The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-05-03
WILMINGTON. N. G.
FRIDAY, MAY 5 1907.
WENT TUESDAYS ELECTIONS

little is being said about the record
or,e court and the city bond issue cleo
tions. The people seem to be taxing
little interest in these questions. The
neople must remember that each OF
the three propositions must receive a
majority of the registered voters, not
simply a majority of the votes cast.
Every ballot put in the boxes may be
for the issue of bonds or for the court
and still the measures be defeated.
Every registered voter who does not
vote helps to defeat the propositions.
The three questions to be voted on
are important ones and every man en-
titled to vote should go to the polls and
express his sentiments by voting ac-
cording to his judgment.
The most important to our city of
the three propositions is the n for
street improvements. The city is great
ly Ill HScu I'll DCCIC1 S1Io' LIZ -
no other way to get them-that is,
streets paved with permanent material
than by a bond issue. While much
has been done in the recent past i'll the
matter of improving the streets, our
city is still backward in this matter,
and her growth is being retarded by
the present conditions. Had We a few
more miles of streets well paved mark
ed improvement in the city would be-
seen. Progressing as she is, more rapid
advancement would follow the i'm
provement of the streets.
The recorders court, We think. is of
the next Importance Although there
are some features of the bill We do not
like and think had the bill been diff
.ferentIy drafted in those respects it
would be of much greater benefit to the
city and county, still we believe that as
it stands the people of the city n
county will find it an economy. The
saving of court costs and Jail fees
which now have to come out OF the
public funds will overbalance the
amount paid in salaries to the court Of
ficails. The saving in Jail fees viii be
a considerable sum. An end will be put
to prisoners lying in Jail for two and
three months awaiting a term of the
superior court at the cost Of twenty
five cents a day to the county. Few
defendants who cannot give bond will
appeal from the recorders court. They
will prefer to take their punishment
and be through with it to lying in
Jail sixty to ninety days and then run
the risk of having a term of imprisrn-
ment imposed on them. The city will
get an increased amount of costs + ON
the business of the recorders court
enough, it is said by those who nave
IuS QucSLlOu ana are 1d0iIildr
with present conditions to balance at
least its share of the expense of The
court. And it must be remembered
if the court is not found to work
well II the people are dissatisfied with
it, they can have it abolished by the
legislature. By adopting the c, urt
they do not fasten it OIL themse!> es |
for all time.
The waterworks bond question we
consider the least important of the
three. While our present waterworks
plant may not be what the citizens
like to have it, still the question
is, does the city nov need a new pant
so badly that it should go in debt 70 the
amount of four hundred thousand .,5l- |
for its establishment? This is the |
question the voters must ask them
and they should answer it bv |
their ballots on next Tuesday.