Evening journal., 1911-01-04
One VIEW OF WHAT
The PEOPLE WANT
CauStiC Comment on the 0p-
pOnentS Of the Street
Paving Bill

Editor of THE EVENING JOUR-
NAL: During the past dozen years a
vast amount of educational work on
the line of economic reasoning has
been carried on in Wilmington. The
result is now manifest in the great
interest taken In public questions. The
ultimate consumer" Is a great evil
dence. He will be very much SO in
the coming Legislature, and the "ulti-
mate consumer" knows what he is
talking about, what he wants. and how
to get IL. He wants home rule" for
our city. a business form of govern
ment, which means the elimination Of
/ the corporation, master of ceremOn-
! les" His understudy, the Ward
Boss" and his working tool the hon
orable, and Oftimes ignorant fellow
who holds down a chair in legislative
bodies, State or municipal. He wants
a "child labor and factory inspection
law" that will be something more
than safe harbor for unemployed
political workers. He wants an em-
ployes liability law that will demon
strate 10 our fellow Americans, and
even TO foreign countries, that we are
at least educated. He wants a public
utilities commission" i'm Delaware, he
wants the opportunity 10 have some
voice in the conducting of his gov
ernment, at least such share as he in
sists upon i'm bis business house,
manufacturing plant, or organization
whether II be fraternal, social, labor
or political, that is the initiative: the
20 Rarfn buefnaces fha rafornu-
DUN: the right to call a halt on an
incompetent: the recall; the right 90
fire" an unfaithful public employe,
just as he does an unfaithful private
employe. He also remands the
| adoption Of at least semi-honest
| semi-business system Of taxation.
This brings up the much discussed
new street paving bill IL is re-
freshing to read the guileless, or is It
nervy, arguments Of some of the OPP
pOnents of the bill The need of a
new, just system Of taxation is so APP
parent and needless to discuss. Let
US review some of the gems OF
thought hurled at the public
Very few taxpayers favor the bill.
mo capitalist will invest i'm real
estate in Wilmington" "No such law
should be passed until the taxpayers
that is the property holders, express
their desires" "The two classes, paved
and unpaved property holders, mus
meet and vote on the question" Here's
richness, or is Il lack of knowledge
. or is II pure downright toryism of the
brand Of Emperor William, the Car
or the Duke Of Argyle? l thought
there were some 10000 Americans II
our city, taxpayers. Who pays al
taxes? Is It not the ultimate con
sumer," the user, the man who owul
100 houses pays taxes on the one. H'
uses no more. But my houses arr
idle" That's your business. So Il
Hochheimer's blacksmith shop, so L
the plant Of the Diamond State Stee
Company. That's their business. A
a matter Of fact the genuine investo
I'm real estate, the man to whom ou
city is a home, who recognizes tha
other men have rights, the man wit
takes pride in building mp our city
who understands economics, who free
" acknowledges that the user OF prop
erty. be he owner OF renter, pays al
charges ultimately, be they repairs
insurance OF taxes, plus a prope
revenue, to the investor in the prop
erty. be the property residence, stor
or factory. And as a rule such rea
estate operator, save during a grea
depression, rarely is annoyed wit
empty properties, for he keeps up hi
property and men of that stamp, larg
holders of real estate, are hearty SUP
porters Of the new law.
The man who occupies one room o
the seventh floor of tenement hous
is a taxpayer, one as heavily so /
proportion as the owner of 100 houses
! But there are opponents of the ne'
law. II you look them up, you wi
find they are simply real estate specu
lators, men who own farms I'm the cit
limits, who are working TO soak" th
builder, and through him, the futur
tenant.
The taxpayer, those people who tai
= so loftiIy of I'VE heavy taxpayers
have another think" coming. The