Smyrna Times

A Democratic Mass meeting was held in Middletown, on Saturday afternoon in the interest of county reform. The resolutions which were prepared by Nathaniel Williams and were endorsed by Lewis Thompson. Esq., of Wilmington, were adopted as an expression for reform by the two hundred persons present, after being read by Geo. H. Bates

The resolutions adopted declare:

That the laws controlling the election of levy courtmen should be so revised at the next session of the legislature as to have said court composed of five members instead of eleven, as is now the case, who shall be paid a fixed salary and so elected as to always insure a minority representation.

That there be also incorporated to this revision of the laws appertaining to the Levy Court a provision for a controller similar to the provisions in the bill presented to the last Legislature, known as the Five Commissioners' bill, and that the financial affairs of said Levy Court, composed of five commissioners as aforesaid, be required to be stated and kept that it may be possible at any time to be thoroughly understood by all the tax payers of the county, and in this connection we further recommend that at the end of each fiscal year a financial statement, including a detailed account of the receipts and expenditures for the year just passed, be published by said Levy Court in two newspapers of different politics of this county.

That the next Legislature be requested to consider the system of assessing and collecting the county taxes and to devise some less expensive and less cumbersome plan.

That the boarding of prisoners in the county jail be separated from the office of sheriff and be under the control of the jail commissioners, to secure competitive bids for all supplies for said prisoners,

That the laws controlling all future elections should be so revised at the next session of the Legislature as to insure an absolutely secret ballot and efficiently prevent the possibility of fraud or to the corrupt use of money to influence said elections.

Ex-Governor Cochran presided and Dr. I. S. Vallandigham acted as secretary. Some of those present were: J. Wilkins Cooch, Nathaniel Williams, Macomb Clayton, William P. Lodge, John W. R. Killgore, T. L. J. Baldwin, Joseph Dean, Dr. John J. Black. John T. Cheairs, Henry Clayton, Dr. James V. Crawford, James L. David. C. J. Freeman. Abram Vandegrift. Thomas Dilworth, George H. Bates, Esq., Theodore F. Armstrong, Frank Kane, Colonel Enoch Moore, Henry A. Rowland, William L. Wier, Thomas McCracken, Lewis C. Vandegrift, Esq.