Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-07
THE NEW FIRE OFFICERS
The Anti-COmbine Companies Will
Vote for Two Of the Candi-
dates Of the Combine
AT THE BIENNIAL ELECTION
Which VIII be Held at the Sew
eral Englnehouses in This
City Tomorrow Evening
No Contest of the
Election.

The fire companies Of Wilmington will
hold their biennial election tomorrow
night, when a chief engineer OF the depart
ment and a hrst and second assistant will
be chosen. The present officers, whose
terms will expire two weeks hence, are
William H. Stilley Of the PhUnix CO.,
chief; August j. Fuhrman, Liberty, first
assistant, and Martin V. Farrell, Wash
ington second assistant.
There will, as usual, be two tickets, the
combine and anti-combine but as the
combine companies are in the majority,
the officers nominated by them will be
elected
For chief-William NJ. Ward of the
Friendship Co., No. /.
First assistant-John Maloney Of the
Brandywine, No 10.
Second assistant-Gu Gustav Roller of the
Liberty, No 8.
The anti-combine ticket is as follows:
For chief-William NJ. Ward, Friend
ship.
First assistant-Ch Charles T. Wolhar,
Water Witch, No. 8.
Second assitant- Gustav Roller, Lib
erty.
in selecting the tickets the combine
followed the compact plan. while the
anti-combine adopted the rotation plan
for all companies in the department. The
compact restricts the officers TO seven
companies.
There are seven companies in the COM
bine and 1--WE in the anti-combine, as
follows:
Combine Friendship, Phoenix. Wash
ington, Weccacoe, Liberty, Brandywine
and Union.
Anti-combine Reliance, Delaware
/ Water Witch, Fame and independence.
The anti-combine companies will, there
| fore, vote for Mr.. Wolhar for first assist
ant, but viii vote for the combine candi-
dates for chief and second assistant.
This election may raise an interesting
point, but under the present circum'
stances II can not affect the result. Under
the act authorizing the department C
elect its officers each company is required
TO hold its election at its enginehouse
but as the Friendship Co. now has n'
house of its own, there is a question as e
whether City Council will accept its vote
Since selling its building on Tenth street
the company has been quartered at the
| Brandywine Co. g house and will hold III
election there A member Of the com
pany stated today that lawyer haC
! been consulted ana gave an opinion u
the effect that under the circumstance
the company would have a right to hol'
an election.
A member Of the Water Witch Co
stated today that the question had beei
discussed in anti-combine circles, but h.
did not think the anti-combine wouli
contest the legality Of the election on tina
ground. The combine would have
majority of one if one vote should b
thrown out, so that even if Council shoul
refuse to accept the Friendship vote, th
combine candidates would be elected
The matter was FIRST discussed befor
the two new companies decided TO 60 int
the combine when the combine had
majority of but one.
a certificate of the votes cast is to b
turned over to the clerk Of City Counc
the day following the election and CouI
ell. at its next meeting, canvasses the vot
The anti-combine expects 10 appeal
the Legislature at its next session TO ena'
a law requiring rotation in Office, and.
is said, has the support Of some of tf
combine men.