Evening journal., 1912-04-29
COUNCIL NOW PREPARES
TO 60 SLOW In ACTING ON
RIVER FRONT AGREEMENT
City Would Get But 1900 Feet of the Two Miles
of New Frontage TO be Created if the BuIkhead
is Built Under Present Plan.

the cost of grading and laying out Of
these streets the riparian owners will
pay is not known. 1t is safe to say,
however. that the city will pay the
biggest end Of the expenses Of i'm
proving this territory.
because private interests and not
the city were to be benefited by the
construction of the bulkhead from
Edge Moor to the Christiana light,
the Government quickly called a halt
on this expensive project, when the
bulkhead was just about one-third
built. This was several years ago.
Since that time the riparian owners
and others have been trying to evolve
Ksome plan whereby the Government
would finish the work It started to do.
To do this the city had to be 'consld-
cred and by the gift Of 1400 feet of
river front it is hoped by the pro-
moters to get tho City Coun-
Gil TO agree to work with Uncle
Sam in behalf of the interests Of the
Wilmington Terminal Company and
other riparian owners.
Colonel StO,eT's Statement.
Colonel Weller r. Stover, member
of Council from the Seventh ward,
! took exceptions to the articles pub
lished in THE EVENING JOURNAL
on Saturday relative to the river front
| project
"The implication made that it Was
a deal that Council was trying to
push through" said Colonel Stover,
personally affects the men who have
been working night after night and
day after day IN behalf of the people
of this city.
1T makes me sore when thiak
that after he way I have worked Oh
| this project, 20 have something like
| this TO happen. | am sure that the
attack was not intended for the mem
bers Of Council. the Street and Sewer
| Commission, or the others interested
with us, but rather believe the art!-
cles we're intended to reach somebody
else. I don't propose 70 be made a
goat for the benefit Of some one
else" said Col. Stover with some
heat.
He was asked II Il was not the in.
tention of Council to pass the agree
ment between the city and the ripar
ian owners Of the Delaware river
, front. without allowing the public an
4
fore final action is taken. He said
"Emphatically not"
When told that another member o
= Council had said this would be done
{ Col. Stover replied: Il can hardly be
lieve that"
, Col Stover. in explaining the secre
| meetings on the subject, said:
"It was deemed advisable not e
hold open meetings on the subject
until something definite had beer
done. Every week there was a chang,
Of some kind i'm the agreement, and
every change was for the benefit o
Wilmington The city will get more
ground than it will be able to use IN
200 years. more ground along the
, river front than the city of Philadel
phia owns on its river front W.
have been pushing the thing along be
cause it was necessary, as the Govern
ment will soon begin the work o
dredging the thirty-five foot channe
and IL was necessary to settle th'
matter of the river front in order {,
get the question of a place to deposi
the material taken from the river bed
1T makes no difference to me wheth
er some Of the men who own lant
,
so the city is being well cared for
for one would like to get all th'
river front for the city but that il
impossible. I have consulted Will
! lawyers and am convinced that tn
, riparian rights Of the present own
, ers along the Delaware must be re
spected. II we did 60 to Court (
: would be three years probably befor
the case could be settled, and wa
informed that it would be against tn
city In the meantime the oppor
tunity to have the river front file
i'm by the dredgings from the rive
presented itself and had to- be takel
advantage of at once"
Letters on the Subject.
, The following letters have beel
= received:
, | Editor THE EVENING JOURNAL.
: Sir. Tn reference to the secret &C
B tion Of our city fathers, as describe
\ in the editorial and news columns Il
q Saturdays issue OF THE JOURNAL
permit the writer to say, that such
n situation could not exist If the Initia
c tive. Referendum and Recall wer
j. part Of our city charter How differ
It ent II was in Milwaukee under III
II Socialist administration. Then th'
't humblest citizen could go to any de
e partment and ask to see the details q
y any proposed city legislation, and al
" possible assistance was given him.
e However, the powers that be in on
IS city are Fastening the day when tn
o same party that governed the wester
n city so wisely, will come to the iron
a here. Watch it grow.
1t J. P. r.
Is Wilmington, Del, April 27, 1912.