Middletown transcript., 1869-03-13
For the Mddleto~n Transcript.
Review OF StoekhoIder and Sinapls.

Mr.. EDIroR Some of the statements
published by some of your correspondents
in relation to the Kent County Railroad
Co. are calculated to mislead the Stock
holders and the public. The construction
of the Road through the county is an en-
terprisc involving large expenditure, and
promising when completed, great advan-
tages to the people of the county and to
others holding lands in the county. All
are anxious to see the work go forward,
while the limited means at the command
of the Co. requires cautious and judicious
management in its affairs to secure the
most favorable results from its resources.
This end, desirable to all concerned, can
not reasonably be expected to be subscrved
by misrepresentation. And in order to
better understanding of some of the mea-
sures that have been sharply criticised,
l wish to review the statements alluded to :
and the following, made by Stockhol-
der" claims attention first.
He represents that majority of the
Board "for more than two years have been
shifting and vacsillating, obstinately per-
sisting in coming through Cecil county and
Delaware to Middletown, when any man
of ordinary capacity upon reflection must
have known that the Kent County COM
pany had all they could do to construct
road from Massey's Cross Roads to Swan
Creek, and that when the Delaware Road
magnanimously offered to build branch
road from Townsend to Massey's Cross
Roads, this Board for more than year
refused to pledge connection, losing there
by more favorable connection at Massey's
than can now possibly be made, giving
entirely the location of the junction at
that point to the Queen Anne's company at
a cost of several thousand dollars to the
Kent company"
If he intends to charge these delays of
over one and two years to to the present
Board, it is only necessary to say, they
were elected on the 11th day of May 1868,
three of them were members, who, with
some of those who had been reelected in
the Middletown interest controlled these
measures, and however inexcusable the
subsequent delay, it extended only about
ffty-three days, instead of over one and
two years, the connection with the Della
ware branch road at Massey's having been
agreed to by the board, on the 3rd day of
July, then ensuing. IF he intended to
charge the delays to the old Board and
those of its members who were continued
in the present one, his statements as to
the time are untrue,
It will be remembered, that the Co.
organized in October or November 1866,
with insufficient resources, and that ad-
ditional means were to be raised by sub
scription to the stock of the company, by
Kent county, which could not be done
without legislation, and this was not Sc
cured until March 1867. The Delaware
R. R. Co. had proposed to build the road
to the State line, and it was thought this
would be done, either from Middletown or
Townsend. The Cecil county friends ex-
pected to secure Legislation to aid them
in raising funds to meet the excess of cost
of the Road from Massey's to the State
line, near Warwick, over what it would
be to the State line on the Townsend route.
Delay was necessary until these measures
were matured, and the Stockholders and
public generally appeared to prefer the
MiddletoWp route.
The Kent county, Co. however, never
as might be inferred from Stockholders |
statement, entertained any proposition to
build the road to Middletown, without re-
quiring additional funds to be furnished in |
that interest as a condition. And when
it became known, in the Spring of 1867, |
that if the terminus was made at Middle |
town, the company would receive no as
distance from the Delaware Railroad Co. |
while that Company, would on the Towns
end route build the road to the State line,
the Directors of the Kent County Co: !