The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-02-05

-
The Morning News.
How about the experience Of business
men, who attack other business men
with political clubs? Do they find 1t
profitable, and is that the reason they
continue their attacks?
Some ten or twelve years ago Mr.. j.
Edward Addicks as citizen and bust |
ness man OF this city and State pro-
jected q new industry-the manufacture
and distribution Of illuminating gas
under a charter granted by the State.
He erected an extensive plant at great
cost. That was business pure and sim
pie. The kind Of business enterprises
that the people Of communities generally
welcome. 1t involved the buying Of prop
erty, the collection Of building material,
the erection Of buildings and the in
stalment Of machinery all of which de-
manded the employment of labor and the
payment Of large sums of money for
labor and material before the plant could
be made operative. The business men
Of this city sold the property and were
paid for it; they sold what material could
be furnished here and were paid for it;
the working people Of this city performed
the labor and were paid for it, This was
all good business. When the plant for
the manufacture of gas was completed
and it was necessary to open the beds
of the streets Of the city to lay mains
for the distribution Of its product, some
business man" with political club,
which the sequence proves TO have been
+ carefully selected and practiced with, at
, tackled the new gas company by an in
junction preventing the laying Of gas
, mains and the utilization Of the newly
erected gas works. The plant has been
idle and the capital invested in it has
been entirely unproductive for ten years,
and during that time attacks upon its
n owner with political clubs has been con-
a tinuous. There has not been State
. or city election during that ten years in
! which this political club" has not been
: welded successfully to prevent bust,
= ness man from exercising the rights and
!. privileges given him under the law and
y from deriving any benefit from large
d investment made upon the States guar
@ antee Of protection.
r. Docs the News know anything about
Is this case of attack upon business mel
= with political clubs!'
n Our knowledge of this case leads III
i to reject the News assertion: "Tha
# sort Of thing does not operate to the ad
il vantage Of the men who WELD the club
:. 1t is because it has operated to their ad
q. vantage that the political club" ha
n. been continuously welded against tn
st Oxy- Hydrogen Company by the "busi
70 ness men" of this city. We will agre
a. that it does not operate to the advantag
n Of the people generally, who, in thei
n corporate capacity as the Mayor an
TO Council Of Wilmington" are made t
IN WELD the club. The business men
n. welding the political club" yelped tn
II. officers and stockholders Of the Whining
"a ton Coal Gas Company, are doing it o
h. the peoples expense, and have to dextr
he ously WELD it as to make the peopl
hv holu the bag and suffer the losses whic
H. their political interference with th
ed chartered rights Of the Oxy-Hydroge
yn Company is sure to entail.
FIR, 1t may be, and we sincerely hope
MS may be true, as the News says, and thu
at the sequel will prove that welding ''p'
ed itical clubs" against business men doe
III. not operate to the advantage Of the me
mo who WELD the club" In that case Il
mi head Of the News, and some Of its part
cular friends, can reasonably anticipate
he hard rap from n boomerang.