Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-03-28

e1"Yo1eb 1uAt hteam power shall nol he
| employed, and that the consent OF Ooun.
oil to use the streets shall be obtained.
me Eighth street line could not fatty
complain Of similar restrictions. Speak.
ing OF tho Wilmington City Railwav
oharter, review Of Il does not speak
well for the discrimination Of the legisla.
TORS Oh 70 years ago In other respects
ror cne thing that charter Ia perpetual,
further, 1t gives the right to lay tracks
on county roads for distance OF six
miles beyond the city limits, apparently
without asking anybods's permission. It
also contains this remarkable provls,on.
which seems to have been overrid den by
subsequent Legislature 1.-The said
corporation shall have the exclusive
right and privilege OF locating, CON.
htinc'ing, operating and maintaining a
oily railway within the city iimits.n Ths
faot that the Front street railway has
since been chartered shows that this ex-
oiuslye grant has not proved tenable.
AdAIssr VALUED POLICY.
Quite delegation of insurance man
addressed the members of the Legisle.
ture in the State House parlor to.nisht In
regard 10 the unwisdom and danger or tho
totttJ Dill. AnOnu
those present were William B. Kelley Of
tne american Fire Insurance Company,
Philadelphia; O. q. Beers Of New York,
representing the London Assurance Oom.
panyi Insurance Commissioner Pratt,
oolenei W. A, LaMolte of the Farmers
Mutual; George II. Bates, E.u, of the
New Castle County Mutual; Manloye
hayes, OF the Farmers Mutnai; Joseph
l. Carpenter, Jt., Of the Nav Castle
oountS Mutual; Ford L. Giipin OF Will
mington, and William Denney Of the
Kent County Mutual. Mr.. Kelley gpoke
or the deplorable workings of valued
policy in the states of Massachusetts
Ohio Wisconsin and lowe, and dweit
upon the point, 80 much misundAr.
$1,000, that the insurance commits
slonera, by whose united authority
these deplorahls results have been
SO unimpeschabiy suDstantiated, are not
tue representatives of insurance COM
panies but the representatives OF the
people, placed in Office TO see that their
interests do not unduly suff4r at the
hands OF the insurance companies. MIR.
Richardson propoundsd q number OF in.
ttrrogatories, which In the main were
readily aud satisfactorily answered by
MIR. Kelley. He made espec ally clenr
the REASONS why the enactment OF sucf a
law would make insurance rates higher
in Delaware, even II IL did not drive out
oil foreign companies, as was the case in
New Hampshire. Mr.. Gilpin stated also
how valued policy must increase rates
and how sDoh increase wouli cause large
insurers to withdraw their business from
Delaware and place IL In Philadelphia or
elsewhere under contracts made outside
OF Delaware. Several large establishments
In and around Wilmington have done this
already because of slight ad
vance in rates made year or two
ago. Mr.. Gilpin read letter from
Edward Atkinson, the world renowned
authority on every thing pertaining to
political economy, in which that famous
writer expressed in earnest language his
surprise that the Delaware Legislature
should contemplate following In d rec.
ton which the experience OF other states |
had demonstrated was delusiye AZ d dam
gerous. Mr.. Bates, who appeared as a |
director 10 the New Castle County Mutual
and Citizen interested in insurance and |
not in the capacity Of an attorney, in |
Weighed against the proposed law as nm
American and undemocIatic and in con. |
ftct with the spirit of that declaration of |
the Bill Of Right which forbids the tax.
ing away Of private property without
compensation. The very probable re-
suit OF such a law would be TO break up
the business OF suoh men as Messts.
Giipin and Van Trump; business that
was really their property; property
which they could sell any day Tor o
money consideration. AS to mutual
companies, 1t would not maze
so much difference directly, because
such companies are not in the
business to make money but as oopart-
ners whose interests are in common. But
the mutual companies cannot do the in.
surance business Of the whole State. They
are already carrying nearly or quite all
the risks they care to. 10 that IL the
other companies are driven out of the
ktAte, proprletora OF Thousands Of small
dwellings, who cannot well afford to go
20 Philadelphia or elsewhere, will be in
bad way TO get insurance. Mr.. Bates
dwelt upon the injnstioe of forcing him
by law to make contract which he did
not wish to make. II the law be go ad
juated as to enable those who wanted
valued policies to have them, and TO leave
those who did mot want valued policies
freq to taks ordinary policies, be would
have no objection to it; but certainly
there Was nothing fair in saying that
man who wantD to insure his property
shall mot be allowed to do SO in bis own
way. Mr.. Bates hoped to live to see the
day when freedom OF contract shall be
held as sacred as freedom of speech.
AUSTRALIAN BALLOT LAW.
The Australian Ballot bill introduced
by Mr.. Clark has been for some days, by
agreement between himself and Mr.. Arm
strong, who has been concerned in the
of similar bill, in the hands
Of two Dover attorneys who, after critical
study, have reported that the bill as
originally drawn is as nearly perfect as i
hey oould make it. This being decided, !
MIR. CLARK moved to day that tho House |
committee be instructed to have 500 4
copies of the bill printed. The motion 9
ont some expressions ndi,ative /
of the feeling towards this measure. /
Mr.. Wallace-It looks liae folly to f
pend money for printing bill that
,tands no possible show of passing. !
W. l.. Davis-I don't think there is any !
possibility OF this bill passing till we !
AVE our voting places made smaller;they {
,ould NOT sill vote on the sEme day. +
,slieve tho bill at this time impraotioable c
md thatthere is no probability OF its U
,eiDg passed. q
Mr. Hynson--It we were to pass this =
,ill ana lind 1t practicable, We could y
make our districts conform to ii. D
A rising vote being called for, eight L
avored printing and seven opposed it. p
There wss historical occasion when 81
light beat seven, but the speaker was not \
ltoeether certain of the count this time u u
nd the yeas and nays were called for +
lending the taking OF the vocal vote I,
here was little more discussion. ii