General Coleman du Pont
CHAIRMAN BOARD OF NATIONAL COUNCILLORS
Charles Henry Davis, C.E. President
Frederic Remsen Hutton. M.E.. Sc.D.
General Secretary Morgan. Lewis & BOCKIUS, Philadelphia general Counsel Waldron Williams, new York
Old Spanish Trail Association S. A. LeBlanc, Secretary c/o Mobile Liners Inc.
Mobile, Alabama
Dear Sir:
''Klmwood"
Cambri dge, Mss a. May 23, 1917
MAY 25 1917
’ , ->■
Your letter of May 17th to Mr. Davis is re^eive^.
He was sorry not to have participated personally in the meeting at Tallahassee, Florida. V7e offered to fuarnish. maps and literature for distribution but did not receive any requisition on time. In this connection we 3hall be very glad to do v/hat we can to make the meeting called by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce a success and shall be glad to furnish maps and literature fir?r distribution on receiving advices. v7e have so written them,
Y/e ere certainly in hearty favor of all that you are doing and we shall be very glad to do our share towards its accomplishment.
V/e believe, however, that the National Government will in no manner participate in the building o$ a selected alignment. The very minute you attempt to get National appropriations for a specific alignment all other alignments join together to defeat such legislation. There is only one way to accomplish it, and that is by getting Congress to appropriate moneys for building a system of National Highways, built and maintained at National expense and under National control. cnee that is an accomplished certain^* specific alighraents will be selected for the earliest completion.
To attempt to get legislation across for any specific alignment by itself us wasting time and will accomplish nothing, and you can readiSy see the reason why. Ths.se of you who are in favor of the immediate building of the Old Spqhish Trail would resist the immediate building of a similar military highway along the Northwest Trail unless your alignment v/e re likewise included.
You will aee the point.
for
Yours very truly.
CJID/FSP
President
Eli^s Vanoer Horst. C.E., new York
Secretary to Board of National Councillors Arthur H. Blanchard. C.E., A.M., New York
timothy W. Sprague. S B., boston Encinccr to Boaro of National Councillors Will Ward Duffield engineer of Chart construction
Francis Hurtudis, Jr.
counsel automobile Legal department Robert Bruce, utica. n. y
Stanley E. Bates. S.B.. Chicago engineer National Highways pudlicationo John C. Mulford Chicf cartographer
national highways association Germantown Trust company. Philadelphia Southwest national Bank of Commerce
judge J. M. Lowe. Kansas city. mo. president National Old Trails Road Department A. L. Westgard. new York vice-president director transcontinental highways Henry Branson Varner
VICE-PRESIDENT PRESIDENT NORTH CAROLINA GOOO ROADS DIVISION
Joseph Hyde Pratt, Ph.D. Vice-president SECRETARY NORTH CAROLINA GOOD ROADS DIVISION
Nelson B. Clark, boston, mass.
CHAIRMAN DIVISION OF PUBLICITY
Francis Hill Bigelow
John Phillips Marquand. boston, mass, national Highways Editor C. H. CLAUDY, Washington
CHARLES E Foote. New York Technical editor national highways Publications
WALTER AGNEW ALSDORF, Columbus, Ohio assistant director-general Zacchius Davis Dunlap, nashvillc. tenn