The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-04-17
susllsnep DAILY. EXCEPT SUNDAYS
lr10NDAy. APRIL y. 1900.

THE greatest railroad system in
the United States, the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, was incorporat-
ed April 18th, 1876, Just 50 years
ago, by an act Of the Legislature.
The history of the great incorpora-
ton since then has been to great
extenta history of the development
Of Pennsylvania resources and
the wonderful expansion Of the
business and commerce of the coun-
try at large. The company was
never on firmer basis than it is
to-day and under President Thomp-
son policy the coming years augur
an increased advance in progress
and. prosperity. On July 16, 1847, the
first contract for the construction
of the road was let, for grading 20
miles west of Harrisburg. In 1852,
cars were run through from Phila-
delphia to Pittsburg. Until 1857,
the Pennsylvania Railroad did not
come into Philadelphia over it's own
tracks, but used the Philadelphia
g. Columbia Road. The Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad has kept on until now
it does the railroad business OF this
country. During 1898, there were
H,20l, sos passengers carried over
the road, while nearly 100, O0ofreight
cars are required to handle the
business of the system and last year
3,791.239 tons of freight were
hauled. The road has, besides, $50
vessels Of all kinds for freight and
passenger traffic, ferry boats, tugs,
steamers, barges and Golfers.
The Pennsylvania system COM
prises 5 per cent. or twentieth,
Of all the railroad mileage in the
United States. They own lO4 per
cent Of alllocomotives, II 4 per cent
Of passenger cars and12h per cent
of the freight cars in operation in
the country. Its passenger traffic is
nearly y per cent and it's freight
tonnage Is per cent Of the entire
traffic of the country. 1t has about
100000 employees, or 13 per cent of
total number of railroad employees in
the country. Computing on usual
basis of population, these employees
represent an estimatcdto total Of 5O0,-
600 persons dependent on this single
organization for their livelihood.
No writer has right to assail
the character OF candidate for
political preferment if he cannot
back up what he puts in print by
positive proof. The innuendoes
which are spread broadcast often
have not even the shadow of truth
in them and deserve the severest
condemnation and castigation of the
public.
We are about to enter campaign
when all the old time political lies
will be spread broadcast about the
opposing candidates in the party
papers. This should not be if the
candidates are objectionable by
reason of their personal habits and
no candidate should be held up to
ridicule if he don't deserve it.
HUNDREDS of our citizens remem-
Der that when Captain Todd of the
gunboat Wilmington, made his
speech at the Opera House on be-
half of himself and crew, he said he
did not think our namesake would
be called upon to take part in the
unpleasantness that was at that
time stirring the American and
Spanish nations. But he was mis-
taken and the Wilmington gave a
good account of itself in the naval
engagements. Now the papers say
that the genial captain and officers
will have to answer for firing the
shot into the Winslow that Killed
Ensign Bagley, There are foolish
things done in the Navy as we'll as
elsewhere, and this investigation
looks like one OF them.