Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-07
REPUBLICAN SCHEMERS
SEVERELY PlLLlORlEO FOR
DEFEAT OF CHARTER BILL
Continued from page l

organization ready to cooperate and
support them In their efforts, "a General
Citizens Charter Committee was
formed composed of all organizations
and citizens willing to assist In the
movement In due course the Bi-Parti-
san Committee presented to the Gen-
eral Citizens Committee form OF
charter for their approval, and after tuii
consideration the draft was indorscd.
The fundamentals of this bill provided
for a commission of five TO be elected
from the city at large on non-parti-
san ballot with full Legislative, judicial
and administrative powers. leaving IL
discretionary with the commission To
appoint city manager, ana furthef
providing for the recall and referendum
principles Thereafter the Bi-Partisan
Committee adopted a resolution making
IL mandatory upon the commissioners
To appoint city manager. ana thcy
gave fun consideration To three other
resolutions. one relative TO the salaries
TO be paid to the commissioners ana
city manager. one to providing Tor pre-
liminary non-partisan primaries To De
! held prior to the final election. and the
! other placing the holding of the Pm
maries and the election i'm the hands of
| lnt tAlNllIlE Oi ttttAbiiHt ~
stead of in the Board of Commissioners.
| as provided in the original draft. These
resolutions were. at joint meeting,
| presented by the Bi-Partisan Commit
tee to the General Citizens Committee
| for their consideration. and after "A full
discussion all were approved. with the
/ exception of the one to provide for a
| preliminary bipartisan primary.
] ,{e-b sytu
offered and supported by Republican
members of the Bi-Partisan Committee
and opposed to some extent by the
| Democratic members.
After the adoption of these rcsolu-
! tions. il was agreed that the sub-com-
mittee of attorneys would prepare this
| final draft Of the BILL and the same
| when completed would he presented Il
the Legislature by the Bi-partisan Com
mittec through their chairman All o
this was done and on February tn,
bill was introduced into the senate y.
Senator James W Robertson OF vii
mingtou, and by the presiding office
referred to the Senate Committee OF
municipal corporations. of which Sena
tor Robertson was chairman. The bill
was known as senate Bin No i27
Immediately 5000 copies of the bil
were ordered printed 10y the Genera
Citizens Committee for general dis
| uihution among the various organiza
tiOns and citizens of Wilmington. anS
active steps We're taken TO secure IN,
widest circulation and endorsement o
the bill organization after organiza
ton went on record in favor of the bill
by adopting resolutions TO be sent t,
the presiding officers ~ both the Senate
and the House and to the members o
the General Assembly from the cit
OF Wilmington. AT a luncheon meeting
Of the Legislative committee Of tn,
Chamber Of Commerce. called the wcel
following for the purpose Of considerini
various bills pending in the Legisla
ture. to which the members OF IN,
General Assembly from Wilmington
are invited Senator Robertson raises
objections to certain details Of tn
Charter hill. none Of which. however
affected the fundamental provisions
and he consented to place his objection
ia writing.
At similar meeting hold ono vice.
later these objections were discussed
and II was agreed BY the chairman O
the Bi-Fartisan Committee that the at
t0rneys ~ the committee would pre-
pare such amendments 20 the bill n
would satisfactorily meet Senate
Robertson's objections.
. New bills were prepared GOVERN
these amendments and forwarded |
Senator Robertson as a substitute 70
the original Senate bill No. 127. an
1000 copies were immediately ordere
printed by the General Citizens Com
nittee for distribution.
on Thursday, March 10. publi
| hearing was held in the House OF Rel
resentatives at Dover. Senator Robert
son presiding when The provisions {
the substitute bill as finally prepare
were explained by Charles r. Curie.
ESQUIRE. a member OF the sub-commii
: tee Of attorneys. and other speaker
who SPOKE in behalf Of the bill II va
, | shown that over fifty various organ
! | cations representing membership
+ IS 900 had indorsed the charter and b
resolution urged its passage. A lett,
from Colonel George w. Sparks, ehail
? man OF the Bi- partisan Committee, wa
also presented in support of the bill. q
well as a written opinion as To The col
{ | stitutionahty Of the bill same havin
been prepared by Robert q. Harma
ESQUIRE, IL II. Ward. Esquire, ar
Robert n Richards. Esquire.
Robertson's s committee brought out
: charter bill with favorable report, ar
II was supposed that il was the cit
! | zen's charter bill as finally amended.
: Killed by Partisanship.
a The above covers all the various steI
= taken in the charter movement up
| the time charter bill was reported OF
z bv the Senate committee. This con
rnit1ee Of which Senator Robertso
was chairman. practically destroyed Il
: original bill with its accepted amen'
! rnents. and substituted therefor pa
a tisan measure which could not
agreed 10 by either the friends
4 charter reform or by the Democrat
Senator'S who stood ready 10 vote L
a pon-partisan charter bill.
After the defeat of the substitute
2 o6 Senator Robertson in the Senai
FIe4resentative Kramer of Tilmingto
= chairman of the House municipal co
r | uorations committee, reported
| citizens substitute charter bill, whl'
1 included the accepted amendments. u
; fortunately, the Republican members
the House first endeavored TO load u
. bin down with the same unaSceptat
= amendments which defeated the bill
the Senate. and. failing in having the
amendments adopted. they voted in bio
against the passage OF the Dali, Whi
, they could not amend.
You will see therefore, that IN DO
the Senate and the House there was
x well defined and effective plan. seemin