Evening journal., 1912-04-29

business men and houseowness III this city on their
comparatively small properties
Repeated efforts have been made to obtain from
those wLo have been taking in the star-chamber
meetings information relative TO the terms Of the
agreement that the Wilmington Terminal Company
and its allies seeking to tut through. In all in
definite information has been refused to the
public. The public insists that it be enlightened
and it is safe to say that If the City Councilmen voge
tonight to jam this thing through that their coa-
sttuents will summon them to reckoning at the
first opportunity
Let these facts be borne n mind by all tax
payers:
That practically the entire waterfront on the Della
from the Government lighthouse reservation at
the mouth Of the Chrstiana river up to Edge Moor is
owned or controlled by the Wilmington Terminal Com
pany the National Dredging Company and the Edge
Moor Iron Company
That the Federal Government is willing bulkhead
that waterfront out to deep water. for the benefit of
the city of Wilmington and the general public but it
is not willing to plkhead it and fill in behind that
bukhead with dredgod material thereby creating 500
more Of land for the benefit Of the pri-
vae owners who control chat waterfront
That the Federal Government started to bulkhesd
the stretch from the Chrstiana up to Edge Moor and
discovered when the work partly done It being
done for private and not for public interests
That when the Federal Government discovered that,
It stopped the work
mat 10 nave that work resumed 1t necessary Tor
the city of Wilmington to be interested
From what has leaked out relative to the star
chamber agreement, the Wilmington Terminal Company
and its allies to give TO this bulkheading and filing
in plan the surface Of being something for
the public good and not for the enrichment Of private
interests offer to give to the city of Wilmington that
portion of the rverfront lying between Fourth street
and Eighth street and another short piece up near
Edge Moor
The city in return for that only exercise its
influence with the Federal Government to have the
bulkhead built from the Christana jetty up to Edge
Moor and the MI made back of it at the expense
of the people Of the United States but also build
great street 200 feet wide and extending from the
Chrstiana up to Edge Moo, with the money Of Will
mington taxpayers and also to do other things that will
increase tenfod the value of the holdings the Will
mngton Terminal Company and other owners Of pro-
rery the riverfront and directly back of IT, That
great marginal road and the fill in front OF it will
everlasting bank take the place Of the
that the owners Of the waterfront property now
compelled to maintain to keep their lands from
being flooded
If that be the sarchamber pan and rumor says is
think the taxpayers of Wilmington will want to have
something to about it before ii jammed through
The shorefront from the Christana lighthouse up to
Edge Moor is about 10000 feet long The proposed
bukhead would be approximately 5000 feet out in the
Delaware river from the present marsh bank at the
Christana river end of the fill from 700 to 500
feet out up the Edge Moor end It is estimated that
the new lands made by filling in back of that bulk
head will be than 500 acres and may exceed IT,
Not one acre of that land and more Of the
bulkhead can be obtained by the Whining gton Terminal
Company and its allies without the influence of the
city
Now look at what the city will get if rumor be true
paltry 1Ao0 feet of waterfront few acres OF
new land along that stretch and privilege Of build
ing 200 foot roadway, not only back its own short
stretch of waterfront but also back Of the long stretch
OF waterfront belonging the private interests that are
attempting to put this thing through
II that is the scheme il should be shown up in City
Council tonight Surely there must be a few members
Of Council who will not be parties exploitation
the city and national treasures for private benefit
the rumors be not true the fact will be shown by the
text Of the agreement ITSELF which should be in
open meeting and action deferred until the people,
whose interests at stake and who would the
BILL just what it Is that the Wilmington Ter
mna Company and its alias corporate and individual
seeking industrously under Of the closed
door and the sealed lip.