Evening journal., 1895-08-20
WOMEN IN COURT.
They Take a Hand in the
Elsmere Road Action.
ATTORNEYS ARGUE AT LENGTH.

II
widening Of This Road According to
Legislative ACT Means That TheIr
Front ards Are TO BE Torn Ont aud
Their Front Porches Are 60 BE Cut
on-several Farmers Speak
There we're about thirty Mill Creek
hundred farmers before the Levy Court
Rt its regular August meeting this
morning. The visitors were vitaly
interested In the subject Of widening
the new road leadiug from Brandy
| wine Springs to Elsmere, for which
action the court had bseu pstitioned by
the Brandy wine Springs Railway Com
pany At ths last meeting OF the court
All the commissioners except Mr..
| Gallagher were present and there was
large number of visitors during the
session. Mr. Gallagher came In shortly
before noon
In taking up unfinished business, Clerk
Janvier was requested TO read the return
OF the commission appointed according
to an act Of the Legisl ature Of April 10,
to survey and Assess damages for the
widening OF the Elsmere road.
The commission consisted OF Allen
Smith George w Morrison and Alpheus
Pennington, and they engaged as
architect William B Cardwsll, who sur
veyed the road to width Of forty feet,
with FIVE feet for a sidewalk, and
assessed damages to the amount OF
SO 142
Henry o Conrad, representing some
large properly owners along the route
and, In a measure, the road commission
ers, briefly addressed the Levy Court
soon after It WAS called to order. 10
part he said:
"The history Of the matter is this The
Legislature provided for the appoint
mt mt OF this commission after a consider
alton Of three or four months at Dover.
Now we have the return Of this comuls
sion before the Levy Court and there is
nothing lett for the court 20 do but
to make the appropriation as required
Attorney James Ponder, representing
the small property owners. addressed the
court thus: This act does not say In
single lue that the Lazy Court shall
make the appropriation and the property
owners whom / represent contend that
It is within the wisdom Of this court to
grant OF not TO grant the appropriation 4"
Mr. Ponder then read petition signed
! by Al least seven tsnths OF the property
owners along the route They, be said,
are the people who are to be considered
In the proposed change in the road.
Those who are in favor Of this change are
sdvocstss Of the electric railroad from
Brandy ywine Springs and, while We are
ali ia favor Of that railway we oppose the
scheme to have New Castle county buy
that slice OF 81 feet Of road for these two
miles and a-hslf, for q rosdbed for this
railway.
IF this railway wants a roadbed, {"
mr. Ponder continued, then let II
purchase the right OF way Of road
These people have front yards along this
route and II this proposed change Is
made their pretty front yards will bs
ruined Again. tbs damages offered
along this route are represented ss
b .iDR perfectly ridiculous. These people
live there, they have bought their
properties ana they positively do not
want this change. Now why psy out
the county's money for something the
people positively do not wsnt2'
Farmer George Leltcb said 10 was
decidedly unjust. Ha said that Hesld &
Co, had sold as building lots al that
portion Of the land bordering on the
road, and people had purchased the lots
and planted ir8es and sbrubbory on
their front yards Now he would be-
much obliged to the Levy Court II 1t
would let him aud his little home alone
j. p Lynn aald such action. which
would practically ruin the little property
owners. was fraudulent. he wouldR't
take 50 600 for the damage that it would
Go his propsrsy TO widen the road, while
the commission would allow him $50
damages
An agent Of the Wilmington Wheel
Company stated that the damages al
lowed to his company practically
amounted TO nothing for a tract Of land
1e0 feet wide aud eight and G half feet
deep. And beside that. he didn't see how
auy road could be widened for three
quarters Of cent a foot which WAS
practically the amount allowed TO widen
the road He hoped the court would not
make the great mistake having this
road widensd
Mr. Conrad, in reply, stated that he
happened 20 kRow that the Brsndywine
Springs railway would not touch this
new road Of two and half miles, except
TO cross t. There was much opposition
in the first place to the laying out OF this
road By those interested In the old
Lancaster and Newport turnpikes which
run parallel. Aud this is why this road
was laid out so narrow,-onlY thirty
three feet
Sandwiched between the speeches Of
the attorneys and the remarks OF the
farmers and property owners wonen's
voices kept resounding across the court
room Miss Ann o Flynn and MIS-
Samuel Johnson, who claimed to repre-
sent their own aud contiguous lauds ard
the sentiment Of a score OF nsighbors who
owned property, made addresses, asked
questions and expressed opinions.
Mrs Johnson said that sll the resi-
dents, who had moved out Of the city
to establish country homes with pretty
front yards, would just be robbed
Of what they had CHAINED
as their ambition. That all their flowers.
trees ard ornamental fence would be
torn up for 9 distance Of nine feet or
one-half Of each front yard.
Miss Flynn contended that such
movement as the widening OF that road
would be directly in violation OF the
American principle Of msjorities rule
and that II public measure
were not for the pub ic
good, why then put It In operation.
I k~J ID. frkL rI