Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-08-27
EAsrERN sHoRE PoLIrros.
A hattiine Among the Dry Homes in
Dorchcstcr-'The Judicial Contest,

spcial Correspondence Of Every E7eninr.
CAMsRmdE, ND, Aug. 2O.-A common
expression that politics make str,no,
J bedfellows' is certainly illustrated n
Dorchester county Mt this time. Six yenrs
ago Francis j. Henry, Esq., the rerulnr
nominee of the Democratic paity aud for
more than 20 years the efficient aud very
popular incumbent of the clerks Office.
was defeated at the polls by Mr.. Charles
Lake, boiling Democrat who ran indie
pendently and was endorsed by the Re.
publicans. Mr.. Lake is understood 10
have been coquetting with Republican
leaders and led them TO expect great
things in the future by the influence
which he possessed in his heretofore
strongly Democratic district Strangely
enough and sufficiently disappointing to
the Republicans, was il whcna few weeks
found MIR. Henry's son, Robert g. Henry,
installed in the clerks Office as n deputy
under MIR. Lake. Whispers ran around
that Mr.Inke was repentant and when the
time for action came would show where
he stood. And for once political rumors
! had foundation of truth 60 stand upon
and to-day Mr.. Lake hns no opposition in
the Democratic ranks for second term.
To complicate things further, two yenrs
ago coterie of powerful aud ambitions
| leaders sat down" upon County 'rrpa-
surer George ]. Meekins, very capable
and efficient officer, and by nn means
sorry politician, because. ms his friends
assert, he had cast his eyes longingly and |
lovingly across the Chesapeake to the |
Office of comptroller of the state treasury
"a place by no aspiring poll.
tician TO be despised, as, beside |
the salary Of the office and the |
clerkships to divide among devoted ad- |
herents, the comptroller in our state is a |
member of the board of public works and |
has voice in the management of the |
Chesapeake a. Ohio canal, the oyster navy |
and the House of Correction all |
full of nuts for the hungry to crack. The
long and the short of it was, the bosses
said, Meekins got too large for his clothes. |
Well they compressed him and refused to
renominate him for the county treasurer
ship, where he had done great deal, it |
must be confessed, to restore public credit
and bring about economy in the county
expenditures. This compression resulted,
as political tight squeezing often does, in
Meeklns running as an independent, and
the defeat of the regular candidate by
several hundred votes.
Not learning wisdom the leaders have
continued their efforts to bring Meekins
to grief and he in his turn strikes back
as in a struggle for life. His latest move
has been the publication of his annual re-
port. made to the county commissioners
early last spring, in which he says many
sharp things of his detractors. The
object is evidently to make up the record
Tor fight for the clerkship against Lake.
How he will succeed remains to be seen. |
He is certainly not wanting in pluck and
viii make it warm for the regulars.
THE CIRCUIT SUDGEsH1P.
After Judge Wilson's election to the
United States Senate, Governor McIane
appointed Mr.. Holland, a lawyer of Sails
bury, Wicomico county to fill Judge
Wilson's seat until the next general cleo
tion, when the constitution requires that
judge shall be elected by the people of
the Judicial district.
II was intended by the powers that
were in authority that the gentleman
commissioned by the governor should be
made the nominee of the Democrats for
the term. But. Worcester county bas
abandoned precedent and set up candi-
date of her own in the person of George
W. Purnell, very deserving attorney of
Snow Hill, and having Somerset county
with her in convention there is hitch
and an adjournment. This may be yery
worrying TO the politicians but it is
worse than worrying to all good-thinking,
dlspassionate citizepg of all parties III the
district; and indeed affords food for
serious thought wherever the judiciary is
elective. To lower the jddicial ermine to
the level of political traffic; to make it
necessary in the division of the offices
that a certain county should have II Judge
III order to keep the peace among aspi-
rants for both branches of Congress and
various local offices argues badly for an
elective Judiciary, and if snch things are
understood in time the next constitutional
will be likely to change the
method of electing our judges.
For Is years we have generally Jared
well under our election system and 10 re-
hection is hereby intended to be cast upon
Judge Holland, either as gentleman or
judge. II is to show the danger and the
weakness of system that makes il
possible for political bodies to put their
hands upon the most important branch Of
our government that the argument is
made: 1t is highly probable that either
MIR. Purnell or Judge Holland would
honor the place (as the latter is conceded
to have done already during his short |
but when iudgeship is in
contention and more than II hundred
ballots are had without a choice il shows |
that there is more than healthy public |
service requires or demands and the
danger signal should be hoisted.