Milford chronicle., 1912-07-26
DU PONT GIVES HIS
OPINION OF CONTROVERSY

The Morning News of yesterday gives
a printed interview which General T. c.
DUPONT gave to a committee of business
men of the city of Wilmington on We'd
nesday afternoon. The article gives
the generals views on the subject, and
we are printing the article in part as
it appeared in the News.
After thanking the visitors for their
expression of endorsement and good
will, General dupont took occasion to
criticise the conduct of some of the
judges of the state and of a number of
lawyers. In speaking of the judges he
did not use any names, but said
There are five judges in our state,
and three of them wanted to be reap
pointed, and of course took the right
view of the question of the cOnstitu-
tionality of the Boulevard law. Judges
cannot always do what the law says, for
they must be reappOinted. One of the
judges was first to hint that the act
was not constitutional. He wanted to
be reappOinted, and the same Judge
jumped back on the fence.
In speaking of lawyers, General du-
Pont said
when l started this road about half
a uOLCAlG law yGl6 OllCLGu IllClL SCI WIGS
and said that they would be glad to help
me. /, of course, could not employ all
of them, and when this trouble started
these same lawyers took cases against
the road. One of them, upon hearing
that the appraisers had set the price of
S36 an acre for land on a farm which
was only assessed $50 an acre, went to
the owner, a woman, and talked to her,
offering to divide all over the S36 an
acre if she would give him the case to
appeal. That the woman's husband
came up and announced that his wife
had decide not to accept the $50 award.
The lawyer got six witness to say they
would give $500 an acre for the land.
He promised them that he would give
them $50 a day for so testifying. One
OF the witnesses told the lawyer that he
had no $500 with which to buy land, and
the lawyer told him he would furnish
the money. At the hearing two of
these witnesses refused to testify unless
they were paid in advance. One man
testified that he would pay $500 an acre
for the ground. My lawyer told him
that he never saw 5000. The witness
pulled a roll of money out of his pocket
and said that there was $500. The
woman's lawyer told the jury of con-
demnation that they were bound to give
the cash value of the property. The
next appraisement placed the price of
the property at $500 an acre. When
this lawyer went to settle with the
woman he divided the difference be-
tween $36 and $500 per acre with her,
charged her $50 a day for the witness,
and when he went to settle with them
told them that they had agreed to
testify for $50 day, but had only testi-
fed one-half day, and paid them each
$25.
"When the Judge intimated that the
the law was not constitutional as re-
cards the boulevard, said General du-
POnt, "then the lawyers took it up, and
the country newspapers, also thinking
lawyers the smartest people in the
world, one of them took up the matter
and opposed the road. This naturally
made some of their readers believe the
same way and oppose the road.
1T probably will be two or three
months before work can be resumed on
the road. for these people who brought
the suit have, / think, go days in which
to appeal. Every land owner along the
right of way can enter suit the same as
he did, but l don't know who will pay
the costs of it. l paid the costs in the
suit lust decided, and am tired of paying
and do not intend to pay any more OF
them. 1t will be impossible for the road
to be completed this year, as we intend |
ed on doing. But we will commence at /
once in securing the right of way for 1t, |
and as soon as we secure the right of |
vay for given distance we will build |
It and continue until it is completed. |
Under our charter we cannot build the /
road through Wilmington and l am not .
sure that the people north of 1t want
The road, as they have several good /
roads now. / do not want them to take /
what they do not want, but if they want
t and will give me the right Of way, l
will build it. ! have assurance from
that that State will build
lust as good a road as mine from the
State line to Philadelphia if | build as
ar as the Pennsylvania line. There IS
g. .OO0. 900 there that can be used for
hat or any other purpose.
In speaking of the recent suit. which
Was decided in his favor by the Supreme
Court. General dupont made the state
nent that the man who brought the SUIT
Vas simply cats paw for another man;
He said that he hoped the people Of
Wilmington and north of that city did
Tot want the road, as the boulevard
would only be worth about so per cent.
f it does not go to the Pennsylvania
inc.
He also said that the Maryland Legis-
ature had appropriated S75, 900 by a
pecial act, to connect the Maryland
oads with his road.