid out by the City Treasurer
several thousand dollars. They
have by incompency put the city to
the expense of several costly and
unnecessary law suits. They have
caused the city tax assessment to be
increased and have driven one large
manufacturer out OF Wilmington by
greed. They have lbeen the means
Of stopping all improvements and
thereby hating the growth OF the
city. 1t is a pity that their success
ors could not be elected tomorrow,
for than they woul find out what
the tax payers and the voters in
general think of them. Insteai Of
a new City Charter we want Il new
City Council and the sooner the bet
ter. The manner i'll which the new
crematory has been managed is a
sample of what the present City
Council could do if they had COLI
troll of the city Departments. a
pretty state of affairs would con
front our people il C1uncil hal Con
troll of them. The present city tax
rate OF assessment would not begin
to pay the bills. We are not par
ticular struck on Commissioners but
it is well that we have them under
the present conditions OF Municipal
affairs What we need more than
new City Charter is Il new City
Council composed Of business men
who would listen to their fellow
citizens and show disposition to
run the city's affairs i'll Il business
manner.
The Every Evening has this to
say of this Councllmanic body.
"City Council, at it, meetlng last
night, adopted preamble and reso-
lutions in favor Of new city chart
er that will abolish the uum erou5
departments of the city, and APP
pointed committee of seven to pre-
pare the document.
No citizen who is at all aclualnt-
ed with the subject and the siJua-
ton dispute the great need Of Il new
and modern city charter, but few
who are conversant With local gov
eminent affairs will feel confidence
in any move i'll this direction that
the present City Council may take,
In fact, the present City Council is
one Of the evils that'lt should Dc Il
leading purpose OF a new charter to
eradicate.
Despite the fact that the changes
of recent years have deprived it of
most of the legislative and eIecu-
tive functions formerly enjoyed by
that body, the City Council has per-
formed even its few remaining
duties in a bungling AMI ignorant
manner. 1t is but a t&N-lmpUsing
body now, with little Of the money
SO raised that it mty eIpend at It's
own discretion. And yet 1t has
illegally created large floating
debt; through its tinauce G-,nnnlt-
tee and the Board Of Revision it
has made hoIgr-pOdgr of tn" city
assessment, So that it i doubtful if
the assessment would stand in court
should citizens refuse to pay their
taxes and make Il test OF the matters
and it had avoided an increase in
the tax rate by the easily eXpJ,4
subterfuge Of RAISING the ussess-
ments, anu by imposing additional
Capltatlon assessments, urter the
guise, clumsily concealed, Of being
assessments for the purposes Of
school taxation. And IN the eXcr-
else of its limited Legislative powers
the Council las much Ottener bA2n
wrong and illogical than right and
practical.
For such q body to attempt the
important work Of preparing IL new
City Charter is simply tarclclal.
For the document must perforre
embody the views Of that Council,
and the views Of the Council cannot
command the confidence and re-
spect of the people. Therefore,
whatever the Council may do i'll
this direction is likely to he only u
waste of time ana money
WILNIAM MICHAEL BYRNE had an
interview with President Roosevelt
at Oyster Bay, on Saturday, on the
Senatorial muddlc III Delaware, and
the calling of an extra Session Of
the Legislature to elect two Seua-
tors. The election OF two L. 5.
Senators would mean the rc-elec-
ton of Congressman Ball. The
District Attorney is doing his part
in strengthening ont the muddle in
the State and if he does not sue
coed it will not be his fault. He is
doing something besides talk Ac-
tons speak louder than words
Michael is not sitting down and
shouting what the party should do
from the house tops. He is IL hust-
Ter.