Evening journal., 1912-04-29
MONDAY, APRIL 20. 1912
TAXPAYERS Musr HAVE LIGHT.

TAXPAYERS MUST HAVE LIGHT.
THE EVENING JOURNAL repeats its demand that
before City Council and the Board of Street
and Sewer Directors enter into binding ag"es-
ment w'il tie Wilmington Terminal Company. the
Edge Moor Iron Company and the National Dredg-
ing Company relative the development of the Del
aware river waterfront that the agreement, which
las been framed up in series Of star-chamber con-
forences, be made public that the taxpayers Of this
city and the people Of Delaware and the United States
may know just what the staT-chamber participants
propose do will be too late after everything has
been signed sealed and delivered. The people Of
Wilmington Who under 'he project ultimately would
be called upon to contribute hundreds of thousands
OF dollars in marginal roads and other expense, have
right to know. The people Of the United States who
will contribute other hundreds Of thousands Of dol
lars for building bulkhead end filling in hundreds
Of Of land along the river front largely for the
enrichment of few individuals. also have right to
know.
It is useless for those men who have placed this
golden egg In the municipal incubator to be hatched
them the taxpayers that it is all right
and that If they will wait patiently until is hatched
everybody will be satisfied. The taxpayers want to
know what s in the egg before IL is hatched In
other words they want to know whether It is some
thing that good for the public something that
win put millions OF dollars into the pockets Of
men who have organized what may turn out TO be
Waterfront Trust They alsO want to know how
much money will be taken the treasures of the
city Of Wilmington and the Federal Government to
be used to assist that small group of men in making
those millions.
The public takes stock in assurances which come
from such a source as the Wilmington Terminal Com
pany corporation which viii go to Dover and get
through legislation which will exempt it from all
city taxation hundreds acres of valuable river
front land and saddle its taxes the properties Of
the manufacturers, merchants and housoholders IN
this city is not one from whom the taxpayers want
advice as to whether they should know what is or is
not in star-chamber agreement in which they have
vital interest No doubt the same sort OF representa-
ton given in Dover when that exemption leg
slaton the constitutonaity of which gravely ques-
toned put through Nor do the taxpayers desire
TO take assurances from corporation like the Will
mington Terminal Company which has $50 of
rivorfront land assessed for county purposes only
$4,000. although it is notorious fact that such land
IS valued at from 81 600 20 $4,000 tt is not
from patriots who pay $50 of land
10 the city and only about $50 year to the county
on that same land that the other taxpayers in this
community want advice as TO whether a star-cham-
bor agreement involving largely the future CONNER
cia greatness Of this city would be good bad for
them whether it should be scrutinzed closely or
accepted sight-unseen
The people Of Wilmington smart They arc as
smart those Of any other city in our country. n
the star-chamber who nave been handling this
riyerfront development will let people Of
Wilmington have few hours in which to see what
has been done and what It is proposed shall be done
no assistance viii be required from representa-
tive of the Wilmington Terminal Company or allied
interests make It clear them whether the scheme
is good bad Il there is anything IN
this proposed agreement that ought not to be there
leave it to the people Of Wilmington to find it and
TO point it out It may havo been consciousness Of
that fact that impelled those 7ho are engineering
the deal to do their work behind closed doors
Let there be misunderstanding The people %
Wilmington the Delaware river waterfront de-
Feloped They arc as conscious Of the Importance
Of its development 70 the future of our city as anyone
be But after it has been developed along plans
which have called for the ultimate expenditure Of
hundreds OF thousands Of dollars belonging to the
iaypayers of Wilmington and Of other hundreds OF
thousands of dollars belonging to the people Of the
United States. they do not 70 wake up and dis.
that, under this star-chamber agreement
which somebody is in terrible hurry to jan
through City Council tonight the waterfront that has
been developed by city and Federal money is in th
grip Of close corporation tnat can do anything il
that naturally would seek to use our harbor if /
developed. What the people OF Wilmington want
and what they demand. is q barbor development fo
the benefit Of the public. They certainly will no
remain quescent relative 10 any scheme looking 4
the pouring of city and national funds into a pro
ject TO place our water-borne traffic the mercy o
corporation that is lacking in its sense Of pub
lie duty that it saddles all OF city taxes on othe
taxpayers and which has l-tle corporate pride tha
II is willing to pay $50 OF valuable laud
that do not coual those paid by man