The daily gazette., 1875-03-03
Il Plea for Stcte did FOR Rail-
roads.

lines OF railroads as last resort to OBJ
tam proper justice from the managers Of
the present monopoly heretofore char
tered by the State Of Delaware and lib
orally aided by said State. But whether
favorable or not, as public journal I
hope you will give place to few re-
marks on the subject, and the reasons
that prompt that course of action on the
part OF the lower counties OF this State.
In the first place, such aid has ALWAYS
been advocated by the managers of the
Delaware Railroad when they were to be
the beneficiaries Of the aid-ard they
| went beyond the mere right of the State
to grant such aid, but declared It to be
the duty Of the State to lend her aid where
there was even reasonable probability
that no loss would result from such ac-
tion.
And in the second place, it will not
son that in every instance where The
state has heretofore loaned her credit
for internal improvements she has been
and now Is abundantly secured against
any loss or damage on account Of sucn
policy. ..l-'
And now for the reason and justifica-
tion of furnishing such aid at the pres.
ent time. The State, at the time of
chartering the Delaware Railroad was
so excessively anxious to have a railroad
lengthwise of the State that she ex-
hausted her liberality in her grant of
said charter to induce capitalists to take
hold of it-going SO far as to release the
road from taxation for fifty years, and
granting its owners the unlimited right
to charge its customers any amount their
cupldity might dictate, and to charge
one man IL cents per 100 pounds to New
YORK and another in the neghborhood
of Sl.5O per 100 pounds; and to Phila-
delphia one man $3.50 per ton and anoth-
er man $40. per ton for transportation !;
and to single out the peach growers as
distinct class Of customers and lay their
State taxes on them, and tell them in
the presence of the Legislature of the
State, that whatever tax the State may
see proper to lay on the railroad will be
laid on the peach growers of the State
and collected in advance on every car
market. - -
And their charges to Philadelphia on
fruit and truck in baskets, is such as to
exclude the use Of baskets in many cars,
for instance two years ago gentleman
had several thousand baskets of very fine
apples, in the vicinity of Dover, which
were worth 25 cts per basket in Philadel-
! phia, but the railroad would not trans
port them there for less than Is cents a
basket, though the owner agreed to sign
contract releasing said road from all
liability for any loss that might happen
in the transportation of said apples, and
the owner lost his 1000 baskets Of apples
because he could not get them carried tc
market by the railroad at o price he could
{ afford to pay. Now be il remembered
a that said road originally carried fruit
in baskets from Dover to Philadelphia
for, | think cents per basket, but Ger
tainly not over cents per basket, but
finding they were under no restrain
r they have kept raising prices till the,
= have got the price up TO Is cents pc
basket Now it is well known that a
market basket Of apples will not weigl
over 3olbs;thus making the freight charg
Q a half cent q qosswd or SO per ton on greei
: apples to be transported but rs miles
:. which are by DO meens to be classet
4 among perishable fruits.
. The people have quietly submitted
. to these outrages, hoping the Legisla
2 ture could afford them relief, or tha
< at the end of the term of the frs
>, lease the Boston stockholders woul
= abandon the road to the Delawar
e stockholders, as they have declare
" all the time that they were losin
10 money by running it, and at the en-
>. of the first lease, though they pre-
~ duced balance sheet claiming the
the Delaware Railroad had not pal
running expenses by $3.50, 900 durin
c. the term of the first lease, still the
very promptly renewed said lease fl
another 20 ycars-of course consentin
r for the good of the people to loos
r. another $260,000 for their benefit.
Now, | do not suppose for one MI
ment, that there is one word of trut
ID in the statement of any such loss an
for the benefit of the Delaware stool
holders, it occurs to me it is propt
to subject for the Legislature to appoir
u, committee to investigate, to see I'll
r. manner Of keeping the accounts
bring out such q result.
But, Mr.. Editor, the object of tn
communication is to show such stai
of injustice and oppression on the pa
of the present monopoly, as to full
Justify state and to create competitic
with it, to compel it to respect OF
rights, or give us another outlet
:. market.
Az Now the line of steamers from LIE,
es will afford us that outlet, if theSta
r will aid us IN getting to them; and th
company is now rendering its servic
to help us if we can satisfy them tn
we are in condition to do our pa
with promptness, and this can only
= assured by the aid of the State CT
dit.
Members of the Legislature shou
in consider the wrongs and impositio
" practiced upon their constituents {
the last twenty years, and the adm
ted fact that they are powerless to
J., strain the present Railroad; then
b. the people of Kent and Sussex co,
NV ties urgently press upon the consid
alton of their honorable members, {
propricty of voing state aid as the or
escape from said impositions.
The men of wealth who have t
most interest in the State finances, 4
SO thoroughly convinced OF the p
"a 7 priety of the measure that they Il
on: pctitioning you to grant such aid
!. Gentlemen Of the Legislature rec
" lect, the aid now asked is not foi
mere experimental trial of building