Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-03-01
FIRST EDITION.
Thc "OId Dominion Enterpr,.,


MR. M'oREADYs COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR DEvEL.
orISG THE LOWER END THE sTArE--AN Rx-
| TENsIvE RAILWAY sYBTEM CENTEBISo AT LEwEs
| A STRUGGLE WITH THE p, W. q b. Co-IM-
foRTAscE OF THE EASTERN SHORE ROAD.
10 tie EGftor Of the Commercial:
As citizen of Delaware have felt IL very
warm interest in the development OF the railroad
system in Kent and Sussex. Tie people of those
counties may well hail Mr.. McCready and the
Old Dominion Steamship Company as their best
friends, for they are honest in their purpose and
sincere in their efforts to extend old roads and
build new roads, having for their purpose the
development of the whole Peninsula, and draw
ing the trade to the Junction a. Breakwater Rail-
road. There may be selfshners in this, where
personal gain is at the bottom of it, nevertheless
any investment of capital in this direction must
go directly or indirectly to benefit the section
named as well as the entire State.
1t IL surprising that 80 many years have
passed without other men of large capital and
corporations Of enterprise and farsightedness
seeing their opportunities and embracing them;
this has been reserved for men Of sister State
who apparently appreciated the advantage Of
| such development more than We ourselves do !;
therefore let not only give all honor to these
parties, but let us as citizens give every encour-
agement to carrying out the plans which are
matured with such excellent judgment. We may
do this fret, by investing our money in the sew
eral enterprises along with Mr.. McCready and
been asked for this il one OF the most impor-
tant matters that can engage the attention of
| our legislators, and is happy relief from the
| petty business of considering divorce cases and
| preventing stock from running at large. Let
| them consider the subject carefully and act wise
ly, for certainly no such opportunity has been
offered the people of Kent and Sussex in the
| present century to help them awake from their
| long sleep of business inactivity and Judging by
| the signs of the times, they are certainly wido
awake now, and all moving in the right direction.
1t mighty revolution socially and CONNER
| cially, which will end by making Kent and Sus-
sex the garden spot of our state and give AMI
nation and prosperity to every interest, and de-
velop new enterprises not dreamed of by the
| Rip Van Wrinkles of our time.
| While Mr. McCready is maturing and carrying
| out his plans it IL not to be supposed that the
L. W. x b. r. II. Co. are quiet and uninterested
lockers on the ripe pear that seemed ready to
drop into their extended hands, was rejected,
and allowed to be pucked quietly by Mr.. Me-
| Cready and his friends and they cannot charge
the latter with bad faith or lack Of courtesy in
| any respect.
1t may be that through disappointment and
startled by the gigantic strides taken by Mr. Nc
| Cready they may awake to the fatal error COM
mitted, and be willing to abandon their passive
policy to the various connecting lines with Della
ware r. H., and show more liberal spirit in
their dealings with the peach-growers and citi-
| zens living the Peninsula They have had
matters in their own hands 80 long, and have
felt secure in their position, that it il not to
terings of complaint that hare come up annually
| from the people, and now see determined eff
fort to throw of tho yoke by helping build mp a
great rival for the carrying trade by way of New
York. IL may be they will strive to crush this
rival before it attains its growth this can hard
| ly he done now; it has got a start
and no opposing interest can hold it
perhaps controlling, legislation and by encour-
aging rival roads such as the one projected from
Salisbury to Georgetown, in opposition to the
| one from Delmar to Georgetown, connecting
with the Eastern Shore II. Il. or tho may strive
to starve it to death by cutting down rates and
| thus draw all the busneas from that section
| over the Delaware II. II. This promises to be
the most effectual and would have the effect
| of combining the operations mainly to the JUNO.
| ton Breakwater II. Il. which of itself cannot
| furnish business enough to warrant the running
of line of steamships from Lewes to New York,
| hardly for two months in the Summer. With the
| Old Dominion Company, extension means success
and perpetuity without this the continuance OF
| the line would seem to be only question OF
| time, and this fact the r. W. x b. Co. certainly
| is not ignorant Of aud will not be likely to let
| slip the opportunity to protect their own in
| terest, even If it should interfere wit the well
| developed plans of their rival.
| The smaller the area they are confined to, he
| less power they will have to do them harm and
Interfere with the very profitable trade which
| thcy now control, the increase in which, year by
year, has shown the Delaware II. II. and its trib-
utaries to be of more importance even than the
not he lost easily az the j. & B. Railroad was
| lost.
1t seems to me that the key of the position is
| the Eastern Shore Il. r. So long as the p w.
| * q. II. H. controls it and compels it to work in
| harmony they prevent Mr.. McCready from pass
ing north of the Eastern Shore Il. r., and con-
| fine him to the district SOUTH thus keeping the
competition within limited territory, while the
Eastern Shore II. II. is used as base of opera
tions the holder of which can send OFF branch
roads into the territory of the rival, and draw
business away from him and otherwise demora-
| lie his operations at pleasure, and at the same
time the T.. w. & i. holds the Eastern Shore r.
r. as the link which preserves it as great through
freight line between the North and South, and
enables it to carry freight cheaper and more ex-
peditiously than by way of Baltimore. Hence
the importance Of holding this link is fully ap-
preciated by the =. w. Il Is.
On the other hand, if Mr.. McCready should
get control of the Eastern Shore II. II. aud ex
| Tend it to Georgetown by his new road, which
will undoubtedly be built, he then closes the
back door against the Z. W. B. X. II. emitting
them off from their southern connections by the
Peninsula and confines them to their local trade
over the Delaware II. r., while he will have an
uninterrupted connection from Bay to Bay, and
from the very nature of the position will be able
to carry out his enlarged views of railroad ex-
tension, and secure to the Junction i Break
water r. II. and the Old Dominion Steamship
Co. the sntire carrying trade from the Peninsula
south of the Eastern Shore II. Il. without let or
hndrance from the p. w. Il i.
Mr.. McCready, like wise, skillful general,
has not failed to protect bis rear, which he does
by his new road to be built from Milford to Do
ver and which may be extended farther North
if the necessity arises.
While l have sketohed the position of the Pc
ninsalar rivals, it is only faT to presume that
each company will have respect to the annual
dividend day, and avoid ruinous Competition,
that can only bring grief to the stockholders,
however much such competition would tend to
stimulate trade and encourage and develop all
the industries OF the State Come what will
Delaware will feel its life blood pulsating with
an unwonted vigor, and in few short years
will find that in material prosperity she is not
behind some of her new sisters of the West
thanks to the enterprise and lberality OF Mr.
McCready and his friends LooKERoN.
SeIf-sxiiIed Jury.