Evening journal., 1912-05-20
MONDAY, MAY 20. 1912
MIST NoT RE RUSHED THROUGH.

~ AxPAYERs and voters In all sections Of Whining
ton insist that City Council take no further steps
looking a ratification of the riverfront agreement
proposed by the Delaware Terminal Company and it's
associates until the City Solicitor the courts or both
shall have passed upon the question Of the ownership
Of the hundreds Of acres land under water between
the Cherry Island marsh bank and the line OF the pro-
posed bulkhead in the Delaware river
It is useless for those Councmen who manifest such
an abnormal desire TO take the law on the subject from
Herbert H. Ward counsel 10 the corporations that are
trying TO get City Council to assist them in clinching
their hold on land to equivocate farther The
taxpayers demand they take their law from some
one disnterested and it be done in the right way
and by someone whose business it will be to conserve
the interests Of the city.
Mr. Ward is retained to represent the Wilmington
Terminal Company and its associates. We give him
credit having done ably We wish to say that II
Councilman Stover and his enthusiastic associates had
exercised one-ha the intelligence in representing the
cstys interests that Ward has displayed in repre-
sentne the interests the marsh land promoters the
waterfront situation would mo- be what # Is today The
trouble with Councilman Slower, Councilman White and
certain other members Of City Council is that they
seem to have hypnotzed by Mr. Ward into the be-
lief that he is the City Solicitor special counsel to
the city and not the chief legal representative Of the
marsh land owners and also heavy stockholder in
the Wilmington Terminal Company. II Is time that
someone broke that SPELL and think that II will be
done within a very few hours. Any woman,
any school boy or school girl even Councilman
stover ought to know that when the city needs legal
advice on question does take It from counsel
to corporations that seeking to have the city do
something that they exceedingly 20 have done
Let the City Councimen wake up to that fact and
do It quickly. Their willingness TO heed everything
that Mr. Ward says and their unwillingness to obtain
proper legal advice in behalf Of the city, does not
look right The taxpayers think it an abnormal con-
dition that calls a quick change Of front II the
City Counoimen discovered in any Of their ar
chves anything to show that Mr. Ward elected
City Solicitor and legal advisor 90 the city at the last
election it is time for them to make those election
figures public
Councilman Stover and his associates in Council who
manifest such an eagerness put this waterfront deal
fact 1t is that If they put through in its present
shape without obtaining legal advice from someone rep
resentng the city there will be thousands Of taxpayers
who will want to know why they have done it and a
smaller number who VIII take steps to find out def
nitely why they have done H.
They have hirted with the waterfront promoters and
trihed with the taxpayers ,of this city long enough Il
A time for a change With the opinions Of such men
as william f. Kurtz Robert G. Harman, twice City So
HECTOR and James L. Banning, formerly President OF
City Council, urging them TO slowly II they have
any idea Of jammng this waterfront scheme through
City Council without first obtaining disinterested legal
advice or decision from the court it will be we'll fol
them to abandon that plan. The taxpayers and the
voters will not stand for anything Of that sort and
IS time for Mr. his associates to realize that
fact