Evening journal., 1911-03-17
COUNCIL DIVIDES
ON DOVER REPORT
Republicans Object to State
ment That Legislature Had
Not Considered SOIOnS

The report of the law committee of
City Council, on the trip TO Dover !
TO meet the Legislators there TO dis |
cuss with them the matter of legaliz- |
ing the present city government. made
10 that body last night was the sub
ject of much discussion. The report
was adopted, the eight Democrats in
Council voting for it and the FIVE Re- |
publcans against
The report set forth that the law
committee had not been given any sat |
isfaction by the legislators and that
a matter entirely foreign to the legali-
zation of the city government was in
jected into the conference, namely a
bill providing for changes in the cleo
tion laws of the city. This measure
provides that the Court shall canvass
the vote the same as at State cleo
tions and that the ballots shall not be
destroyed Immediately after the count
is completed by the officers holding
the elections as is done at present
Chairman McGovern, of the law COM
mittee said he could not understand
why a matter foreign to legalizing
the city government should be injected
into the affair. He called attention to
the fact that substitute bill was pre-
pared embodying in a way the pro-
visions of the three bills recommended
by Council. These measures provide
for the correction of the act of 1907,
fixing the time city elections shall be
held, the legalizing Of the present city
officials and legalizing the acts Of
Council.
Mr.. McGovern said he had not seen
the substitute bill or heard it read.
Mr.. Bilderback wanted to know how
it was that Mr.. McGovern, although
he had not seen the bill or heard it
read knew that it contained matters
foreign to subject under discussion.
Mr.. McGovern then read a state
ment he had prepared reciting a his
tory of the present situation and what
resulted in the conference held at
Dover He concluded by saying:
Something should be done at once
and if not to be done we should know
it without further dilly-dallying."
Mr.. Benson in reply to Mr.. McGov-
ern said that the latter had failed to
state that the three bills recommend
ed by Council were incorporated in
the substitute bill. Mr.. Benson fur
ther stated that he did not consider
the city election bill a partisan mea-
sure and added he could not under
stand why Mr.. McGovern should want
nothing of the substitute bill.
Mr. McGovern retorted that he did
not wish to create such an impress
sion and Mr.. Bilderback replied that
he law committee chairman said so
i'm his report and he called for the
reading of that part of the paper
Mr.. Kane arose at this juncture, to
save time, he said and cited that there
was some misunderstanding. He
thought Mr. McGovern meant that he
had not seen or heard the substitute
bill read and added that it was not
read.
Mr.. Bilderback wanted to know If it
was the law committees intention to
oppose the passage of the substitute
bill Just because it could not have
things its own way. He thought this
poor judgment
Mr.. Dempsey and Mr.. Kane made
further remarks, the latter declaring
that the bill in question contained
things distasteful and was purely and
simply a political measure in that il
contained matters that don't pertain
to the present city government
The report was signed by the mem
bers of the law committee with the
exception of Mr.. Benson, the only Re
publican member on it.
The report in part folloWS;
Your committee was I'm conference
with the Municipal Corporation Com
mittee for some time and IL seems that
matter entirely foreign from the
subject and purpose of bills par
ticularly those legalizing the city gov
ernment, was injected into the con-
ference by the chairman of the COM
mittee of the General Assembly and
~ .A@e..
surance that there would be any i'm
mediate action on the bills or any
action whatever upon the bills under
discussion
The bill which had been presented
to the Legislature and referred TO the
Municipal Corporation Committee hav-
ing for its purpose the legalizing OF
the present city government, has been
withheld in committee, and it would
seem from the discussion, particular.
~ that of the chairman, A. B. Moore
that it is intended to offer substitute
for the original bill.
This substitute was not read TO your
committee nor were we fully informed
of it's contents. From the informa'
ton that we did receive in regard
10 it, it not only referred to the sub
ject matter of bill legalizing the cit,
government, but also treated of mat
ters foreign to the subject and pur
pose for which the committee was ap
pointed to attend the session Of thu
General Assembly.
Respectfully submitted,
John J. McGovern,
E. A. Higgins,
James Kane,
Michael T.. Conway.
Following the reading Of the re
port of the committee, Mr.. Conway
who has been the prime mover in thi
agitation for a municipal lightini
plant. said that the law COMMITTEES
could not urge the passage Of Chl
measure too strongly, and made tn
statement that the city is now pay
ing 13 cents a kilowat for. curren
used in the city buildings It is under
stood, however, that while this rat
does prevail the city gets a rebate o
40 per cent. on any amount abov
$40.