Middletown transcript., 1888-09-27
THE ORGANS sAGAOITY.

THE ORGANS sAGACTTY.
ssThe following from Governor Biggs'
home organ, tne Middletown Neto Era
Twill show that the Governor not only
gets away with the Cochrans, but tells
them about it afterwards - ,s2-fl
s II was not only a s big rain' on Sat-
Iurdav that swept over old st. Georges
Hundred, but in the language Of a
well known citizen and politician, it
was 6 ssBiggs reign, 2 and unless we
are much mistaken, blind, prejadiced
and ignorant, the end of said : reign"
is not yet. 81 ae., .-fes e+asl
The above taken from the Smyrna
Times of September 10Th, suggests the
following recount of the political his
| tory Of St. Georges Hundred, dating
from the contest for the Guberana-
torial nomination Of 1886. +. l5;;a.,a
The Democratic Party up to that
period had been virtually a unit, in
sentiment and work, but the, lack of
interest displayed by the rank and and
file. had resulted in the machinery
being run by few Of the more en-
thuastic workers of the party. When
the name Of E. r. Cochran, was men,
toned by some as the choice Of the
party for the. then, next Governor,
the said gentleman being Clerk, of the
Peace for New Castle county, an OPP
position was at once developed, that
from the beginning was fatal to sue
cess. B. T. Biggs the present Governor,
was put forward as the representative
of The opposition, with the plea, that
| in the event of election, many reforms
were to be brought about, notably such
close corporations, known as Family
Gatherings, Court House Rings, and
meetings attended by the select few,
to nominate tickets where the people
had no voice, should all be broken up;
that every nomination should be the
subject of friendly discussion and the
first choice of the people bethe man.
On the Cochran side, it was con-
| tended that there was no Count House
Ring further thrn the best interests of
the party demanded, that while ad-
mittedly the leaders Of the party dis
cussed from that centre the needs of
the State, County:and Hundred, from a
Democratic standpoint, nothing secret
| or opposed to the peoples good was
concocted or promulgated. That the
Odessa meetings. while lightly attend
ed, were SO, because the great body sof
voters did not care to 60 and have a
voice in the nominations, this being an
| inference most natural from the fact
that such meetings were without ex-
ception, advertised publicly, and the
people invited to attend that the
talk of family could not be verified,
since there was at that time but one of
the Cochran's in Office.
| 1t was further charged that since E.
r. Cochran had been member of the
legislature and had then been appoint
ed Clerk of the Peace, that it looked
like rotation in Office, and that such
things should not be, since one term or
one Office was enough for aman, and
others should then have chance.
This was answered by sayidg that if ,.
T. Biggs was elected things would be
no better, that appointments would be
made from family standpoint. This
was vigorously denied by the Biggs
men. Finally, after looking at the
many and varied charges, counter
charges, and refutations, from dis
| interested point of view, it was gener-
i ally conceded that the nomination OF
Major Biggs was for the best interests
of the people.
| After an exceedingly bitter fight the
day came for the nomination and St.
Georges Hundred decided for B. T.
Biggs over E. r. G chran, by ma.
| jority of 120.
Jas. r. Hoffecker, had previously
been made the candidate Of the Tenn.
perance Reform party, the Repub
licans making no fight, and at the cleo
tion in November Major Biggs carried
this Hundred by majority of 247.
| The administration of Governor
Biggs then commenced, but he was not
left to that peaceful repose, the reward
of hard labor, every official act being
closely scrutinized, and commented
on.
The appointment of Herman Bes-
sey to the Superintendency of Public
Schools for New Castle county, under
the new law. was among the most
severely criticised. It was said thai
Mr.. Bessey up.to the election in 1884
had been an aYowed Republican, and
even in that year, while voting the
local Democratic ticket, gave as a rea'
son for SO doing that 'tthe Republicans
had no ehaneen and cast his vote fol
the Blaine Electors. Mr.. Bessey's ap
pointment was said by many to have
been unwise, as not being strictly De
mocratic.
The appointment of Attorney Gen
eral Paynter to the vacant judgeship
followed closely by the appointment Of
the Governors son, John Biggs, to thu
Attorney Generalship was another
source of discomfort to those parties
who had heard SO much of g Family, y
and some went SO far as to say, that
Paynter would never have been Judge
if it were not to make room for Johr
Biggs. advancement.
It is also asserted that while th'
meetings at Odessa have been discon
tinued that nominations are nov
made by two or three gentlemen with