The daily gazette., 1879-01-11
The Work Of the Legislature,

Some Of the More Important Matters Of
Legislation which are Likely to come
up Before The General assembly briefly
Considered.
Special Correspondence OF the Gazette.
DOVER, DEL, January 11th, 1S79.-
Just now, when the town wears a desert
| ed aspect for General Assembly win
ter, and all the members have gone home
to appeal to friends and advisors for in
formation ss To how they shall act, and
to talk over the benefit or disadvantage
likely TO arise from certain proposed bills
they will have to act on, 1t may be in
teresting TO briefly review some of the
more prominent of them.
The action likely TO be taken upon the
Breakwater AID Frankford Railroad will
Sussex members that has been anticipat-
ed. Indeed the question of forecosing
the mortgage, if brought up would, l
doubt not, from what the members them
lselves say now, receive their votes. The
history of this road is similar to that of
the Eastern Shore road, running from
Delmar to Cristield, Md, decree for
the sale of which, was granted in the
| United States Circuit Court in the early
part of the present winter. However,
, its life was even shorter and more dsas-
trous. The lesson taught to the men
U who venturci In a railroad enterprise in
the lower part Of the Peninsula has been
o more than pleasant, and another case il
which SO great failure has occurred
cannot be found as Il parallel. The lead
ing spirit of the road was the late JOIN
Hickman, of Franktord, Sussex county
He was member of the Legislature
E when the act OF incorpora ion was passe,
by that body in 1869. lie was paltcu
u larly active in his efforts to get the ac
= passed. and did more, it is said, towar,
;, bringing the road into exist ance, than al
D. the other Interested parties combined.-
. He was president of the road and re
!, NAMED in that Office To the time of In
death. 1t was through him tha the loal
was gotten from the State, tor which
\ 500, 900 mortgage was given, and who
mortgage is the one that may be foreclos
ed. The object Of the Frankford rail
road was-,is was that Of the E.. $. Il. X
TO which We have already compared it
to open line of travel from the Soul
l.. to New York. 1t was first built floI
line, aud afterwards extended across I
the edge of the Chesapeake at Frauklr
Here steamers were run from Norfoll
y Va, with passengers and freight whic
were tranferred to the cars and tram
ported TO Georgetown. Thence oh I'll
j. IL b. X. r., they were taken to Lew'
and put on board the steamers of Il
Old dominion line, which ran direcl
q New York But the project was fai
,r ure; the five steamers carried few pa
sengers and the cars scattered dust I,
the most part over empty seats. III
Only business Of any account that u
I'm road did, was that of freight and ih
II was far from paying the expenses. III
road fell rapidly behind III paying the i
terest constantly accruing upon the loi
= made, and two years ago at the session
the General Assembly, the State Trta
urer was authorized to bid for the ro;
as Ii gh as 500, 200, the amount # t
mortgage, i'll case the mortgage had to
foreclosed. Some doubt is express d
n to whether the road would be worth t
III amount Of the mortgage to the State a
!. it is a'so said that the Old Domini
Steamship Company, whose interests
course are largely identified with t
road, would not be willing to give
much either.
The mode of making the annual
- demption surplus larger will natura
~ call up an effort to convert the bond
. drbt into bonds bearing a lower rate
interest. The advantages are imports
II, and manifest. BY the adoption of s.,
a plan the saving in interest would
l, considerable, the time required for
AR final redemption of our indebtedn
would be shortened, and with skill
,rn management profitable premium on
sales of the new bonds might be realiz
AR Thus reasons the Governor in his NJ
sage to the Legislature, and l bell
that the members are repeating the
gent facts over in their minds and
L'n' marking that the idea is good ont
There is strong likelihood of act
cen being taken upon the matter at this
sion.
Then there is the much agitated q
ton of county division, which is sur
cause a contest if it comes up, an
equally sure to be introduced for act
= MIR. William Dean is one OF the STR
IN. est in favor of the matter in the Ho
and he argues the subject strongly
profoundly. All the other New CT
members are favorable to The divls
Va In Kent the members, while fan
VIZ being favorable, are not as unreason
as was supposed. They do not exi
'. wish New Castle county to have any
ger representation than the other tv
the Blue Hens brood, but they migl
far more opposed. And Sussex