The daily gazette., 1882-07-07
A BOOM FOR BEN FOOKS
THE HIGGINS OPPOSITION TO
CURRY FOR GOVERNOR.
A FIERCE FACTION FIGHT AFooT.
Republicans Preparing for the Delegate
Election Struggle-A Bird Man Gives
His Views-Live Gossip.

Republicans Preparing for the Delegate
Election Struggle-A Bird Man Gives
His Views-Live Gossip.
The Republican State convention will be
held In Dover July 81, and the delegate
election will take place on the preceding
Saturday, when there WILL in all likelihood,
be very heated contest at the polls. A
fight has already arisen between the factions.
1t bids to become as hot as the dogdays and
as close as ever before.
The contest will be over the nomination
for Governor and between two candidates.
They are both Sussex men, Benjamin
Fooks of Broad Greek and Albert Curry of
Nanticoke.
The two men have been talked over ever
since the last session of the Legislature, and
there has been u continual dalliance of the
faction of the party represented by Mr.
Higgins with Mr. Fooks. The State Central
Committee prefers Mr. Curry and the Hig-
gins men are forcing a fight upon him and
them.
A writer in the Nelcs, the recognized organ
OF the Higgins people, sounded the keynote
of this fight this morning in q labored and
alleged letter from Laurel. The writer of
the alleged letter says Fooks and Curry are
the men most prominently spoken Of for the
nomination. After laudng them both for
true goodness and an unblemished integrity
the writer says "IIere, Q.aurel) and in
the adjoining hundreds the drift of opinion
is unquestionably for Fooks-and it is not
remarkable that it should be So" Then he
goes on in the alleged letter for half a
column Of the most fulsome laudation of
Mr.. Fooks, which would make one think
that he was the only man fit to have the
office of Governor, because he has led an
hOnpct and ulIiat ifa in and unaF bie notiva
town.
All this may be very nice. 1t will tickle
Mr.. Fooks six feet three of human nature
immensely, but it is evidently intended as II
deliberate effort to from Mr.. Curry down
and will undoubtedly have the effect of max
ing State Central Committee lines be drawn
very tight in favor of the gentleman from
Nanticoke
HOW THE BIRD MEN LIKE m.
| The Bird men dislike this one-sided stand
| on "a question of party nomination very
| much, almost as much in fact as they dis
| liked that famous NcpS editorial Just before
| the Mayoralty nomination, In which 1t was
declared thai the Washington authorities
would he rebuked for appointing Swiggett
| by the overwhelming victory of Lichtenstein.
One of them said TO Il GAZETTE reporter
this morning "That is good way to have
harmony, isn't itl Mr.. Higgins organ, the
| Morning NecS, may talk all it pleases about
| being a Republican paper, but it is not one.
1t is simply the organ of faction, and has
boldly admitted it again and again. Now
it comes up trying to dictate nominations,
badly cold-shouldering one candidate and
taking another in its arms simply because
| the latter man suits Mr.. Higgins"
| "You State Central Committee people
are not in favor of MIR. Fool1s 2"
| 81 will not saw that because | do moi
know. / will say this, however, that
think Of the two men we prefer Mr.. Curry
| We have good reasons for so doing, and
while we can't get Mr.. Higgins paper tC
| print them for us--we can't get them t
print anything for that matter-I will tel
them to you and you may state our side
| Ii you like. We prefer Curry to Fooks
because he is an uncompromising Republican
but has been SO all his life Mr.. Fooks has
stated that he did not want the nomination
and has declared that if j. Turpin Moore
his fellow townsman was nominated for thu
goyernorship by the Democrats, he woulC
| not run against him. What do the Della
ware Republicans want with such a eandi
date this year of all years: ] tell you WI
want an uncompromising Republican. Mr.
Fooks is not such man, Mr., Curry I'm
doubtedly is.
"Will there be any trouble in the conyen
tion!'
81 do not anticipate any now. hop
there will be none, but you may rest assure,
that the State Central Committee will b
sustained and that Mr. Curry will be nomi
mated If it is deemed advisable by the leader
of the party. The State Central Commit
! tee was some time ago attacked b
/ the Ne@s and the fight at the dele
i gate election will be similar to the on
for the second convention in 1892. TIL
Committee will have at least two-thirds Q
the delegates in the convention, and kno,
what am talking about. Now finally as t
Mr.. Curry and Mr.. Fooks, asd
from the fact that Mr.. Fooks
an indifferent Republican, While Mr.. Curr
is qualified by being Jealous and straight
out Republican there are personal and bus
ness considerations which will make tn
! gentleman from Nanticoke the stronges
candidate. The State Central Committe
mapped out a plan two years ago and in
tends to carry it out. 1t will not be in taVo
Of swapping horses in crossing the stream
1t will not be in favor of having a wea
ticket"
| 1t is stated that Mr., Fooks has lately ha
3 an awakened interest in politics and ha
: paid considerable sum of money for TIL
3 party. He has not had the reputation c
: always voting the straight Republican tickt
or of being an active man in political circle
4 | when active men were needed.