Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-23
CHARTER CAMPAIGN
. BOUND TO CONTINUE
DESPITE SETBACK
Sentiment Too Strong to be Sup
pressed by Selfish Partisan
Opposition.
FEW CANNOT RESIST MANY

Morning News. today.
Defeat of the proposed new charter
for Wilmington will prove to be
pyr-rhic victory for it's enemies. They
have won at too heavy a cost to them.
They have trified with the sound pub
lie sentiment of Wilmington. mocked
the earnest men and women who have
80 gallantly waged a battle for better
government In Wilmin ton. They play
ed fast and loose with those citizens,
with the countless numt of organiza-
tions that advocated the new charter.
and they have fiouted the vast body of
our citizenship.
Never before was a movement in
Wilmington begun with so unselfsh
n purpose in mind. From the thoughts
Of the earnest advocates Of an improve
ment in our government all ideas of
partisanship were banished The sole
purpose was 10 have Wilmington take
a forward step that would benefit our
entire people The agitation for new
charter has deeply stirred the public
and those who fancy that the storm of
indignation viii blow over and that
the forces which have arrayed them
selves for change in our form OF
government will abandon the fight are
much mistaken. Eventually this city
Il
,fnmcnt. so that our municipal affairs
shall be conducted in a business-iike
manner Indignant the advocates of
the new charter are. but they are far
from being disc 1ura ged. They arc made
OF sterncr stuff. these men and women
When the campaign for the new
charter was begun il was apparently
entered upOn by those who concerned
themselves AZ all with it in good faith.
I.ut there were some exceptions. II
was presumed by those who opposed
the charter that the agitation would
count for little or nothing, that there
would be an academic discussion, and
that there il would end. But the move
mont gained headway. Then came the
disclosing of the concealed hands in
this city that were really working
.t-tinS, the charter. Had the opposi-
t.ou made an omen fight from the he
ilrrirg il could have met openly. But
l.., was a situation ir which every
Uu, profcssed to believe that we had
i system of government utterly out of
date With the various departments
WORKING at loGCcrheads with no CO.
ordination oi effort. jangling and Jazz
= iu = prctenCe Of funCtioning as
ruper city government.
Inc important features III the pro-
..sci charter embraced the hest meth
SIS of municipal government that the
Wi of man has devised.
Tho hattie has been temporarily lost.
-Est az such battles have been lost in
cher cities where 81 radical change
= contemplated The sentiment created
for new charter VIII inspire those who
have conducted the battle to even
.r, ater cfo1ts Victory in tho end will
l theirs. In many cities the path TO
ro llght kind uf government is ClogGcd /
, IN obstacles. but they have been ulu- /
. ttcly overcome.
Here al the forces who feared
c1s uye. who were content with things
they are. because their own pur-
P uses were served by such q situation
ere against the charter. and they
: .No succ,e edeu in temporarily sand
3 -giug the demands Of the great mass
thc people for change. But the .
rests q the city Of Wilmington as
wholc viii not be permanently sub
linatcd t. the wishes Of few The
1pic carno; be indefinitely manipu-
; led as a cats law.