Evening journal., 1897-04-19
LETTERS FROM The PEOPLE
THE FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE BY
THE NEW CASTLE RAILWAY.

IttE NEW CASTLE RAllIW A1.
To the Editor of the Evening Journal
Sir: In the Star of yesterday was an
article purporting to be by the editor
but i'm fact written by a member of the
Wilmington City Railway Company,
stating that the Legislature should not
grant additional franchises to the New
Castle Company. lt was the same old
story which the directors of the Will
mington City Company have told over
and over again at Dover, and the ear
marks of the writer were easily dis
tinguishable. 1t reiterates the old
story about there being a contract be-
tween the companies 1t is no doubt
true that there is a contract existing
between the companies. copy of which
/ have before me. In it | find nothing
express or implied" that the new COM
pany shall not ask to extend its lines.
1t is purely and simply traffic
agreement that the New Castle Com
pany shall run all its cars from New
Castle over the tracks of the Whining
ton Company from Eden Park to
Fourth and Market street.
This contract the Wilmington and
New Castle Electric Railway Company
has cndeavored in no way TO violate,
and could not do so if it desired as the
Wilmington City Railway Company has
at all times a complete remedy by a bill
in chancery for specific performance.
All talk about the violation of con-
tracts is pure and simple buncOmbe,
used by the Wilmington Company TO
enable some of its servants in the Leg
islature to excuse themselves for de-
feating the will of the people In
short If there has been any attempt at
violation OF the contract every one in
this city fully understands by whom it
was made.
do not know how much money mas
! been spent by the Wilmington Com
pany in preparing to meet the New
| Castle Company but this l do know
that any expenditure il has made has
been made because it thought it profit
! able 10 do SO. Now the New Castle
Company desires to make that eXpendi-
ture more profitable to the Wilmington
Company by extending its lines north
and south, thus hauling more freight
and passengers over the Wilmington
/ Company's line and making its expen-
diture yield a greater revenue.
On the other hand the New Castle
| Company has built its plant and whole
line upon the faith that the Whining
| ton Company will keep inviolate its
contract, which SO far it has failed tC
do. and which, if it continues in it.
failure. will necessarily bring eXpen
sive and almost endless litigation. 5,
much for the contract. drop tha
matter. as the Legislature should do
for there are legally constituted forums
TO which all such matters should b'
referred.
AS to the other points urged by a di
rector of the Wilmington Company
through the editorial columns of Th
Star / only have this to say TIL
people of this city and this state wan
AN ,he railway facilities that can b
secured They want TO see line ex
tending south through the state; the.
want 10 see a line extended north 4
connect at the Pennsylvania line; an
! they want to see lines on such street
of this city as are not occupied by an
, other company. If other lines can b
built in the city of Wilmington whic
will pay the investors, why shoul
they not be constructed? The peopl
are ired of the dOg-in-the-manger pol
icy-"we won't extend, and yo
shant."
The Wilmington Company has neve
, built an extension until it has bee
forced to do So It said the line
New Castle would not pay and woul
, not be built It has been built and
I paying. There are other lines that wi
pay if the Legislature will give enter
!. prising people the same rights th'
others have slept on for thirty years.
r A SMALL STOCKHOLDER.
i Wilmington, April 10, 1897.