Daily Republican., 1881-08-04
A POLITICAL ROMANCE,
A SkETCH OF TUE DELAWARE
SAULSBUKYs.
Gossip About the Throe Brothers
The Contest for the Senator.
ship Between Them.

George Morgan, OF the Philade'phi;
Times, himself d De!awarean, wri tes u.
follows to his paOer from Dover
Dover is disconsolate-sad from the
loss of Salisbury; for though tn,
three famous brothers had bitter enc
mics, as tails to the lot of all forceful
men, the death of the Ex-Governor is de.
plored alike by all the townspeople,
friendly or otherwise. Here, Oh peace
ful Dover Green, where the name ha.
been potent for more than quarter of a
century, nothing bit sincere euogy and
the kindest reminiscence are heard
Most of the histories tell of "Thomas
salisbury, DOCTOR the father of
Cove, Eli and Willard" but the faith
er's name was William, and he was a
tarmeA of Mispillion Hundred. in Kent
and on the Sussex border. chancellor
Willard, who is too much Of an Ameri-
can to care much about it, says that the
old English form of the name was
"saulsbury,' but Senator Eli differs
from his brother, holdiue that the old
English was "Salisbere," afterwaru
corrupted into Salisbury" The Mis-
plllion farm has been in the family for a
long time, and its present owner, the
chancellor, carefully preserves title pa
pers dated two centuries ago. William
the father, who was a man of affairs,
once being Sheriff of the county, had
four s"ns-Janes, Cove, Eli ard Will
lard. The former died when young
man, leaving two sons-,John i. and
Thomas s., both Of whoa are living and
the elder o. whom was Clerk of the
Delaware House of Representatives in
1879,
The youngest of the bro o.hels, Willard,
was the first to become popular and I'M
medlately thereafter prominent. He
was bright lad, inclined to books and,
at the same time dearly loving to mix
with the people. He went to Delaware
College, at Newark, where, about that
Jlme, Dr. Agnew was Il student, and |
afterwards he completed his classical |
course at Dickinson College. Having
read law at Dover, Willard, at the age
of %, moved bag AMI baggage to
Georget' wn, the seat Of the lower coun-
ty, where the summer sands are no
warmer than the hearts OF the peu-
pie, and where youth, eager TO be elo-
qnent, finds music III the swaying tops
OF pines that are ever green There
tlen lived i'll Sussex y class of men that
are fast disappearing, who held the
care OF Tie State to be Il irSt duty, aud
when they saw that Willard, bent was
toward honest politics they fell in love
with him. AT the age Of twenty-nine
he was made Attorney. General of the
State, and wherever he went his hand
some face, his phenomenal learning
and his hail-tellow manners won for
him not only admirers but close friends.
Fen years later the dashing leader Of
,he people reached for the highest Deaah
IN the tree and got it. In the race fer
.he United States Senatcrship he dis
'anced a dozen of competitors, among
whom were honorabes ftwice his aye,
and that too in a Stale where men Of
many years were looked to for political
guidance
Meanwhile Cove and Eli, the former
doctor, the latter lawyer, have b en-
moving somewhat in their brothers
hadow. Cove, who was born on the
9th of May, 1915, did not become a
member OF the State Senate until he was
Lrty-tiva, and though Eli was in the
iouse seven years ariier, his political
ecord was barren of particular interest.
Delaware has no Lieutenant Governor,
nd the law provides that upon the
cath of an incumbent Of the Guherna-
)ral chair the Speaker Of the Senate
bail succeed him. Thus it was that
hen when tho Republican war Cover
CT, William Cannon, died, in 1868, ~
owe found himself Chief Magistrate. ;,
Is a M
10 course of things two years la,er, J.,
I'd i'll 1870 he saw That he had II large ~
pular following, oc
SO it came ABOUT that when at the
I'd of Willard ~ second term the peo- q,
q mate grlcvOns complaint against
IA, Cove stood as his younger brothers i ii
val. The Legislature vas Democrat it
from top to bottom. The Sussex nlen
no s'.onk hands with tho mrn from IN
eW Castle that winter day Of he con-
+, just ten years ago, swOre that they VI
ere f,r Willard through thick and
lr. They would sec 10 spot upon the or
cry orator. At cross. roads meetings, 'i
ON the rough dry-gooda box of the ~
ore-porch, from the school house va ,a
cps and from the pine stump
elf he had made them shOIt with ai. il
iration, laugh for the very devilish- !
10 U! ~ anu Snru tears lor tne pity oi JUS
and they would stick to him Ill the cd
WIS came home. When the less hearty \
q less boisterous members from the il
t corn lands of Kent met with their ci.
,w Castle neighbo.s under the bare
MS and leatiess willows they made .lt, us
Id to denounce the outgoing Senator VIZ :,
Il raised the all hail to Cove. \ few ,,,''
urs Of button holing brought caucus T,.t srt
ne and the thirty members filed in Ch,
tn Wizards broLhcr-in.law, Cover y
r Ponder, rs the chief marshal of the Ma
y. Ina iihy it was shown that the Iht
w Castle men had split. While four n tne
n noses We're counted for Willard, VIZ.
eeE men Justify opened their mouths n n
Cove and one stay hand mildly the
'ticnated in behalf of Eli Not MAJ
other name was mentioned. :"
Ihe feeling in the caucus was intense you
few words passed, and the mem Ders son
their heads together sob4rly. One 'he'
the Kent members went over to Eli
is made some Of the Others say that ,,'"I ,Son
haps after all Eli shoud be chosen. wan wan
, Sussex men we've firm for Willard, chs.
so the Kent members sent word Pc
r TO Eli's office on the Green, to ask quit
ether he would agree 10 be Senator. we
said he didn't ike to do a thing of seas
{ kind and wouldn't hear to it. Then IN
'ernor Ponder got at kim aud finally :" t"h II
who put his affection for his broth vrea VT "a
above TIE matter of II enatorship,
zeal to allNw his name to be used. ,i,
minutes latter Kent and New Gas bcf,
joined their votes and Su sex went cors
% mourn rs David did for Absalom. Vt N
vt Al
the
nsa
Trough exposure in the war, Mr.. elae.