Evening journal., 1909-03-10
Wednesday, March 10, 1909
SENATOR duPONT.
NARIoUs artieIes have reeentIy a

W AKlOOo articles nave recently appeared m
newspapers with regard to the suit Of the
government against the DUPONT Powder Com
pany of this city. We do not know how au-
thentic the information contained III these arti-
cles may be, but il is fair to presume that they
at least, reflect the current gossip in Washing
ton as TO the governments action and its ef-
feet upon Delaware politics.
There are several points in these articles
worth considering. The gossips have it that
the suits are the result Of the row between
former Senator James Frank Alice and Senator
Henry A. dupont and 4. Coleman dupont, and
are the outcome of the failure of the duPonts to
re-elect Senator Alice to the United States SEN
ate.
We cannot see, however, why the duPonts
should have elected Mr.. Alice Senator. Had
Mr. Alice been the choice of the Republican
members OF the Legislature from the lower
counties, he would have been reelected. 1t was
not the duty OF the duPonts to enter any
sort Of combination to re-eect Mr.. Alice. In
fact, the Republicans OF New Castle County as
represented by what called the "duPonts,"
permitted the Republicans of Kent and Sussex
10 agree upon a Senator and Mr.. Richardson
was chosen Certainly the then Senator Alice
Yhad no CLAIM, Tor reelection upon the Repubi-
Veans Of this county He had to fight his own
battles
1t is. according to the Washington gossips, not
former Senator Alice himself, who brought this
suit through the government against the dt-
Points. but his friends had a magic hand in It
and did the work for purposes of revenge. If
the opinion of the gossips is correct, what re-
Election it is upon the government that brought
the suit According to the views OF the gossips
we have a corporaton--the DUPONT Powder
Company--which has been violating the law
and the government permitted it to violate the
law until some friends of Mr.. Alice, for purposes
OF political revenge, stirred up the government
and the government thereupon became party
10 the plot for revenge and brought the suits
to punish sosne Delaware political leaders In
other words the Department of Justice of the
Federal Government, is turned into machine
10 damage business interests IN order to settle
political squabbes in small states The infer
ence is that had Mr.. Alice been chosen no suit
would have been brought We do not
believe this assertion, and although Mr..
Alice may have been powerful in Washington
when he was there, do not think that he, or
rather his friends, could bewtoh the government
as the gossps imply. 1t is insulting to the gov
ernment to think this
Another point is in reference to the amend
ment to the Naval Appropriation bill, by which
the government cannot purchase powder from
powder trust except in cases of emergencies.
Mr.. Roosevelt then President, according to the
story, opposed the measure. Perhaps he thought
that it would be better to wait until the govern
ment had convicted the DUPONT Company OF be-
ing trust before Congress proceeded to adopt
laws evidently leveled at the dupont Company
The measure itself will have no practical effect
because the emergencies mentioned viii arise
every time the government desires a large supply
of powder.
We quote from the Sunday Star as follows:
AS paradoxica as it may appear,
Senator Henry A. DUPONT cousin of
T. Coleman DUPONT, and beneficiary
OF the dupont influence in Delaware
politics, took no step whatever in Con-
qress to thwart the aforesaid amend
nent Whatever help the DUPONT Pow
der Company received as a corporation
that has been closely allied with the
government for 10Y years, was rendered
by other Senators and Representatives.
This fact was freely commented upon
when the Naval Appropriation bill was
being discussed.
Paradoxical and wonderful it seems to Wash.
ington that Senator Henry A. dupont did not
devote his time to defending the dupont Com
pany and opposing the attack the dupont
Powder Company Washington is evidently
used to Senators not of Colonel duPonts fine
sense of feeiing Perhaps they think at the cap
itol that Senator dupont is in Washington, not
as representative of the State of Delaware but
as a representative of the DUPONT Powder Com
pany with which, by the way, he has no off
cial connection. 1t seems, according to this dis
patch that Senator dupont was content to allow
other Senators 10 defend the powder company
That would naturally be expected of A man O
the keen honor that Senator dupont possesses
II Senator dupont did not oppose the measure
Senator Richardson should have done so, Jus
IS Senator dupont would have defended an,