Evening journal., 1911-01-14
SOME THOUGHTS
ABOUT Mr.. CROSBY
John 5. Hamilton Thinks That
He Arrived in This City
Ten Years Too Late

NAL, There has lately come among
US a gentleman named o. r. Crosby
lie has been selected president Of the
Wilmington and Philadelphia Traction
Company He has already jumped
| into the arena and by his activity and
Willingness to discuss questions which
affect the interest of the city, puts the
older citizens Of the town to shame
Mr.. Crosby is an expert on public
service improvements If anyone
should even mention that the service
rendered here is poor or that the
prices are exorbitant, Mr. Crosby
knows other cities that haze worse
service and higher rates. He belongs
to the Board of Trade and he takes
the matter up with that public spirit
ed body and his arguments with them
are convincing and conclusive.
Mr.. Corsby is at the head ana front
Of the recent combination Of three OF
Wilmington's public utilities. He was
the active spirit in promoting the
scheme and he is now manifesting
zeal I'm working out the final details
which are complimentary to the man,
If you are not going to look into the
matter more closely.
Mr.. Crosby asks our city authori-
ties for the extension of privileges
granted in the past to the Wilmington
City Electric Company. II was a
revelation to many of Wilmington
citizens that the Wilmington Electric
Company did not have 4 franchise,
but Mr.. Crosby would not juggle
about a thing like that; he comes
right out and owns up. He does not
i rlr Fs... L. II
He understands the situation I'm VIII
mington, that some years ago gave
the Wilmington Light, Heat and Tcle-
phone Company unlimited right TO use
the streets for extension of poles, the
stringing of wires and the like, and
| Mr.. Crosby only asks the same privi-
leges for the Wilmington City Electric
| Company He goes on to say that If
he can secure this right his company
can borrow $350,000. Now Mr.. Crosby
must be given credit FOR his candor
/ i'm the statement of his case. He
appears to have told the whole story.
The writer OF this letter, however,
imagines at least that Mr. Crosby
must have hesitated before he let it
go, or can It be that this candid and
versatile gentleman has so poor an
/ NHiiAoh' VI Ahh HLbli' VI " AAhhfAt- t-NtA
that he thought none Oh its citizens
could distinguish between the value of
a franchise where there is a right to
merge and the value of a franchise
where there is no right to merge?
OF course Mr.. Crosby is not ignor-
ant of this vital distinction because
he indicates that in HIS letter. II is
pleasing to understand that when the
franchise Of the Wilmington Light.
Heat, Power and Telephone Company
was drawn up, some good angel made
Il impossible for IL to merge. Ii that
had not been put i'm the franchise Mr..
Crosby would not need to make this
request, for he could probably bor-
row the S350,000, which he needs to
make the improvements, on this fran
chise of the Wilmington Light, Heat,
Power and Telephone Company.
Now, Mr.. Editor. in the writer's
opinion &C would be an outrage TO
grant this company any rights or
privileges which they do not already
possess without proper compensation
TO the city. When the writer says
proper compensation he does not
mean compromise. He does
mean a dollar for every 100 cents Of
value with an iron-bound safeguard
that future increments shall revert
TO the city and shall not be made the
basis of future stock Juggling, as has
been the case for these many years.
The writer has no desire to get i'm a
controversy with Mr.. Crosby or any
one else on this subject. The time
has arrived, however, when soiue one
must speak. He, the writer, would
have preferred, if abler and better
qualified citizens would have spoken
up, but he will take chances on be-
ing called a kicker and a fault-fnder
I'm doing what he thinks is a plain
duty as a man who loves his town and
believes in justice.
Mr.. Crosby, the writer has been
informed. is very pleasant and
agreeable gentleman. He has, 1t is
said a very persuasive manner. He
certainly must have and he certainly,
by long experience, must have come 10
have great confidence in it, when he
has the gall 10 make a proposition like
the one now before the Street and
Sewer Directors and have any expcc-
tations Of getting away with IL.
Mr.. Crosby, the writer understands,
is a +. r. G. s., a Fellow OF the Royal
Geographical Society. He has also,
ii is said, written a book on Strikes.
To be a member Of the f, r. G. S.
indicates that some service has been
rendered. II suggests courageous ad-
venture and the hardships of perilous
exploits. The writer thinks It would
have been we'll If he continued i'm the
exploration of the world and the un-
discovered countries OF the earth in
stead of exploring municipalities to
q see how much juice can be squeezed
! out Of them.
In the writer's opinion there is
trouble before Mr. Crosby, and the
writer has thought so from the first.
, He appears to have arrived about ten
> years too late Ever since he made
l his appearance the writer has been
associating him with Kipling's, "The
1 Man Who Would BE a King" Look
! out, Mr.. Crosby. I warn you. some
] thing is going to happen to you
Yours truly.
John 5. Hamilton.
Wilmington, Del, January l3.