Evening journal., 1896-05-23
DAME RUMOR AT WORK
Reported Scheme to Control a
Department.
ADDICKp DIoKBY AND SALISBURY

4
The Political Trinity Credited with En-
deavorlnG to Grasp the street aud Sewer
Department by Forcing Pratt's Resig-
nation aud MakIog Dash for Chambers
or simmons.
This removal Of Streets and Sewer
Director W. A. Pratt to another city.
aud the consequent limiting Of ais
practicsl usefulness ss a member OF
that body. has created considerable sur
mise as 20 whether be would be obliged
to resign aud al other Democrat
selected to fill the vacancy, or whether
he would be permlttnd TO serve ont his
term of Office
| To his conferes on the board, Mr.
Pratt stated that he would be In vii
mlngton every Tuesday night. and all
day Sunday. and minated that resig
nation would not be OF his seeking. or
course he did not explain how this
would meet the varied requirements OF
the department, aud it is rumored that
both Directors Chambers and Simmons
lnvoluntarily winked, as Trey grss ped
the situation.
\ Since then Dame Rumor has been busy
at work A newly developed intimacy
between Tax Oollestor John T Dckey
and Gas King j. Edward Addicks Is
partly responsible for this, at least SO
the EVENING JOURNAL reporter was In
| formed By a man who has plenty Of time
and lots OF experience In matters politi
cal and otherwiss The story is as FOL
lows
Once upon a time 40 they say In the
old nursery books. wealthy, but un-
scrupulous foreigner landed Ia the beau
tiful city of Wilmington with bag full
of ducats and bonnet full OF political
bees. He looked over the fair streets
and saw that they were safely In the
hands Of two mammoth corporations, one
of which had covered the surface with
lines of steel. put 4 net work OF wires
overhead and owned privileges Of untold
value, for which It did not even pay tax
/ The other had undermined the rosdways
with perfect labyrinth Of gas mains and
branch pipes and possessed n monopoly
which had assumed gigantic proportions
Wanted Finger in the Pie.
It did not take him long to decide that
he would have q finger in the pie, and IS
gas was more In his line than railways,
be decided to enter thst field. BE found
the doors of Chat monopoly closely lock
ed, however, and at once proceeded to
cut q new door by erecting q gas plant
/ of his own
When the monopoly got TO work and
an order restraining him from using the
streets WAS obtained, and for the time
4 beiaR the plant was retired TO innocuous
desuetude. The disappointed. but By no
means defeated hero OF this tale. then
set his bees to work, and as a result, the
hive at Dover was set Ia an uproar. Bat
that is a matter Of ancient history, aud
as Rudyard Kipling says, another story.
The Gas Plant Looks Up.
Now this bold msnipulator Of politics
| and gas was not satisfied When he saw
so much OF his money tied up ia idleness
and he gathered unto him, one Willard,
the son OF Willard, and nephew of Ell and
Cove, and assistant chief OF the great
street railwey monopoly, and John, the
son Of epjamin, wto gathers the taxes,
and said to them
ut behooves us TO get 8 move on us,
and to strengthen our grip on the public
purse, else the long suffering and heavily
burdened taxpayers may rise, and our
name even become rs mud. Let us
therefore counsel together and. by
sspient measures, gain control Of the
department. which hath charge of the
streets. Then will my gas plant send
forth roots and flourish, aud the steel
arms OF the railway still further embrscs
the city, while tne streets will be covered
with the crystal sand which grows on the
beds OF Pat, and paved With granite from
the qusrries Of John. L me unfold the
plan"
j. Edward Draws y Plan.
"It is known to you that 10 the board
referred 20 is loose knot, / speak OF
our friend Pratt. who WAS recently
transDlanted to the city OF Penn. 10 this
instance 7 do not believe in foreigners
holding Office, aud be should be removed
Then his place can be filed by q better
friend of ours. II the remaining and
appointing factors OF the board fail TO
do our bidding. then you can press the
screws aud another vacancy can be made.
when the mayor will appoint two and
we can be solid Does the picture suitl"
Then the three looked upon the handi
/ work of the master workm Al and agreed
that 1t was IS handsome as csrtld
cato OF Bay State Gas stock, aud that
/ 10 should be hung at once.
So much for Dame Rumors's story.
Was the Madam Correcl2
Just whether the unreliable old dame
WAS correct in her story, rsmslns to be
seen. To an EVENING JOURNAL reporter,
a well known Democratic official said /:
"Thore Is considerable truth Ia the story
and / should not be surprised to see it
tried soon. l understand that Pratt will
be made to resign and that then the name
of John ]. Jacoby will be pressed forward
II Chambers and Simmons split on him,
the dead lock will be kept up, until either
the term of the former expires, about
ten months from now, or else sufficient
l oovvar will ha hrought To beer To fnduce