Libraries should be linked with -rpath $libdir but programs should not.
Doing so for the latter means that a redundant RPATH entry of $libdir
will end up in the binaries.

The redundant RPATH can also cause obscure build failures by causing
in-build binaries to pick up libraries from the system environment,
which libtool will otherwise avoid.

--- subversion-1.5.1/build/generator/gen_base.py.rpath
+++ subversion-1.5.1/build/generator/gen_base.py
@@ -453,6 +453,9 @@ class TargetLib(TargetLinked):
     self.msvc_fake = options.get('msvc-fake') == 'yes' # has fake target
     self.msvc_export = string.split(options.get('msvc-export', ''))
 
+    ### hmm. this is Makefile-specific
+    self.link_cmd = '$(LINK_LIB)'
+
 class TargetApacheMod(TargetLib):
 
   def __init__(self, name, options, gen_obj):
--- subversion-1.5.1/Makefile.in.rpath
+++ subversion-1.5.1/Makefile.in
@@ -167,7 +167,8 @@ COMPILE_JAVAHL_CXX = $(LIBTOOL) $(LTCXXF
 COMPILE_JAVAHL_JAVAC = $(JAVAC) $(JAVAC_FLAGS)
 COMPILE_JAVAHL_JAVAH = $(JAVAH)
 
-LINK = $(LIBTOOL) $(LTFLAGS) --mode=link $(CC) $(LT_LDFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -rpath $(libdir)
+LINK = $(LIBTOOL) $(LTFLAGS) --mode=link $(CC) $(LT_LDFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS)
+LINK_LIB = $(LINK) -rpath $(libdir)
 
 # special link rule for mod_dav_svn
 LINK_APACHE_MOD = $(LIBTOOL) $(LTFLAGS) --mode=link $(CC) $(LT_LDFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -rpath $(APACHE_LIBEXECDIR) -avoid-version -module $(APACHE_LDFLAGS)