Smyrna times., 1888-11-21
Was Sussex Bought?

A great deal of what we regard As
idle and bOyish chatter has got into
circulation in respect to the use Of
money during recent state election
1t would be very good thing for pub.
llc morality political campaign com
mittees could be required to publish a
statement of their receipts and expen-
dltures, but this, in the present condi-
tion Of affairs, is altogether bevond the
range of reasonable expectation. In
the absence OF detailed and response
BILE statement of this kind there is moth
ing to do bat to fall back upon the
known character of the men concerned
trusting that they, as politicians, have
not done what, if imputed to them in
their private business, they would re-
sent as an insult.
In the case of our recent election we
have, fortunately, some direct testi
mony, coming from responsible
source, We know the editor of the
Milford NelCs and AdCertiser. He is a
welI-infOrmed and honest man, and in
the prevailing deluge of scandalous ru-
mors the following paragraph from his
columns Is both comfortable and II,
assuring:
The statement by several Democrat
le papers that the National Republican
Committee furnished funds with which
TO carry Sussex is a mistake. The
statement looks plausible; but it is a
cold fact that the National Committee
did not furnish Delaware with dollar
On the contrary, fund raised in Della
ware was used in New York. The
statement that Senator Salisbury gave
$1,000 to defeat the Wolcott ticket in
Kent IS also canard, though it is DOS
slble that he may have contributed
something. Those who think that the
change In Delaware was brought about
Dy the use OF money, lack information
as to the fact that both sides used
money; but we know OF what we
speak when we declare that much less
money was expended this year than
during any active campaign of the last
Twelve years. Tho change was
wrought through the changed opinions
of the voters"
We are able to confirm the state
ment that money was sent from this
state to aid the National Republican
committee in meeting the enormous
legitimate expenses involved in a Pres
ldenlIal canvass and we have no
douot that money was spent by both
sides In Sussex county, and that both
sides used some of this money cor
ruptly. But all that we know about
the situation in Sussex county agrees
with the opinion of the Milford Ne,Ds
that the money thus used did not Sc
cure the result, but that the Republi-
can victory there was really and in fact
brought about " through the cbanoed
opinions of the voters" due in part To
real growth of Republican strength
and in part to Democratic ooldness
ana Glsaiectlon.-Moraing Ne1gs.
a wilmington correspondent of the
New York San details long account
now they tried to get $25, 600 from the
National Committee but Mr.. Ouav
thought it wild idea and would not
let them have q cent. The correspon-
dent IN the following paragraph tells
II ne knows, how the money was OOt
not one-third what has been used in The
county before as n corruption fund
When nothing was accomplished in
ahecting any perceptible change
in the result:
This was on the Thursday before
the election and Treat was in Whining
ton aud in despair. He called on n
newspaper friend. who advised him to
go and see Higgins as final effort
lie followed his advice, and after some
parleying Higgins said that il Treat
could raise $4,000 in Sussex he would
see that the amount was raised here
There had been $1,000 raised in Sus.
sex already, and Treat hurried home
and eventually raised the amannf to
So,OOO;, Higgins, Treat and F. Z. Bach
brought the amount up $4,000 more
from the manufacturers ofWilmipUton
Higgins raised 81 600 among PhiladeI.
Phla friends, and Horace Greeley
Knowles, a law student in this city.
raised the remaining $1,000. The
MWhole amount was at once placed in
sussex county"
IL Is evident that there were other
changes at work throughout the coun-
y besides money to bring about such a
revolution.