Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1907-11-20
WALTER MORRIS
URGES TROLLEY
DOVER TRYING TO AWAKEN
MORE ENTHUSIASM.
Writes Letter to the Delawarean
Giving Some Reasons for TAX
ing Up With Trolley Project

Walter Morris, cashier of the Farm
mers Bank, of Dover, contributes the
following interesting letter to the Do |
yer Delawarean:
Now that Kent and Sussex have ar
rayed themselves under the banner of
Temperance we all expect great things
of them in the future. CInnot we get
up little enthusiasm and all help
boom our section of the State? Nav [
be permitted to say Though the med
iura of your paper the thing consider
most needed in lower Delaware. 1
think it is a trolley line running from
Wilmington to Lewes. 1 say to Lewes
because there might in the future be
steam boat line running from that
place to Philadelphia or New York that
might be a great thing for Sussex
County. I never had any faith in the
several projects of the last ten years
because they we're largely originated
by outsiders and the people as gen.
eral thing did not take an active par
in the promotion of the plans. We
will never have a trolly line through
the State until the people make up
their minds they are going to have it,
and when thry do it will come. It is
in the hope that [ may say something
to awaken this desire that prompts me
to write you this letter. From Will
mington to Lewes is about one hun
dred miles. 1t would cost ten thou
sand dollars a mile to build a road,
That would be one million dollars for
the whole line. believe if the peo-
pie of Delaware would do three things
that would not cost them one cent be-
fore the road was built we could have
it. They are as follows: First, the
Levy Courts of the three counties to
agree to allow trolley line to use one
side of the State road and the town
councils to allow right of way through
the towns without restrictions and ex-
penses that no line could afford to meet
Second, For our Legislature to exempt
il from taxation for twenty years.
Crhe Del. r. R. Co. was exempt for
fifty years. Third: When the road is
built for the people of Delaware to
subscribe for $3.50 900 of the stock to
equip it, Such inducements held out
to capitalists would interest them.
Unless we make some effort and some
sacrifice we will never have a trolley.
Would 1t pay? Not in dividends on
the stock for some time, but in other
ways, yes. Delaware Railroad stock
did not pay for some time.)
Will Increase Value Of all Farm Lands.
It would increase value of all farms,
reduce freight and passenger rates, in :
crease population, increase our crops
of fruits and vegetables by creating
another transportation line. In ten
years it would develop lower Della
ware wonderfully.
When our real estate agents re-
ceive letters of inquiry, the first ques-
ton is, "What are your electric line
facilities?" The answer. ''No trollie,
in flower Delaware" often ends the
correspondence. The Delaware Rail
road cannot cater to the needs of tn,
people Of Delaware. They are busy
hauling the through freight from tn,
South. The Delaware railroad now
clears every year hundreds of thou
= sands of dollars. 1t would only tax,
$62, 10000 to pay five per cent on tn
bonds and the stock of the electric
line. Electricity is less expensive tina
y steam aud gasoline is cheapest of all
The gasoline car is a success. It re
\ quires no central power house. Jus
the track and a car equipped with
gasoline engine. Stock should be So
per share and farmers, business an
u p OCCASIONAL men should all subscribe
sr 1t would pay them to do SO. The
cannot afford not to. We all nee
it in our business. Farms would il
crease in value 20 per cent. FreigI
e' and passenger rates would decrea!
90 per cent. Bushes would increas
because more people would mo1
- to Delaware If we had good ele
M trio railway connections with Wi
mington and Philadelphia. Thes
lines are everywhere, save in lows
Delaware. Let me tell you of a cit
made great by its electric lines. Ir
fer to Indianapolis that now has DO
ulation of two hundred thousand.
is an inland town. No particular a
vantages. 1t is just hub for troll.
lines. They radiate from it in all d
rections, like the spokes of wheel al
now they are constructing an outlyin
road which they call the tire to the
wheel. Judge Artman told me re
Gently they are all doing we'll and pa
ing dividends aud are all busy carryil
freight and passengers.
Peninsula Trolley Would Make It's Bushes