The Smyrna call. (Smyrna, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-10-08
REPUBLICAN
EXTRAVAGANCE.
Halt Called In Squandering
County Finances.
W. II. BAGGS TURNED DOWN.
Levy Court Sat Upon Him Good
and Hard.
HIS PET SCHEME FAILED
Facts and Figures Published by
the CALL Have Been Verified
by the Addicks Met Them.
se1ves-T To-Day's Meeting.

One of the most important meet
ings of the Levy Court of this
county was that held Tuesday last,
when most of the time was taken
up in discussing the wasting of
county money in the mud pile at
the Bombay Hook lighthouse which
scheme has been energetically
pushed by Commissioner William H.
Baggs, of Smyrna, with the result,
owing to his lack of knowledge OF
building marsh roads and his fail
ing to attend to the duties of time
keeper when appointed to that po-
sition by the Levy Court to see
that the Miles Dredging Company
carried out their contract, has cost
the county in the neighborhood of
three thousand dollars, and moth
ing, absolutely nothing, has been
accomplished. At the September
meeting of the Levy Court when
the Democrats had a majority OF
one, Ia Republican member being
absent) a motion to stop work on
the lighthouse road was carried and
for the past thirty days there has
been nothing done to the causeway
save that lots more of the mud has
been washed back into the marsh
by the tides.
A $4,000 Mud Pile.
1t will be remembered that this
marsh road is a $4,000 mud pile
erected by the Addicksites for mere
personal gain, through Commits
sioner Baggs. When the CALL de-
nounced this useless waste of public
money the Addicks papers tried to
deny the charge. From time to
time we have published the true
facts of the case only to be called
hard names by the men who were
shown up. Tuesdays meeting OF
the Levy Court shows we were
right and had told the truth. The
waste of money was so apparent
that even his Addicks brethren OF
the body governing county affairs
sat down on Mr.. Baggs and his pet
scheme and sat down on him hard.
He could not conceal his chagrin
but no words of his could induce
the Commissioners to keep on
blindly following the Duck Greek
Commissioner, who wanted this
road at any cost, no matter how
much money was expended. 1t is
expected this $1,000 mud pile is a
thing of the past, a silent testimony
of ineficiency upon the part of Mr..
Baggs and his Addicks advisers.
Protesting Citizens.
Many of our citizens attended the
meeting of the Levy Court Tues
day and witnessed the throw
down" given Mr.. Baggs. The
principal speaker before the Levy
Court was Alexander G. Cummins,
of Smyrna, who has had consider
able experience in the building OF
banks to keep the tides from over
flowing his farm lands. Mr.. Cum
minis had inspected the work done
on the lighthouse road and in a
clear and concise manner pointed
out to the Levy Court the mistakes
which had been made in the bung.
ling attempt to build this road
whereby three thousand dollars
have been squandered by the Ad-
dicksites. This aroused Commits
sioner Baggs, who is directly re.
sponsible for this waste of money
and he and Mr.. Cummins had &
heated argument, The Addicks
official got the worse of the con
troversy, by his own remark.
showing he was not capable to at
tend to the work.
/ Mr.. Cummins' Address.
Ml. SuluI1lno wal nCQ luS COuI Liza
they were using the people S money
and that due care should be takei
in making expenditures for marsl
roads, as considerable money coulc
be wasted in very short time anc
no good accomplished, as in tn,
present case. He informed tn,
court that there were other break,
in the bank besides the ore at
tempted to be fixed on Smyrn;
river-along the bayshore and ole
Smyrna Creek, and it might be i'm
proved if the one at Smyrna rive
were remedied; still the desired enc
would not be accomplished gooC
road to Woodland Beach. Th
members of the court paid strict at
tention to the remarks of Mr.. Cum
minis and it was evident that h
made good impression as prac
tical business man and farmer
iQne thing was evident, Mr.. Cum