Daily Republican., 1881-04-06
Railroads and Peninsula Consoii-
datiOn.

Railroads and Peninsula Conson-
dattOn.
The contingencies depending upon the
ehartering of competing line for the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad down the
State is another strong argument in
favor of the consolidation of the PENN
sula into one State. The fact is, there
is hardly room enough on the Peninsula
for two competing lines to be operated
with profit, but with one State and two
parts of States on tongue of land that
would not make a whole State larger
than Connecticut and with less than It's
population, the difficulties for compe-
ting line are increased. Delaware IL
traversed as near the centre OF the rem
insula as possible as far down as Har-
rington by the Delaware Railroad, now
in possession of the Pennsylvania Rail
road. and each side of the state mas
about equal facilities for shipping by
rail. The people of the towns down the
State now see the great error into which
they fell at the time the railroad was
built by adopting such measures as
compelled the railroad to be built at a
distance from all the leading towns
The citizens of Smyrna kept it off by
asking very exorbitant prices for the
right Of way through their lands, and
they now have Clayton as rival town,
detracting from both the business and
population of smyrna, Dover fought
the railroad Off but did not succeed in
making it locate so far away as to build
up rival town. Camden fell into the
same error, and Wyoming, only three
quarters of mile distant, with her
stores her warehouses, her mills, her
manufactures, her churches and one OF
the best schools on the Peninsula,
sprang into existence as successful
rival, leaving Camden following in the
wake, so far as real business enterprise
1E tDUGPIIlStI- TtltbIs I'LL Ct AlllVS hlS
tant, antagonizes and leads Fredcrica
in all that constitutes a prosperous,
busy, bustllng town, though she cannot
build vessels like Frederica can, Mil
ford, nine miles distant, is antagonized
by Harrington which will in all proba-
bility lead in few years more in popu-
lation as well as business. 1t was the
boast Of her citizens some years ago
that Milford was next to Wilmington
the largest town in the State, but this
boast can be made no more as both New
Castle and Dover that have no rival
towns to contend with outstrip hel
now in population, and Smyrna presses
hard on her heels. Had the Delaware
Railroad Company been encouraged to
have built their road near or through
this line Of old towns, they would still
have maintained their Leading impor~
tance and have had no riyals. The
people who fought off the railroad ir
the early days of railroading down tho
State have learned lesson and are not
= 30 much afraid of railroads now as they
were then. They no doubt would bt
perfectly willing for the Baltimore anG
Ohio Railroad to have a charter for {
road to run down on the eastern side O
their towns between themselves anG
the bay, just where the Delaware roat
would probably have been located had
il nos been forced TO the westward
But the difficulty now is that while there
is room enough there is not support
enough for another railroad On thai
side Of the State, and hence the Balti
more and Ohio Company are not anXiou'
to locate their competing line on thai
side. But another difficulty looms VI
by locating it on the west side of tn,
State as near the line probably aS possible
so as to attract trade. from the East"rl
shore of Maryland. The new line OF
that side, no doubt the bcst 70
the B. & o. Company it is beginning t.
be seen will injure Delaware.
The new road woull tap the Ken
and Queen Anne's road md "h3orh n
business done at Town,rni II would
tap the Delaware and Mar ,nd rail
road somewhere near h"u;uu and de
stroy the trade OF Clayton, l.p it Woult
also tap the Delaware and norcheste
road somewhere wet rI SyAtOrd aux
absorb great part IT "a" trad" ot tha
thriving town. T..u N...In y Dolawar
road it would b. d"'racti., f-om III
interests of D"lawar, moi on by all
sorbing great part OF III" ,"&'r Of III
Delaware railroad JI1ri", il, ncw mar
acemc!lt, but it would cheek The groWt,
OF tho ;owns that hay" Sprun% IN III
fourished within the last twenty year,
As we have already said there Sc.iII
not to be room enough in he narrU'
strip which constitutes the SfatH
Delaware for two great tiyal railrnnh
but there is room enough on the Pcnil
sula and the P,ninSu'a should be Oh
State TO avoid rlaahing Of interests. |
all probability if the delaware Leg
1ature does not charter the propose
new road, the Baltimore AMI Oh
Company will lai,d their road on II
Maryland side bu SO pear the line tn;
Maryland will get the lions share
benefits at the expense Of Delaware.
the Peninsula was ON" state, the
would be less objection TO the chartt
ing of road aud Less clashing Of intert
afterwards. Though on general prime