Smyrna times., 1961-09-21
Letter TO the Editor
To Mr.. John w. Dukes
and the Nine Others riding
on his coat-tail:


on his coat-tail:
/ think it is high time some
one answered fire with fire. All
summer long, you and yours
have been fighting the Shell Oil
Company. Will you, in Heav-
ems name, tell us why? I've
read several of your reasons,
and | intend to explode them
one by one.
Your main reason, ] believe,
is your ancestral home. All yesl
Let's go back to that one. ]
believe the land has been in the
family since the early l700's,
and it was bought" and
quote bought, from the Indi-
ans for bright-colored cloth,
shiny pieces of silver, and other
pieces of trinkets. Mr.. Dukes,
there is another word for that,
and it isn't bought" Now, the
Indians didn't know the value
of the land, but your ancestors
did. The Shell Company isn't
going to buy the land for bright
colored cloth, pieces of silver,
and other trinkets. They are
going to pay hard American dol
lars for every inch of that land.
They are really going to buy
the land they intend to use.
Land that isn't good for farm
ing at best, or so much of ii
would not be in the Soil Bank.
Land that is marshy, grows
nothing but marsh grass prob
ably isn't worth much more
than bright colored cloth, piec.
es of shiny silver and trinkets. =
For this Shell is willing tc
spend real money.
MIR. Dukes, | assume you are
"a man of average intelligence
If you are, how in the name o.
good common sense can yol
even think of fighting Shell? 1
your love for Delaware and hel
welfare is as great as you pro
fess it to be, why are you stab
bing her in the back? | wan
to know. Surely you know Del
aware is millions of dollars il
debt, with no visible means o
getting out. Yet, when someone
puts out a helping hand, yol
and the nine others, try every
means at your command tt
bite" the hand that could hell
feed her. Yes, feed her, Mr.
Dukes. 1t will take at least two
years to build it, maybe more
All that time, men who arr
now out of work, forced to takt
food from welfare organizations
could proudly earn their living
All yes, there is something
else. believe you can sit OF
your porch and look across the
Delaware Bay on a clear day
That may be pretty sight. But
MIR. Dukes, here is a much pret
tier sight. The sight of mer
going to work in the morning
and returning home at night
The sight of money changing
hands. The sight of small
struggling businesses right here
in our own town getting tht
''shot in the arm" they have
needed for years. That, Mr.
Dukes, out-shines any view
from your front porch.
1t seems America has always
been beset by Little People
who have tried to stop the
wheels of progress, but thank
God, they have never succeed
ed. hope and pray they won't
now. We need them. We dom
need you. Any American who
will fight as hard as you have
fought to stop the wheels o.
progress, be it for the good o.
his state or country, is not {
good American. Take a gooC
look in the mirror, MIR. Dukes
Can you sleep at night? Jus
what is your real season? w,
all have a good idea, but VIZ
would like to hear it from you
Someone once said, there i.
none so blind as those who will
not see." You are so blindeC
by your own petty selfishnes.
that no seeing eye dog woulC
be of any help to you or tn,
nine others. Who are they? w,
would like to know.
l hope this letter will hell
open your eyes for I speak TO,
most of the people in Delaware
not the nine others. For the
hundreds of thousands of 9th
ers who sincerely hope and pray