Milford chronicle., 1927-03-25

shall have in Delaware an unSa1S-
factory handling of our public af-
fairs with a train of troubles which
is the inevitable accompaniment of
ignorance, semi-ignorance and pref
udice applied to the solution of
political science.
1t is high time that the brains and
the patriotic impulse now latent in
Delaware shall become active for
Delaware's benefit. They have been
latent entirely too long, and the peo-
pie of our State have suffered tre-
mendousIy because of this fact.
In the matter of good roads the at
titude of General T. Coleman du
Pont; and in the matters of good
colleges, good schools and a good
system of taxation, the attitude of
Pierre S. du Pont has constituted
for years a challenge to the latent
manhood of our State. Those two
men looked and studied and reached
sound conclusions before they leap
ed. Because they had taken the
precaution to inform themselves full
ly before they took action, they knew
to certainty just where their leaps
were going to carry them. Fortified
by their precise information the
courage of their convictions and
launched themselves fearlessly to-
ward their objectives with only the
good of our State and its people in
mind and with no selfish ends in
view.
Both men had a right to expect
that the brainy, patriotic men and
women would get in back of them
and make themselves heard the
length and breadth of our common
wealth. But only tithe of such men
and women responded to the chal-
lenge of open support. Most of them
nodded their acQuiescence and then
settled back mutely to watch devel-
opments.
Not so, however, with those who
were deficient in mental power and
vision and narrow and selfish in
spirit. They became vocal at once
and interposed half-infOrmation
against full information and selfish
ness and narrowness against unset
fshness and broadness, and did ev-
erything in their power to hold the
center of the stage at the expense of
a misguided people whose only lack
was proper leadership back of Cen
eral du Pont and Pierre S. du Pont.
But, after encountering and over
coming countless obstacles, those
two high-minded and patriotic du
Points won much of that for which
they were fighting and that, too, in
the face of the muteness of the
thousands of men and women who
were in sympathy with their views
but who remained passive and mute
when they should have been active
and vocal.
And now, in the case of Pierre S.
du Pont and his fight for scientific
and just system OF taxation for our
State, W. have it once more. Men
aid women who would not dream Of
advocating a return to our old road
system; who would scorn the sug-
gestion that the University of Della
ware be restored to what it was be-
fore Pierre S. du Pont became in
terested in it; who would be ready
to join in a riot if any real move
nent were to begin to undo what
has heen done for the improvement
of our public schools, sit idly by
while MI. du Pont is out in the open
fighting for an equitable system of
taxation, and, by his action, chal-
lenging their intelligence and patri-
otic impulse to take part in a bitter
struggle against misinformation,
half-information, selfshness and
prejudice.
1t is doubtful that any State ever
had a man who devoted as much
careful thought and study to the
question Of taxation as Pierre S. du
Pont has done for Delaware. There
can be little doubt that great prog
ress can be made by our State if we
can get the ablest and most intelli-
gent men and women to concentrate
their thoughts and efforts upon the
various phases of questions which
affect the happiness and welfare of
our population. At such time as
this it is an exceedingly regrettable !
fact that there always is a dearth
of men and women who are willing
to serve their State and their coun-
try; but of those who are willing to
serve, the number that has the ca
pacity to serve efficiently is almost
negligible because of the indiffer-
ence Of capacity and efficiency and
heir failure to enlist themselves in
4 fight for which they are prepared.
But, as we said before, there is no
ack of obstructive and destructive
activity by those persons who lack
patriotic impulse, adequate knowl-