Evening journal., 1913-03-10
MONDAY. MAR. 10. 1913.
cHAmBrR OF cOMMrRCE AND WATERFRONT.

CHAMBER or COMMERCE AND WATERFRONT
THE Wilmington Chamber OF Commerce. which ia
i new organization and trial in the public
mind cannot afford to assume wrong attitude toward
the question of the municipal ownership and control
OF tho Delaware river waterfront Neither can it af
ford 20 do anything by report action, which will
give TO the public tho impression that it has higher
regard for the self-seeking interests Of the Whining
Terminal Company and its associates than it has
the unselhsh interests OF the people at large We
think those things recognized by aarge majority
OF the members Of the Chamber.
The Wilmington Chamber OF Commerce was organ
lied to promote the commercial interests OF the city
OF Wilmington and It's 10000 inhabitants. Il was
organized 10 advertise our city, assist existing in
dustries induce industries to settle here, to
protect and conserve the interests OF port aud
TO do everything possible TO enlarge commercial
activities. Il was organized to give
and support 10 the Wilmington Terminal Company and
iis associates in their efforts to get away with
OF the peoples land; deprive city Of the
most priceless thing might inherit from the State,
tho Delaware river waterfront and to have Fed
eral Government spend hundreds OF thousands OF
dollars Of tho peoples money for the destruction OF
the commercial greatness OF our municipality and for
the pprichmcnt Of handful OF long-hcadcd individ-
uals who have done nothing TO deserve either tho
bounty OF The city. tho State and tho nation the
friendly Intervention of the Wilmington Chamber of
Commerce any other conscientious and patriotic
civic Organization II would be runous to the Cham
minal Company and its associates send broadcast
the information that the Chamber their friend and
protector We cannot conceive that President Josiah
Marvel and his associates will countenanco any effort
that may be made 20 place Il in such an unnatural.
discredlting and ruinous position although il is said
tho marsh land speculators expect them TO do IL.
We have remarked with surprise how socitous
tain who profess be publc-spirited for the
conservation Of what they call the riparian rights OF
the Wilmington Terminal Company and its associates
aud how little they have say relative to the prop
ery rights OF the people and the interests Of city
in that waterfront That is most unnatural position
for such TO occupy They should remember that
they not marsh-land spectators the paid advo
marsh-land spectators, but citizens of the
city of Wilmington and OF the state Of Delaware and
in duty bound protect the interests OF the city and
the state n such would pay one-haf the atten-
tion to the opinions OF lawyers who represent self
sh interest in the matter that they the opinions
of counsel who represent wholly selfish interests IL
would be much more becoming and sensible
H. II. Ward who is a lawyer and also an officer Of
the wilmington Terminal Company, contends that his
company and its associates that State under
water and that the Legislature take IL away
from them by repeating the conditional grant made by
the Bukhead Law Of 1901. City Solicitor Daniel o.
Hastings, former City Solicitor Robert G. Harman,
William A. Kurtz and other lawyers Of high standing
hold that the title 20 the land i'm the State and
never has vested in the Wilmington Terminal Com
and IFS associates. City Solicitor Hastings even
is unconstitutional In OF what has been sci
forth above the puhlic-spirited citizen of Wilmington
should proceed the assumption that MIR Ward moi
only Is counsel to the Wilmington Terminal Company
and its associates but also actual of part
that litiors land, his opinion relative TO any luss
ton affecting that ownership should be regarded will
suspicion, while tho opinions Of Messrs Hastings
and Kurtz, which untinctured by selfish inter
est Of either a professional personal nature
should receive favorable consideration
There who say IL would not be wise L
precipitate legal fight by questioning the marsh-lan'
spectators title TO that riyerfront land Such mel
may accept IL as fact that the Wilmington Termina
Company and its associates will obtain that Ian,
without they win il in legal fight There moi
in Wilmington who fully determined that point
They convinced and advised that the land belong
to the people, regardless the Bulkhead 1901
and that that law unconstitutional will be seen
therefore that the people gain nothing by refrain
ing from taking the initiative in the matter by repeal
ing the beneficial sections of the Bukhead Law and
placing the marsh-and spectators on the defensive
II is doubted by many persons that the speculaors
Will dare to such fight into the courts although
now, in the hope Of effect they may proclaim tina
they viii do so
We do not profess to know what attitude the Cham
bcr OF Commerce viii take upon this important ques
ton, but do know that cannot afford 10 20 on
record as an advocate OF delivering that city water
'front.' to tho Wilmington Terminal Company and it,