DELAWARE. 



Political. Charges of bribery Avere made in 

 connection with the registration for the election 

 in the autumn of 1898, and arrests were made 

 the following year. 



The municipal election in Wilmington this year 

 showed a irreat falling off in the Union-Repub- 

 lican vote compared with the regular. Out of a 

 total poll of 10,081 votes, the highest Umon- 

 Republican vote was 1,822, and the regular 3,451. 

 The Union-Republican vote was 18 per cent, of 

 the total, against 30 per cent, in 1890, and 34 per 

 cent, of the total Republican, against 51 per cent. 

 in 1890. ,. 



Legislative Session. The General Assembly 

 met Jan 3 and adjourned March 13. C. H. Sal- 

 mon was President of the Senate, and Theodore 

 F Clark was elected Speaker of the House, Jan. 

 7, on the ninety-first ballot. The Senate stood 

 9' Democrats and 8 Republicans; the House, 12 

 Democrats and 23 Republicans. 



The Governor in his message recommended the 

 passage of a general corporation bill as contem- 

 plated by the new Constitution, a subject which 

 was before the special session in 1898, but failed 

 of being enacted into a law; an act to insure fre- 

 quent settlements of collectors with county treas- 

 urers: a good highway law; provision for having 

 State printing done and stationery supplies fur- 

 nished by contracts awarded after advertisements 

 for bids: and consideration of the subject of a 

 State exhibit at the Paris Exposition. 



The Legislature enacted a general incorpora- 

 tion law and a general law for the government of 

 building and loan associations, providing for re- 

 ports to the Insurance Commissioner and super- 

 vision by him. The act concerning free schools 

 was amended, an act for providing graded-school 

 facilities was passed, and one relating to circu- 

 lating libraries for the schools. Teachers of ten 

 years' experience were exempted from the re- 

 quirement of examination, and special acts relat- 

 ing to schools and school moneys were passed. 

 Some changes were made in the game and fish 

 laws. The act providing for the assessment of 

 poll taxes was repealed, and also an act pro- 

 viding that upon a preliminary argument, which 

 may be for a simple matter, an appeal may be 

 taken to the Supreme Court, thus delaying the 

 trial of the case almost indefinitely. Before the 

 passage of this act the practice was that an ex- 

 ception should be noted in the court below of any 

 ruling upon a demurrer. The case should then 

 proceed to trial in the lower court, and the ques- 

 tion reserved, as well assail other questions in- 

 volved in the trial of this case, should be deter- 

 mined at one time. 



Other acts of the session were: 



Regulating the sale of liquors to minors, in- 

 sane persons, and any not of sound mind. 



Appropriating $1,500 to the State Fair Asso- 

 ciation. 



Authorizing the appointment of six trustees 

 with power to borrow $100,000 for the purpose 

 of erecting buildings and establishing a work- 

 house in New Castle County. 



Establishing a State Board of Agriculture. 



Authorizing the Superior Court to change the 

 names of wives and children in divorce cases. 



Regulating the licensing of pilots. 



Providing for giving the State jurisdiction of 

 crimes begun in the State and finished else- 

 where. 



Requiring the closing of barber shops on 

 Sunday. 



Regulating the sale of yellow-trefoil seed mixed 

 with the seed of red clover. 



Fixing a standard of measurement for oysters. 



Providing punishment for persons using worth- 

 less checks. 



For the protection of labels and seals of labor 

 organizations. 



To prevent adulteration of candy. 



Giving parties in suits for divorce the right of 

 appeal. 



Changing the name of Little creek to Little 

 river. 



Regulating the sale of poisons. 



Providing that a voter when designating his 

 choice of candidates shall mark his ballot with 

 a lead pencil. 



Taxing roving bands of gypsies! 



Amending the act relating to the practice of 

 dentistry. 



Among the items of the general appropria- 

 tion bill were salaries of the Governor, $2,000; 

 Secretary of State, $1,000; librarian, $550; Chan- 

 cellor, $3,800; Chief Justice, $3,800; the four as- 

 sociate justices, $14,400; court stenographer, 

 $1,500; Treasurer, $1,450; Auditor, $1,200; At- 

 torney-General, $2,000; the two State detectives, 

 $2,400; the three county superintendents of 

 schools, $3,000: also, for institutes for white 

 teachers, $450; for colored, $100; for farmers' 

 institutes, $400; for Board of Agriculture, $1,200; 

 Industrial School for Girls, $1,500; Delaware Col- 

 lege, $19,200; State College for Colored Students, 

 $4,800; State printing, $0,000; for expenses of in- 

 digent deaf, blind, and idiotic children in insti- 

 tutions outside the State, $2,800; for the free 

 public schools, and in addition to the income aris- 

 ing from investments of the public-school fund, 

 to be used exclusively for the payment of teach- 

 ers' salaries and for furnishing free text-books, 

 $100,000; for the education of juvenile delinquents 

 committed from this State to the House of Refuge 

 in Philadelphia, $300: for paying interest on the 

 indebtedness of the 'State, $34,000; State Hos- 

 pital, $45,000. 



A joint resolution was adopted asking Congress 

 to provide for deepening the channel in Delaware 

 river to 30 feet, and a House resolution requested 

 Congress to confirm the treaty of peace with 

 Spain. 



An act providing for three legislative attorneys 

 was repassed after having been vetoed. 



Some bills that were passed by one house or 

 both houses were hidden or carried away to pre- 

 vent their final passage and approval. One en- 

 abling State officials to furnish corporate surety 

 disappeared before it w r as signed, and was after- 

 ward found under a desk in Representatives Hall. 

 One relating to municipal elections in Wilming- 

 ton was hidden after having been passed by the 

 Senate; and one providing for the investment of 

 $22,035, a portion of the school fund which was 

 found to be in the Farmers' Bank uninvested, 

 was missing, and did not reach the Governor. 



A bill was introduced and passed, the object 

 of which was to suppress gambling. It imposed 

 a fine not to exceed $500. When the bill reached 

 the Governor the words "in any one year" fol- 

 lowed the limit of $500 fine, thus virtually mak- 

 ing the $500 a license fee to carry on gambling 

 for a year. The result of investigation indicated 

 that a bill with these words added had been 

 substituted for the one that passed, and the in- 

 dorsement of the clerk had been forged upon it. 

 An indictment was found against E. D. C. Hege- 

 man, who was reported to have acknowledged 

 that he wrote the bill; but the indictment was 

 quashed, on the ground that there was no law 

 to meet one of the counts, and the other was 

 defective. 



One of the duties devolving upon the Legisla- 



