Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-10
G,.euias''H GTsuins Testsfday sM2 1876
A Sudden, But Encouraging. Awakening.

A Sudden, But Encouraging. Awakening.
With much pleasure we reprint. else
were in this issue, an editorial from the
Morning News of yesterday, in which the
very important matter of an improved
and effective municipal administration
for Wilmington is dealt with in the most
vigorous practical and sensible manner.
It's. indeed. encouraging to notice move
Of this character on the part OF our con-
temporary.
Stirred 10 indignation by the published
suggestion that one pressing need of our
citv is. "rich citizen to finance fire de-
partment." the Morning News, while
pYoperly commencing and recognizing the
vahe of the several munihcent gifts OF
,,o,ev that have been extended 10 our
State and our city for uplifting pubic
nurposcs. stcrnlv and scathingly de-
nonnces any encouragement OF the sug-
scstion that we should abandon entirely
All civic spirit and purpose Of progress
through our own efforts and supinely de-
pend upon gifts Of rich citizens for doing
those things our people should do for
themselves. through their selected agen-
cies. III the public" il SAYS, has become
81 morally atrOphied as TO be content
that its representatives should sit with
omen mouths waiting for some rich
citizen To perform those public functions
thst i, i. the duty of those representatives,
T. perform. God help us.
To this continent every right-minded
citizen will respond with fervent and
sincere amen"
Our contemporary devotes special at
tention 70 the supine attitude OF our City
Council towards the pressing public mat
ter Of providing paid Fire Department,
and Justly denounces the farce OF applying
10 the Legislature, session after session, for
authority" to inaugurate this sorely
needed agency Of public protection. 1t
points out. as Every Evening has done
upon several occasions, the fact that City
Council has ample powers, without re-
course 10 the Legislature, 10 provide the
financial means for instituting paid Fire
Department. and by solemn warning,
based on prevailing conditions, makes II
manifest that il is the duty Of City Coun-
ciI 10 do this without increasing, by
fatuous delay, the imminent danger with
which the city is now threatened OF awak-
ening some morning and finding the COM
munity largely deprived of remuneration
for fire losses through insurance.
More encouraging than all the rest is the
concluding portion of this timely, per-
tinent and valuable disquisition upon an
important branch OF our municipal ad-
ministration. I'VE feel convinced, says
our contemporary, that competent
business man with organizing ability can
take our old rattletrap governmental ma
chine we now have, and with City Coun-
Gil that will adopt his recommendations
speedily provide and put in operation paid
Fire Department that will give the city
adequate protection Let US have action"
Yes. with a City Council that will
adopt his recommendations. But there's
the rub" How can we get such City
Council. The present inefficient body isno
better than it's predecessors for a long
while, but our morning contemporary has
been praising and ndorsing these bodies
of municipal incompetents and urging
their continuance in power at each re-
curing municipal election. Even the
horrible record OF the immediate predeces-
cor Of the present body, with its astound-
ing disregard of the condition of a COM
munity struggling desperately in the
grasp of horrible contagion that took its
toll of human lives by hundreds, its re-
fusal 10 adequately support the efforts of q
Board Of Health hampered by lack of
power and money, or to supplement the
heroic efforts Of noble men and women
who at large personal sacrifice splendidly
combatted the lnsidious and murderous
enemy, even going TO the extent Of refus-
ing 10 pay bills incurred in this desperate
battle with death, brought forth no such
protest from our contemporary as that
contained in it's issue of yesterday. AT
the latest municipal election it advocated
the continuance in power OF that
miserably Indifferent local admins
tration, brazenly contending that it
would De to the best interests of the people
TO do 20.
We welcome our contemporary to the
campaign for improved, businesslike meth
ods of municipal administration which
Every Evening has been conducting. al
most alone and unsupported, for many
years. Let it keep up the good fight until
We havos new city charter and an ad-
ministration that viii do things for the
people. not merely serve the purposes Of a
partisan machine.