Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-02-23

Electric Lighting BIll Railroad ed
Through.
Special Correspondence of Gazette and Journal
DOVER DEL, Feb. 2l.--The Wilmington
New Castle Electric Railway bill occu-
pied the time of the House for part of the
morning and the whole OF the afternoon
session, and the news that the long de-
ferred contest was on filled the lobby and
all the spare seats on the floor. The Sena-
tors also found in the matter a magnet
sufficiently potent to draw most of them
into the, House and keep them there
during the grcater part Of the afternoon
session.
My kilograms have told how the bill got
before the House and the substance of the
amendment thereto, offered BY Mr.. Sauls.
bury, which was pending when the noon
recess was taken. More fully this amend
ment, which was the proposition of the
Wilmington City Railway Company, sub
mitted to the committee last Thursday
evening. was 10 the following effect:
That the Wilmington & New Castle com
pany be empowered to locate, construct
and operate railway running from New
Castle to South Wilmington where the
new line shall connect with an extension
Of the Wilmington city system at such
point as the new road shall intersect New
Castle avenue. From this point of con-
nection the Wilmington city company is
TO haul the passengers and the cars of the
new company upon such fair rates as the
Two companies shall agree on. In case of
Inability to so agree, the adjustment
OF the rates to be left TO a board of three
arbitrators to be appointed by Judge
Grubb. Should the Wilmington City
Railway Company decline to accept the
conditions laid down by these arbitrators,
then the New Castle company shall have
the right to come into the city, over
Market street bridge, to Front street, thence
by Front to Shipley and up Shipley street
sto city terminus az Fourth and Shipley
trce;s. Within the city the new company
TO pave between its tracks and for three
feet on each side thereof
This proposition was, Representative
Salisbury said, submitted to Attorney
Cooper, who was inclined to entertain II
favorably, but who stated that he could
not pronounce on 1t until he had conferred
with the gentlemen whom he represented.
After such conference. he reported that
they would not accept the amendment for
various reasons, which Mr.. Salisbury
rather outlined than distinctly reported.
One insnrmountable obstacle was that it
would in the opinion of the incorporators,
place the new company at the mercy of
an uncertanty--since no one could foresee
what this board of arbitrator might do,
and investors would not put money into
the road If hampered by such contin-
gency.
This amendment was opposed by Mr..
Cooch in two or three speeches, in which
he championed with all of his old-time per-
sistence and earnestness, the fairness and
public policy of the New Castle bill. MIR.
Cooch, as is known to all familiar with his
legislative record. puts his whole strength
into whatever he champions. and he did
urged that the New Castle delegation
was solid for this bill, and, it
being wholly q matter concerning that
county, this solidity should have great
weight with members from the
other counties. lie urged that ii was q fair
measure that the new road would be "a
great public benefit and convenience. and,
instead of iniurng the Wilmington city
system, would benefit it; that the new line
would be a feeder, not competitor, of the
existing lines; that practically everybody
in New Castle wants this road; that IL
would build up and develop the country
between the two cities, and much more to
this effect.
Speaker Whiteman, calling Mr.. Watkins
to the chair, took the floor and supported
Mr.. Cooch in an eloquent argument of
half all hours duration, in the course of
which, referring to the exclusive rights"
claim of the Wilmington city company
he said that one Of the questions involved
was whether or not Wilmington shall be
held in chains and debarred from extend
ing her means Of communication with
neighboring communities.
Captain Dasey supported the amend
ment offered by Mr.. Salisbury, aud the
latter gentleman finally asserted that
Alexander Is. Cooper, Esq. had just heard
of the electric lighting provision in the
New Castle bill and, as counsel for the
New Castle Gas Company, wanted to be
heard in opposition to this feature. Sur
prise was expressed by Mr.. Cooch that this
Information should have been SO late in
reaching Mr.. Cooper, particularly since it
had been discussed, with the rest of
the bill, in q town meeting at New Castle
attended by 400 or 500 people. While this
phase of the obliviousness of the New
Castle Gas Company. and everybody con-
nected therewith--tor the president and
directors seemed to have been equally as
tardy rs their attorney in catching on
was being discussed, Mr.. Cooper entered
the hall and motion that the House take
u recess of half an hour to hear what he
had TO say prevailed.
Mr.. Cooper proceeded to declare the
astounding assertion truc--that he and
everybody else connected with the MANAGE
menG of the New Castle Gas Company had
only learned within day or two Of provi.
sion that everybody esein New Castle, and
every newspaper reader in Delaware, was
presumably acquainted with five or six
weeksago. As soon as this remarkably stale
piece of news reached him he had hurried
down to Dover TO show the members that
such u provision AS this would ruin the
gas company. He objected that it was too
great grant of power to confer in few
lines, and that, If contemplated at all, IL
should have formed the subject of bill
all to itself.
Peter l.. Cooper replied to Alexander i.
Hesaid his company had put this provision
in the charter chiefly because it had been
importuned to do SO by the citizens of New
Castle, who couldn't put up any longer
with the poor gas with which they We're
being served. II Mr.. Alexander Il. Cooper
would produce six citizens Of New Castle
outside of Stockholders in the gas cont
pany, who will ask that this provision be
Stricken out of the bill, he would at once
eXpunge IL.
Alexander d. Cooper did not accept this
challenge because as he said, all the re.
spousible people OF New Castle have put
their hands in their pockets to contribute
towards putting the gas company ON its
feet. But he defended the quality OF the
gas, saying it was coal gas, made according
to old time process, and not like the water
gas of Wilmington.
Before this recess however, Mr.. Sauls.
burys amendment had been defeated by
the following vote:
Ayes-Dasey, Hall, Hickman, Jacobs,
Pratt, PretIyman Salisbury, Sevil-S,
Nues-Armstrong Brian, Cooch, Day,
Gam. Kenney, Lynch Spruance, Watkins,
Whittock1 Speaker Whiteman-ll.
Absent--liarrington GonOway.
This is not regarded as a test vote on the
bill itself, and Attorney Cooper PROCESSES
himself sanguine that four OF the eight
members who supported this amendment
will vote for the bill when the measure
comes ND as he expects IL to tomorrow,