Evening journal., 1911-06-20
ARGUE FOR NEW AND
AMENDED CITY CHARTER

the legislative power from the city
departments and give IL back to City
Council. He insisted all the changes
desirable could be drawn up in a few
simple amendments.
Mr.. Harman insisted that in the de-
partments doing special work. leeis-
lated for by the Council. and con-
trolled by the Mayor. the city had
practically a commission form Of gov
ernment already.
Mr.. Harman commended the taxa
ton system. with the President of
Council, Chairman of the Finance
Committee, and Building Inspector,
constituting the Board of Revision
and Appeal as the most satisfactory
and econmicsl way He said the trou-
BILE was, people ignorant of the laws
we're everlastingly going TO the Leg
islature to get things the. city already
had. and that people were ready to get
up and criticize the charter when they
knew nothing whatever about 1t. Mr.,
Harman doubted If three people pres
ent had read quarter of the charter.
or one had read II all through.
He said when the matter started in
the Board of Trade fourteen years
ago, the average lack of knowledge of
the charter was shown. The speaker
. explained the wide powers Of borrow
ing the city has, saying that was
pretty near home rule for Wilmington.
Under the second point, Mr.. Harman
said the 250 cases Of statute interpre-
tation in the last 100 years were too
valuable 10 be cast aside. He explain
ed a number Of these cases, showing
many certainties now established.
With a new charter, he thought this
experience of years would be lost, and
the whole labyrinth maze Of new
charter would have 10 be untangled
by the courts He prophesied that IN
so years, after endless litigation. they
might get TO the present position. Mr..
Harman said no men could draw up
new charter so but what its statutes
would have to be construed by law
yers.
Under his third head. he spoke of
the advantage Of trained experienced
workmen over new ones, and used this
as a comparison between old and new
charters.
Lastly. Mr. Harman said II the foun-
dation, the present charter, were taken
away, many ordinances would fall and
many would be doubtful
Mr.. Burchenal for "New."
Caleb e. Burchenal was second
speaker for the new charter He said
that Mr.. Harman's strongest argu-
ment that the decisions of 100 years
should not he thrown away was no
obstacle to a new charter, as those
judicial decisions would be carefully
followed in drawing up the new docu-
ment. This had been the case when the
present charter had been framed IN
1888 He said no wonder half a dozen
people in the audience had not read
the present bulky charter; it was a
task They wanted one the average
citizen would have time to read. He
spoke of the codification of the Laws
Of Delaware as an instance Of conden-
sation which had been accomplished.
Mr.. Burchenal thought the commits
sioners would find it simpler TO draft
new charter than TO study all the
conflicting amendments In the old;
that new amendments would not con-
fuse things further still. Mr.. Burche-
nal warned the citizens that II was the
duty Of all of them to read the charter
before next June if they we're going to
vote intelligently on the matter. He
also referred to the law that the Mayor
must ulcIIlUMAF W Ant AAAAhNho fA"f'''
copies of the charter commissioners
report. and If this was the present
charter "a $40 volume) amended the
expenses to the city would be great.
Mr.. Burchenal also objected to an
amended charter saying that in its
present form. modern ideas could not
we'll be placed in the document. He
said we want some modern thought
-. ,fr,r he ~ Of tho
idea that a city must be run like a
state or nation while in reality it is
a corporation TO be run along bust
ness lines. Partisan government, he
said, must be gotten rid of in city
affairs, Including the iniquitous ward
system. Employees must be kept on
merit, and not turned out of their jobs
with the coming of a new party into
power.
Mr.. Burchenal said at present one
party blocked another, hindered the
good work of the majority party so
that their rivals would not make
good and they would come back to
power. Mr.. Burchenal insisted that
Wilmington did not have commission
government in its recognized form,
for our departments we're not cor
related, nor controlled by one man.
He recommended four commission
ers elected at large by the people af-
ter nominating primary, governing
after the European plan. The initia-
tive, referendum, and recall we're also
urged by Mr. Burchenal
Mr. Marvel for Amended.
Josiah Marvel gave three reasons for
an amended charter, the elements
of good in the present charter, the
elements of certainty in the present
charter, and that any radical change
would imperial the city's prosperity
He said Wilmin gton had been having
almost a commission form of govern
ment before Des Moines or the Gal
weston flood. If the people were de-
sirous of the Des Moines form. a few
simple changes in the present charter
would accomplish It,
AS for non-partisan government
Mr.. Marvel said that no matter what
was done, men would remember they
were Republicans or Democrats. and
officials would be mindful of their
friends-that was human nature.
The second Element, certainly-he
said would not be achieved by a new
charter. He quoted the case at the
organization OF the Street and Sewer
Department when Judge Gray and
Judge Bradford, then attorneys. drew
up the statute, argued long over its
meaning afterwards, and finally their
constituting was ruled as incorrect BY
the Superior and Supreme Courts