Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-30
STATE HIGHWAY BOARD
COMMENDS DU POINT
Retiring Member Praised for
His Interest In the Depart
ment's Work.

Dover. March So.--United etAtes
Senator Coleman du Pont having re-
signed "a a member OF the State High
way Commission, his colleagues on the
board, at n meeting today, unanimous
ly adopted the following tribute to the
senator:
Force OF circumstance compelling
you 10 surrender your duties ~
member OF tho Delaware State High
| way Commission. II Ia entirely fittinx
that we. your colleagues OF that body.
should. in some small part, express 10
| you our appreciation OF your services.
Rejecting the conventional whereas.
and dlscarding the formal be It rc-
solved, we would address you In that
same simplicity OF phrase which you
yourself like TO employ, and with that
sincerity which Delswareans have
long since learned 10 accord TO your
every word and act.
ITO YOU. more than 10 any ono else.
belongs the good roads movement OF
the state OF Delaware. IL Ia the crea b
ture OF your vision, your generosity
and your courage. The Highway De-
nartment itself Is but the result. the
| Inevitable result of that v.hich You
began. All Delaware IL familiar with
tho record. no sillSen phrase or honey
ed words that we might coin could
add one Spt thereto. nor has the derna =
gogic attack of disappointed cnmlty
Suhtracted one iota thcrefrom. You
have given your best. hta foresight
with which successful business strug-
gle has endowed you, the millions
donated generously, almost casually
which made possible that which you
had visioned. and the coura geous ef
fort made, without rancor. but with
Cnfailing courtesy and patience
against both honest blindness on tn,
one hand. and selfish opposition on tn,
other
More than n decade has IA eset
since YOU. in the midst OF great bust
ness activity. conceived tho idea an,
, n cognized the great benefit. TO Della
, ware OF a straight wide, hard. leve
, and smooth surfaced highway run
, ming north and south throughout tn.
n length Of the state. IL was the SAM
4 great conception that inspired Calu
Eaninius. the Roman. - cause tn
building Of the gl>at fHaTinisn way
which became the sreateSt artery O
: commerce, CommuniCa ion and life O
, the Roman Empire. You told tho pub
4 lie authorities and the people. through
the press. that YOU would build sucl
a road and give II 20 the State Sooi
you were told that II wss Impossible
70 do what. you proposed withou
e gisiatiNe authority and taA; tn" con
stituiion Of the state prevented ab
effective special legislative authorize
: tt0u. Your characteristics reply wa
Y that a way could be found \ way wa
6 found. novel. but ultimately erectlv
> for the Accomplishment OF the result
S Under law passed by the Legis
lature you organized corporstio
y 10 build the road. You brought emf
y nent road building engineers fror
l. Europe aud America 10 the Stat,
. Soils were tested. conditions anAlyxe
u and all known road building material
'st were studied nd their ada pta biEity con
g stdered. The work was begun an
'e eoon opposition OF various kinds de
l. veloped. Litigation was started. TIL
Il steady northward progress. OF IA
highway was stopped. Two suits WEI
a. decided by the supreme Court {
: Delaware in favor OF the road col
n poration and taken 10 the Supreu
p Court Of the United States. only I
be abandoned there. Twenty miles {
J. highway were completed and cor
n veyed 10 the State. The northwar
10 progress was resumed. Opposite
a. gradually disappeared end in 4
D. place the people of the State came
re an enthusiastic realization OF n
"a 70 IA Or hfph 4,
H. as they saw being built. They r,
solved 10 supplement your road I
building at the States expense. 9TH
highways connecting with 81. at
r. crystalized their resolution into T.
ton by creating this department.
A Upon the creation OF the depar
m ment. one man was in the mind
,r every one. including the governo
lis for membership in the departmer
g. This man was Coleman dn Pont. "
nj were appointed and accepted. So
ed thereafter. realizing the incongrui
of the possession by the state of
IN department having control OF sta
or highways and the simultaneous e
,r istence OF a private corporation e
81, gagged in building what must elwa
you made a written proposition 20 Z
{. department TO abandon your priva
-, road corporation IL the departing
would take over the completion OF I
- road you had projected. with I
understanding that you would y
the expense thereof. but the chs
mis- acter and location OF the road shel
he be in the sole discretion OF the {
&c, partment. At the same time you
dy, fered 10 resign from the departing
,ht J so as to leave IL free from any
EN- fuence you might exert as me
OF Der. Your proposition was accept
ors but your offer 20 resign was not ,
bill Ecepted. The work on what we c
es. your road has gone steadily on vi
cts II is now nearing completion. In 6
Il. dition. other highway work has b,
ep- undertaken and many sections the
or Of completed.
Your persistent efforts, always ~
tempered in the face OF opposition
in the midst Of enthusiasm. TO give
and secure for the people OF Delaw
a system Of public highways uneqt
Of ed in any commonwealth in the
:. /, tory OF the world, are. we believe, vi
in out parallel and can neither be va
was nor truly appreciated.
ar Whatever else may appear U
ALL the credit eide OF the ledger OF y
Z. life, when the books are balanced.
in doubt II any item can be found I
for will represent more good TO your
low men than the effort made
the money given by you for the CT
ton OF the system OF public highw
A., OF the state Of Delaware. Your e
knowledge OF bodybuilding, your