Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-02-09
MARCH 18TH is THE LIMIT
No New Business Received
After That Date.
NEW CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Who, Which or What is the H.
P. & P. Electric Railway 2

Special Correspondence Gazette ana Journal.

Special Correspondence Gazette and Journal.
DOVER, Feb. 1.-THE GAZETTE was last
week informed by wire Of the arrival of
Colonel y. l.. Martin here TO back mp his
market bill. The genial and portly ex-
Congressman expressed himself freely in
response to my question why he had
thrown such bonbshell into the city of
Wilmington. lie said
There seems to be ali apprehension on
the part of your people that this bill is in
tended to drive out the produce that comes
into Wilmington from New Jersey and
Pennsylvania and thereby to largely in
crease the cost of marketing in that city
think that your markets are too valuable
TO these outsiders to permit the small
license of 800 to drive them away; but ii
the Legislature, in its Judgment, finds
differently, let them cut the license down
to, say $50. say nothing about the wagon
marketers, but here is a fellow, for instance,
from Pennsylvania who may have gath
cred up q lot of produce in Philadelphia on
aElntted market, and he has it shipped to
Wilmington by the carload, and lie can
have that produce hauled right into King
street. in front of the doors Of one of your
commission men, it he can be fortunate
enough to persuade the clerk of the market
to assign him that place, and, without
any Otner expense than the carriage
and transportation, these goods are sold in
competition with whatever goods may be
consigned from lower Delaware which
have to pay heavy transportation, carriage
md commission again, because the actual
lost to the outsider is nominal and his
tock perishable, he is going to dispose of
t. and if he can't get one price he is going
o take another, and that price is the price
hat is going to rule the market. ] may
,aye thousand crates of Strawberries or
baskets of peaches, and by the regular
,rices of trade the former may be worth
V or 80 crate. and the latter so or IS
gents basket; but he wanting to get
y. AWAY, will offer his goods at 30 per cent
less than they are bringing in ordinary
sales, and, as soon as he does that, away go
i down the prices of my goods.
Now, there are the Jersey truckers who
bring their produce across at very low cost
in their own boats or by steamboat and
are assigned the very best places in the
marke'; they want to get rid of their
perishable stuff they don't want to carry
IT back with them; they have enjOyed the
good prices of the early market and they
can afford to sacrifice what is left over at .
p. m. and still make a good average they
do so and that sets the price for all the rest
that goes on the market the balance of the
day.
Your people have done their marketing
before this takes place; there are very few
of your people but what do their mark ct
ing early in the morning. so they don't get
the advantage of this reduction iii price
but II goes entirely to a different class of
people, hucksters, grocerymen, who prob
ably resell 10 the people at good prices but
in the meantime the farmer who has trans.
ported his goods there suffers loss. These
are some of the effects OF this condition on
the farmer this is how he views it.
Now take the commission mems view
in Wilmington. They are at the expense
~ ctr. al
license, keeping up fires, and other ex-
penses incident to their business, and
then they pay taxes TO support not only
the State and county governments but the
city government also, and the clerk of the
market can put these men. who have none
of these expenses, right in front of their
stores, men who are no earthly benefit in
supporting the community, who get the
cream OF the early market and are there
fore no benefit to the consumer, but when
the break comes the commission merchant
may have thousands of dollars worth of
produce in his store which he must get rid
OF ht the pest prices he can, and the COnSe-
quence is that his profits aud his commits.
sions go down while his expenses go right
on.
1T has only been within few years that
Wilmington has had any considerable
number of commission men who have the
confidence of growers and shippers, and
for that reason Wilmington was prevented
from receiving from the lower Peninsula
her Just quota of fruits and produce; moi
having confidence in your commission
men they went right by your city TO New
York, Boston and elsewhere. You had !
lot of scalawags some years ago who wOuC
get what money they could, pocket it, anG
at the close of the season there would be d
wholesale failure. But within tine last II
years there have grown up in your city
commission houses with business capacity
aud integrity that have gained the conf,
dence of the farmers of the lower Pcuin
sula and think it ought to be decidedly
to the advantage of the people of vii,
mington to have that interest fostercd and
the number of you commission dealers i'll
creased, and think that would give YOU
better supplied market than by fostering
individuals who cuue from New JERSEY
and Pennsylvania in wagons.
The last clause of the bill" said Col
Martin, II don't think needs any com
ment." This is the provision that make.
the dishonest commission dealer liable tC
fine and Imprisonment.
"As to the constitutional question" con
cluded Col. Martin, II don't think there i,
any trouble there ut all. Under existing
conditions persons living in New Jersey OF
Pennsylvania come to market in Viii
mington and enjoys rights and privilege.
far superior to the people of the State.
don't think the constitution intended thai
State than people from other states enjoy
there, ana ! think that this tax of SlOI
~ only goes to equallze Things and tuprcven
discrimination against our own people"
This looks like pretty strong ''protec
ton doctrine for so sterling Dcnucra
to put forth, but it is Colonel Martins owl
language and he has girUed on his urmn
and inscribed upon his battle'ax Memo
me impune lucessit."
Is WILMISGToN WALLED IN.
What sent the Wilmington d New Castl
Electric Railway bill back into committc
this morninE-it would have passed tn
House had II been put to vote yesterda.
atternoon-was in part the construction
placed upon mooted point by Legislativ
Counsel Wuolley, before the joint com
mittee which has these railway bills il
charge. Mention has been made before o
the exclusive" claim of the Wilmingtol
City Passenger hallway Company, but
had hitherto been regarded rs Il blauI
cartridge. But Mr. Wuulley found, o.
examination, that it was "loaded" in TIL
fullest sense of the word and Speake
Whiteman, after going over his opinion
was constrained, against his previous i'm
preston, to admit that, as all exposition
of the law it was unassailuble. III Nj
Woolley be right the Wilmington Git
Railway Company has the city Just wher
the Camden Il Amboy railroad had tn
state of New Jersey for so may years
Before the war that railroad controlled tn
exclusive right of way, across that stat,
between the cities of New York and Philu
delphia and so notorious was its monopol
that Jersey was frequently referred to 9
the state of Camden and Amboy -
The Wilmington CITY railway charter