Evening journal., 1903-02-07
CITIZENS FAVOR
NEW CITY CHARTER
Says Recent Awarding of
Garbage Contracts Is Evil
dence 1t Is Needed
COMPARISONS TO PRESENT SYSTEMS

10 PRESENT SYSTEMS
Board Of Trade Completes Its Work
and Sent Bill to LeeisIature--It is
Now Up to tho General Assem-
bly,.
That the taxpayers Of Wilmington
are more deeply interested than ever
before In the enactment OF a new city
charter is evident from the almost uni
versal approval of the Efforts OF the
Boar of Trade Committee. which were
concluded this week by the sending to
Dover Of a bin providing for a COM
plete reorganization of the city gov
ernment. The movement for reform
in this direction. which began eight
years ago. and has been the subject of
ridicule by professional politicians
ever since its Inauguration, has at last
assumed proportions that can no
longer be disregarded. rhe scandal
ous disclosures in official circles dur
ing the past two years and the recent
attempt to force illegal garbage con-
tracts upon the city, together with the
proposition persistently urged by
members of Council to increase the
city's bonded Indebtedness to anywhere
up to si000.000. have added decided
strength to the movement and brought
to the support of the new charter bill
host of advocates who have hereto
fore been passively interested in the
subject.
Growth Of Sentiment.
The growth of sentiment in favor OF
new charter has been remarkable
and can be attributed to two causes:
First. the present Intellectual and ex-
penslve city government, and second,
the persistence of the movement for a
new charter. The advocates Of the new
charter have persist claimed that
the expenses Of theA lment would
i, he greatly reduced.
The movement I ates bs * to 1Saa.
when commission was appointed by
the General Assembly to consider the
question OF municipal government for
Wilmington. The commission report
ed to the General Assembly in 1897 the
draft of a bill entitled "An Act to AL
ter and Re-establish the charter Of the
city of Wilmington, and to provide for
The better government of said city"
This bill was returned to the commits
sion by the Senate for further consid-
Grafton.
After revision it was presented to
the General Assembly at the adjourn
ed session in 1898. when It was con-
sidered and passed by the House. but
failed to receive favorable action in
the Senate. During the session OF
1899 the bill was taken up by the
Board Of Trade of Wilmington and re-
ferred to a special committee. This
committee reported favOrably on the
lbill, with some amendments, and cop
les of it with the proposed amendments
were sent TO each member of the Gem
eral Assembly from Wilmington, but
no further action was taken.
In 1900 the Board appointed another
committee, which after making some
alterations again sent it to the Cen
eral Assembly, but no action was taken
by the Legislature
In August, 1902, City Council in Com
mittee of the whole took up the con-
siderntion of the subject The Board
lOf Trade Committee was reappOinted,
and with the members of the Council
Committee went over the draft an
further revised the instrument.
while many changes made were sug-
gested by members of Council. the
Board of Trade Committee only Is re-
sponsible for the bill as it now is. The
committee has been assisted in the re-
vision of the charter by Thomas f.
Bayard. The Board of Trade G nit
ice consists Of William p. Ban DIT.
Archibald S. Reed. Jerome B. Bell nd
]. Harvey Whiteman.
Outline of Charter.
The new charter provides for a NUM-
her Of important changes from the way
in which the present city government Is
run.
II provides for the city to be divided
into five wards. At present there are
twelve wards in Wilmington. Under
the new charter Council would be a
} purely legislative body and more power
; would be vested in the mayor than at
the present time
The bill provides for fifteen members
Of Council, two to be elected from each
ward and five from the city at large.
Should the charter be passed at the
first city election thereafter, one OF the
members Of Council chosen by the vot-
ers of each ward and three chosen by
the voters throughout the city would
serve for four years. and one elected
from each ward and two from the city
at large would serve for two years. BIZ
ennially thereafter there would be an
election for members Of Council foI
terms Of four years and at such cleo
/ tiOns the voters in each ward would
elect one person and the voters through
out the city two or three as would bt
necessary TO fill vacancies caused by
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