Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-08-19
DEMOCRACY'S HOT BATTLE
HOW TT GOES or IN KENT AND
HUssRX.
Kent Democrats io the ThroeM OF a
BIlter OomfsSt lnnt sewers S"cias
ReiaI,Ous ss"w s-ub.lc aptntOn
uMns 'Eherc ava go SnssPx.

i
| Special Correspondence Of GAZETTE and journal.
DovER, Aug. IT, There is war In the
ranks Of the Democratic party " Della.
| ware, and in no other plnes is the ctmh,rt
more bitter or tho lines more, sharply
drawn than right here in Dover. So ia
| tense iR the feeling that friends Of years
| standing who now happen 10 hold oppos-
ing views of the pending Hpbernntofiat
canvass, have actually suspended their
social relations, oven TO the extent OF not
exchanging salutntions as they pass each
| other on the street. The canvass is the sole
topic OF conversation, and groups can
be seen here and there all over town,
caucnsing and pulling wires for ihs dele
gate contest on Saturday. One prominent
citizen, Republican, who looks upon
the fight of the Democratic factioDs with
infinite amusement, Rravely Informed me
that buAiness whs entirely suspended.
awaiting the result Of the primary cleo
ton. There have been many hot political
fights in East Dover hundred, hat the
pending struggle ontranks them all and
next saturday aftsrnpOn is looked for
ward TO as the date If the greatest eoi,ts5t
that Daver aver saw
Ia Snssi.x county things are different
The people are interested as Sliss, <
countians always are in political al .irs
but the bitter feeling that marks the c,~i-
test in Kent does iiit prevail. Nobody Is
losing any sleep over the matter, hnd no
crosr words OF black looks are being ex-
| changed between those who diffsr over
the grave question of who should be
| nominated as the candidate for governor.
OF course, the natural question az to
the choice of the people in this respsct
waa asked, and the answer came with Q
| unanimity that was surprising. Ifihere
is ANYTHING TO be believed from surface
indications and from the views of people
from various sections of the county,
who gather in Georgetown on Tuesdays,
Sussex county is almost solid for Major
Benjamin t. Biggs as the Democratic
candidate for governor. His most enthu-
siastic friends confidently claim that
he will have at least so of
the GO delegates to be elected, and
| if he got the entire delegation. The only
hundreds they admit of being doabtfnl
are Cedar Greek and Lewes and Rehoboth,
in which Cochran delegates are likely to
| be chosen. The most conservative esti-
mate was given me by keen and shrewd
\ young politician, who has frequently
taken q winning hand in Sussex primaries.
| He said ~ think it safe to say that at
least one-half OF the delegation will be
for Biggs, out and out. The other
half will he for the choice of
| New Castle county, and will include quite
a number who will be delighted if that
choice should be Biggs." Among the
people generally, the talk is strong for
BigRs. OF all the candidates mentioned
he is the only one they know personally,
| as in previops campaigns he stumped
i Sussex la every nook and corner, his
| peculiar oratory proving very pleasing 10
tue people, particularly TO those residing
in the Out-of-the-way hundreds, where
few but the local orators ever appear.
| But, meanwhile, though the talk is for
| Biggs, the opposition il not idle, and
strong fight will be made for Cochran
| delegates. His friends are not indulging
in talk and give no estimates, but they
may do big stroke of work Mt the last
minute. Herbert has many warm friends
\ in the county, and if lie wins majority
] of the New Castle delegation will find
quite number of the Sussex delegates
willing to support him, despite their
strong personal preference for Biggs.
In Georgetown, the contest is quite a
novel one, in which the issue of candi-
dates does not enter. Here the move for
constitutional reform was started, and
strong club, having for its object the fur
therance of this project, was recently or
ganiaad, and embraces in its member
ship some of the most active and
influential Democrats of the county.
| They will place Il constitutional reform
delegate ticket in the field on Saturday,
unpledged to any particular candidate,
and this ticket will be opposed by one to
| be mutually agreed upon by the friends
| of Biggs and Cochran, and upon the con-
test will depend whether the cause of
constitutional reform will be endorsed by
the people or strangled in the place of its
birth.
In Kent county. as in Sussex, the talk
is for Biggs, the adhereutsof Cochran and
the State administration preferring TO
work without indulging in useless talk or
bluster. The Biggsites are very confident,
and some of them could give more posi-
| tive information of the condition of affairs
in New Castle and Sussex than could peo-
pie living in these counties. Their most
enthusiastic claim is that Biggs will carry
every hundred in Kent, all in Sus-
sex with the possible exception of
Cedar Greek, and will come to
Dover with q majority of the New
Castle delegates at his back, including
the full delegation from st. Georges
hundred, the home of himself and Mr..
Cochran. .Bigga on the first ballot is
their cry, and they will listen to nothing
else. More conservative Biggs men con-
code West Dover, Mispillion and Milford
hundreds to the opposition, which would
leave Biggs with 40 votes in the county.
The only ono of the workers for Cochran
who was willing to talk said, quietly and
positively, that the Cochran ticket would
beat tho Saulsburies in East Dover hum
dred and throughout the county. He
also said that the entire Kent county
delegation would, in,the convention, vote
as n unit for the choice of New Castle
county, whether that choice be Herbert,
Cochran, Riggs, Chandler, oooch or the
regulation dark horse"
This is the only sentiment of this kind
heard in Dover. In Sussex there ap-
pears Ia bo II sentiment in favor OF re.
speeting New Castles choice bnt quite a
nnmhCr will stand by Major Biggs
| whether he is TINT choice or not. In
Dover, however. the Biggs men declare
that they will stand by their iavorite if
he should fml to get solitary vote in
New Castle county, as the gubernatOrial
nomination is State matter, in which
Kent and Sussex are equally Interested
with New Castle, and az much entitled
TO their choice.
The strangcst featuro of the canvass is
TINT the gubernntorial contest has com
| pletcly absorbed NIL interest in the oon-
| gressiunnl nomination. The latter is not
thought of and never alluded 10 except
in response 20 direct questions touohing
tire subject. Ii is said that Alfred p.
Robinson, Esd, of Georgetown, would
like TO hnye the nomination, hut the only
pronounced candidate with any consider
able backing is x-Attorney General John
b. Pennington Of Dover. DIR. Albert
Whiteley OF Frede ica is also spoken of,
and everybody regreta that il is not pos
sible to send Mr., Lee back for two more
terms,