Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1906-03-16
whan vi ThIs Follv ceaae7

The time is approaching when Mayor
Wilson viii be called upon TO appoint a
Board OF Health, TO serve for one year.
The organization Of the new Board Of
Health viii be followed by the appoint
ment Of a full complement Of officers,
Including the executive officers, whose
services are so valuable 10 the city at all
times, particularly when epidemics of
contagious diseases are threatened.
Following the precedent Of years,
Mayor Wilson viii pass over the good
record Of the present Board Of Health,
and appoint an entircly new body And
the new Board Of Health will elect an
entircly new oliciary. including new men
for the important positions Of executive
officers.
Meare not writing this for the purpose
Of urging upon Mayor Wilson the pro-
prioty OF inaugunting a reform by reap
pointing the present Board Of Health,
which has made an admirable record
during the two years Of its existence.
Under our system the people elected a
new Board Of Health az the election last
juno. when they elected Mayor Wilson,
as completely as though the members Of
the present board had been on the ticket
which was defeated at that election For
the present Board Of Health was appointed
by iormcT Mayor Charles d. Bind, who. as
q candidate for reelection, was defeated
hy u small majority at the city election
OF 1905
1t is the system which imposes upon
the city Of Wilmington the virtual mall
administration Of tho dismissal Of cap
able Board or Health, and the appoint
mcnt of a new body, which will be as likely
to prove inferior as to be superior to or
even as good as the present body. For
this system elects men TO Office in viii
mington form purely political considcra-
tions, and not by reason OF their superior
qualifications.
Il Is true that Mayor Bird was elected
in this manner and that he turned down
tho Board Of Health which he found in
existence when ne assumed Office and
appointed an entirely new body And
this has been the case, almost without
exception, since the Board Of Health
has been subject TO appointment by the
mayor II was the case under the old
system, when the Board of Health was
appointed by the City Council A Re.
publican City Council meant Repub-
iican Board Of Health; a Democratic
City Council meant a Democratic Board
OF Health.
Since It's reorganization, in 1881, the
Board of Health has become very i'm.
portant branch Of the city government
Non-partisanship prevailed to certain
extent in the appointment of the frs
board under the new system but inn
mediately afterwards fiat partisanshil
was injected. and has continued 20 thi
day. Republican mayors appointed Re
publicans 70 the Board Of Health. an,
Democratic mayors appointed Demo
Gratis Republican Boards of Healtl
elected Republicans as executive officer
and Democratic Boards of Health electe,
Democrats to these highly importan
positions. And so It has gone on. tn
political complexion of the Board O
Health changing completely with eac
change Of partisan sentiment as expresse,
in the election Of mayor.
The situation surely win afford a pra,
teal suggestion to those who are no
engaged in the work Of formulating ne
city charter 70 be submitted to the COZ
sideration Of the next Legislature. III,
IL demands a reform viii not be denie,
but il cannot be expected that MAY,
Wilson will set himself against preceder
and custom and boldly insugurato Il
reform by reappointng the present Roai
Of Health. Should he do so, there won
be no assurance that his good work wou
last beyond the induction Of his success
in office, while he would be visited with Il
condemnation Of his political associat
for not adhering 10 the partisan custo
Of his predecessors.
il Is q change in the system that
needed And the change should be
the direction Of sound Civil Service r
form, so that when the people got go
Board Of Health they could keep il
Office, regardless Of the mutations
partisan politics.
A ,tor,, 1;l.c mt, az. 49, .