Evening journal., 1912-07-16
TUESDAY. JULY Is, 1912
sELrIsH suRuRRAN PArRIOTs.

EI,AwARE has many patriots who are heartily IN
1 favor of any great public Improvement so long
as they are called to make the slightest eacr
nee that may be obtained They are perfectly wiling
that others shall make such sacrifices for the COM
mon or individual benefit. but soon as their own
pocets or interests are affected they become the most
snbborn advocates of INSTRUMENTATION. That has
been shown time and again in connection with the
DUPONT Boulevard enterprise In fact, such selfish and
short-slghted patriots have played an important part
in placing obstacles in the road of General DUPONT and
those whom he employed to get the right-of-way for
the greatest single benefaction Delaware ever had an
ouportunity TO obtain. In a New York newspaper
former editor writes open letter in which he de-
scribes an experience he had in seaside resort IN
working to obtain important public improvements. and
how he too had TO contend against such selhsh
patriotism He writes
The little misforunes that have occurred lately at
certain holiday resorts remind me that was once
called on TO edit local journal for the ostensble pur
pose Of nfusing little life blood into the bigwgs
who responsible for the SHORTCOMINGS OF me
place A new station and new boardwalk were the
greatest needs and these was determnea 70 s. ss,.
as MANY obstructions as that hero encountered who
IN the fairy tale finally kissed and won the Sleeping
Beauty The mosquitoes didn't trouble me half as
much as did Brown, Jones and Robinson of the COM
monalty For three months listened to their Grass
conversation. ! told that owing to certain com
plcatons a new station mpossihility, while
new boardwalk absolutely ridiculed. Then
commenced operations.
prehenslble satire works wonders with the hewers
of and drawers of water and other liquids soon
whispere were waited to who in hunder-that
wasn't the exact word used but it's near enough
might be- and / gradually became the best hated man
by the bourgeoise. had gained my first point These
understrappers condemned me in no unmeasured terms
to their superiors who in their turn noticed me ana
noticed furthermore that unpeasng as II was 70 some %
OF them was working Tor a lauoaple OBJECT Inc
outcome Of my night that before the end Of the
preparations were under way for the erection
Of station. The boardwalk was an entirely
different proposition. The station was erected by the
railway company gratis but the boardwalk would cost
somewhat weghty penny. To meet the interests or
rather the pockets of all the various of rights
a little too much for one individual, so appealed
to the civic authorities and left them TO solve the
enigma which they did, to the CONSERVATION and sur
prise of the contending parties.
Il then retired with a wreath Of laurels placed on
my own head by my own self I had taught and had
learned lesson which did not know before. Local
patriotism is selfish The ego, as in this letter. Is
extremely prominent. The suburbante lie rustic
patriot just long the needed improvements suit
him individually. II he has property which he thinks
will be deteriorated in the slightest degree by what
he knows perfectly well are necessary Innovations he
will fight tooth and nail for a stupid conservatism
which can but njure him in the long He has 90
ideas Of political economy He VIII praise the place
for his ends until he is carried away by the
exuberance Of his verbosity that he lapses into
gorgeous untruths. Faults are explained away with
really remarkable ingenuity and advantages are trebed
in what has come TO be natural manner
There Is bomhastc local patriot, but
his patriotism is. as rule sadly environed by short
sighedness and selhshness."
There is much meat in that letter for the consump
tion OF those patriots who trying defeat th
building Of the boulevard in this State. Let them con
sumo It slowly and carefully. it will produc
mental dyspepsia. They should take the thought con
veyed home themselves and digest il thoroughly
Many of them doubtless will their own image Il
the mental mirror.
In few days, IT is thought. the Supreme cour
will hand down its opinion the constitutionay @
the Boulevard Corporations law Nine-tenths Of tn
people in State hope the constitutonaity of th
law will be upheld. II it is. there should be a con
oerted movement in all sections OF the State cor
vert the selfish and short-sighed patriot or, fan
IN that. to shove them OF the way OF the road
builders