Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-08-25
opPosE sED TO THE TURNPIKE.



Market Street lie Surrendered to the
City Authorities.
Whatever may be the rights or the
wrongs of the matter there is no doubt
that residents OF Market street, Brandy
wine Village, feel almost beyond endur.
ance the imposition they are subjected
to in regard to the shameful condition
that that main public avenue is kept in.
They have petitioned the authorities
until they are tired. They go from one
to the other and are banded to and fro
until patience is mockery.
Residents and business men assert the
condition of Market street is an absolute
disgrace.
One main source of the trouble is, of
course that the road does not belong to
the city authorities. Therefore they can
exercise little, or what is insufficient,
authority in the premises.
The road.bed from the railway cross
ing just beyond Brandywine bridge to
the turnpike is the property of the Phil
adelphia Turnpike Company.
1t is an old chartered company. They
are autocrats of the position and can do
as they please or as they don't please.
The people of Brandywine Village
complain that the turnpike people dc
almost altogether the latter.
Here is what Brandywine business
man said:
"The city ought to appoint COM
mission to condemn the road-bed.
"When the weather is dry and the
wind is blowing the dust is so bad |
have to close my store. | cannot see
And then when it is damp and mucky
it smells fouler than pig pen.
81 see it is on the list of streets to be
paved, but don't understand how the
department can undertake anything of
the kind when they don't own the
ground.
"Ihe toll-gate is on the line of the
city limits.
There are lots Of farmers and others
who would leave a few dollars in the
village. But the teams don't COME
through along Market street on account
of the roughness of the road. They
turn off at Washington street and Con-
cord pike and come down Eighteenth
street to Market street bridge, thus cut
ting out all Brandywine Village from
patronage. Only those people come
through it who have to-"
Another said; "There are great
many so-called pressing, urgent ques-
tons 10 be brought up before the next
Legislature, but I'll tell you what with
an oath too large TO write) Pm not going
| to vote for any member of the Legis-
lature, be he Democrat or Republican,
unless he promises to vote for abolish
ing the authority of the turnpike COM
pany over Market street.
at is simply barbarous that Whining
| ton cannot control her own streets and
that this company of individuals, through
some antiquated enactment, can tax and
draw money from us and yet stand in
the way of our having civilized road
way, and still tax and tax, and we're to
stand this imposition while every other
main avenue of Wilmington is being
| creditably paved with an expenditure
of which we pay share.
"The turnpike company has been here
| long enough. II is time the Legislature
| took it by the scruif of the neck and
without paying it a single cent of com
pensation, bounced it clear out of Will
| mington."
you've made one mistake, friend"
remarked a bystander; 1--WE want you to
see that all turnpikes are abolished. We
don't want any at all in New Castle
county. 1t is time the Legislature
killed them all. They have bled the
people quite long enough. They
make no effort at all to give any ade-
quate return for the long.continucd
benefits they have been reaping. They
stand in the way Of the Levy Court
commissioners also. The roads of New
Castle county should belong to the
county and not to any private company.
Let the authorities demand an exhibit
| of their accounts. What they have ex-
pended in Brandywine Village is next
to nothing"
1t is understood that definite effort
will be made at the next session of the
Legislature in regard to freeing the city
from the turnpike company incubus.