Daily Republican., 1882-08-31
street Corner Nulsances.

street Corner Nu1sances.
Petitions to the City Council are be-
ing numerously signed asking that
body to abolish the street corner stands
and to enforce the ordinance prohibit
ing peddling through the streets ex-
pspt for farmers who wholesale their
produce. This is eminently right ana
proper. 1t is high time the City Coun-
Gil should take some action on this ques
tion. The street corner stands In some
instances have become the next thing
10 nuisances and as such should be
abolished, Besides this the permission
Riven to these Italian venders, for they
are of that nationality, is a standing
insult to our home native merchants,
whom we compel to keep off the streets,
nay rents for stores and county licenses
besides. We have no feeling against
these peripatetic venders of fruit be-
cause they are Italians, but we can see
no good reason why they should be
given exclusive privileges over and
above those who are native and to the
manor born. When these people fasten
themselves upon our street corners,
they hold on to them with a death. like
grip which our city authorities either
will not or cannot uploose. In some
instances they sell more fruit than the
corner store at which they stand, and
in few years they are enabled to sail
off for sunny Italy with a fortune in
their pockets, while the man who pays
high rents for store and a big license
to the County, may have struggle to |
keep the sheriff from his doors. This
is not right, and no kind of smooth sem
timental sophistry can make 1t right. I
These mon who are getting rich and
are paying no license, should be COM
PEELED to do both-pick up their traps |
and stock in trade and go in store
like other legitimate and honest mer-
chants. Every body almost in VIII
mington has seen the legless French
woman-she may have been an Italian
foo-who sat On the corner pavements1
at Fourth and Market streets and othe.II
faces and sold pencils. There was
sympathy for this woman, for she was
q genuine cripple and many were NOV
cd by their sympathies to buy her PEN
ellis who did not need them. She was
here some three or four years, but
though she was legless she was a NOV
able shop and less nuisance than the
permanent concerns at the corners
which through thrift have become little
houses and well proportioned stores.
Even this crippled woman has made a
furtane and few days ago she sailed
in triumph for her native land, taking
with her the fortune she had collected
from us by operating upon our sympa-
thies. We have no complaint particu-
larly against this woman or the manner
in which she made her fortune, bnt we
would just remark that our markets are
Becoming havens of resort to the Grip.
pled, the deaf and the blind sent over
from European countries for us to keep.
This same sympathy extended dur
ing the war to some of these
Italian vendors and they were allowed
certain privileges at that time which
were taken advantage of and the foot
hold obtained then has been strength
ened since. Ifcripples and poor people |
are to be favored there are plenty of |
them in our midst who should be the
first recipients. If this freedom is al |
lowed much longer there will be larger |
stores outside of legitimate store build |
iDgs than inside. If these italian ven
ders are to be allowed to set up store |
on every corner without hindranct'
there certainly should be no objections
10 permitting our own people doing the
same thing. If no tax is required from
tionists and merchants, why tax our
own people? Why few days ago a
camp chair m anufacturer dropped
down to Wilmington from Philadel.
phia with an inferior article of camp
stools, but they we're cheap, and he was
30 enterprising that he left some at one
street corner and some at another until
he had them all sold and the money in
his pocket? The sublimity of his i'm
pudence was reached when he unloaded
q number in front of Mr.. Adair's fur
Miture ware rooms and sold them there
making more money in short time
ihRn Mr.. Adair made all day by his
legitimate sales-probably more than
he made for two or three days. When
hS was sold out he went back in
triumph to Philadelphia, with his pock.
etS lined with Wilmington money
without leaving a cent behind for
nither rent, privilege or license. There
Burely is great need of city ordinance
to meet such cases or if there are any
pR tho ordinance book there is great
need OF enforcing them. Every honest
Legitimate merchant in the city is an.
tagUnized by these loose shuffling street
corner merchants. Every one of them
Shonh sign the petitions which are in
circulation asking Council to take the
matter in hand and right a grievous
wrong.
--~-o-S
THE yellOw-fever has become cpl.
dsmic in BrownviIle, Texas, and is in. {
GreasIng at an alarming rate. 1t might
30 well enough not to wait in keeping