Evening journal., 1906-09-21
Friday, September aI, 1906.
ToR A CORPORATE cHARTER.

nNE Of the most important subjects that will
~ come before the General Assembly next
winter tic members OF which will be chosen at
the election in November, will be the framing OF
a new charter for the city of Wilmington. This
question has been agitated al previous legislatures
but the fight in the Republican party seemed to
tic up genuine consideration of the proposed
charter The decks, however will be cleared for
the incoming Legislature to pass new charter
for Wilmington The city has outgrown the
present instrument Changes could be made
that would assist in securing for us better city
government
But a new charter should not be made in the
interests of a clique, the controlling force Of
which would be the public service corporations.
Throughout the country there has been a sent-
ment aroused against the domination Of politics
and legislators by corporation bosses. Some Of
this sentiment should be felt in Delaware. How
far the new Legislature will be affected by it
remains to be seen. Certain it is that the public
service corporations have set up their candidates
in both parties They hope to control the Leg
islature, TO adopt nev charter that will be Gre
ated in their interests and to keep the people
{z5m obtaining their rights.
49, The. public service corporations do not wish
to have their taxes increased They want a set
of members of the Legislature who will be sub
servient to their wishes. 1t means dollars and
cents to them. The city tax rate on other prop
critics can be increased, Wilmington's desire to
secure a share of the money raised from the sale
OF liquor here can be thwarted, and in fact any
scheme can be worked so long as the public ser
vice corporations are not interfered with by the
members OF the General Assembly 1t is pro-
posed to foster and create an oligarohy in this
city that will so tie up the granting of franchises
and the taxing of corporations that it will be inn
possible for Council, should it be so disposed to
take any new means of securing revenue for the
city 1t remains with the voters of Wilmington
70 decide whether not the city shall be sur
rendered to a ring whose only ambition will be
to fch as much as possible from the taxpayers
Some time ago there was a manifest interest
on the part OF residents of sections Of the city to
make their power felt and to demand that the
public service corporations carry their Just
share Of the burdens Of public taxation We
have not heard lately that these associations Of
citizens are busy. They 20 to sleep while the
politicians who desire to create machine cor
porate charter are always active and alert They
have their pockctbooks to serve and hence their
AiieNdoIHS NiSHahSSs
In the list of candidates filed by the Republi-
cans there are some names of tools of these cor
porate interests men who would be its plant
servants. The people at the polls should elect
them to stay at home. We have already pointed
out that in the Democratic list of candidates are
men who serve the same interests. 1t would be
well for the people to study carefully the situa-
ton The corporate influences will make des-
perete efforts to nominate and elect their men
The mere fact that man belongs to one party or
the other makes no difference to them.
All that the people should demand in consider
ing this question is mere justice. All that they
should want is that these corporations should be
compelled to pay according to the value Of the
property they hold The question is one of
whether the municipality shall be conducted in
the interests Of the ordinary property holders
and citizens or whether it shall be the mere prey
OF the selfish public service corporations. The
man who rents house is as much concerned in
good government as is the owner of the house
Every dollar that the public service corporations
eFade IN taxes must come out of the pockets of
the owners or the renters OF real estate. The
public service corporations do not pay their
Just share. No one is disputing that fact All
the answer they would give would be What are
you going TO do about t?" Ii is a cynical reply.
but judging from the attitude OF recreant city