Evening journal., 1911-03-15
THEY cANNoT UNDERSTAND III.


NJ ANY persons who have written or spoken TO
Il The Journal about the good road offer of
Mr. dupont express great surprise that opposition
should have developed 10 the project. 1t is incom-
prehensibIe to them. They do not understand it,
They cannot see why the good in a citizen should
not be appreciated even if the citizen is dsliked
personally by few. They cannot comprehend why
prejudice should so blind a man that he would be
unable 10 give fair consideration TO any matter
that is proposed, especially if it concerns the well
fare of the community The Journal confesses
that it was somewhat surprised at the opposition
and criticism. The Journal had thought that there
had been little widening of mind and depth of
view. But il is not so.
In the first place there a howl about fran
chises This howl came chiefly from a newspaper
organ that has been defender of the
owners of public service franchises. Had such an
offer as that made by Mr.. dupont been made by
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, for example,
or by group Of rich that this newspaper
critic fawns upon, it would have been hailed as
great benefaction and any opponents, il there had
been any, would have been ridicued.
The critics of the DUPONT offer no doubt would
be pleased to see the dupont building blown out of
Wilmington. Is very presence is really torture
TO them Ii is menace to their peace of mind
and disturbing TO their pleasant dreams.
Then, again. strange it may seem at first
there was political opposition, opposition that
has not all abated, although be il said to their
credit such Democratic newspapers the Dover
News The Lewis Pilot and the Laurel Register
have freed themselves from their prejudices ard
have come out for the DUPONT road.
They represent the mass OF their readers, for
would not charge that the Democrats of the
State are opposed to the DUPONT road on political
grounds. We shall have to wait for the action of
the Legislature before forming an opinion of Just
how many Democratic representatives are TO be
bound by narrow partisan views. 1t seems TO us
that for them to take partisan view Of this ques
tion would be just as reprehensible, more so in
fact than il would have been for a Republican
Legislature to have objected TO the hanging of Mr.
Bayard's portrait in the State House, or for the
Republicans in Wilmington to have objected to
the erection of the statue Of Mr.. Bayard in heavy
Republican district of the city. And yet Mr. T.
Coleman DUPONT a generous contributor to
the fund for the erection of the Bayard monument
There are Of course some small minded politi-
clans, in the lower counties especially, who see
politics in the good road project They are of
the kind that have prevented Delaware from max
ing the progress that should be her own. They
would shsckle the State if by so doing they or
their friends could hold some petty Office or get
some insignificant so-caed honor
The battle of the future in Delaware is a battle
TO decide whether this State shall come into its
own; whether the barnacles that have hampered
Delaware shall be removed. The Journal is for
live, progressive sane and clean Delaware and
III pursuing thlS course Inc journal frankly ad-
mits that il has no small task ahead of it, for the
forces of reaction of ultra-conservatsm of iea-
ousy envy and hatred are strongly entrenched
apparently They fight from ambush often. They
manipulate, scheme comfort, confuse surround
themselves with phantom strength, and they
battle increasingly against the public interest and
the public welfare.
And we may add for the benefit of our friends
and readers that no considerations of partisanshp
shall hamper The Journal in advocating what it
believes to be right in this struggle. The Journal
will recognize the good and condemn the evil
whether it be in the party to which The Journal
owes allegiance or whether it be in the Demo
cratic party. The course that The Journal ought
to pursue is becoming clearer and clearer to it
every day.
1t is pity. but il looks as If tbe c,osiro dave