Middletown transcript., 1895-07-27
A DELAwAREAN PROMOTED,

V. Massey will be glad to hear of his
promotion TO be the Assistant General
Solicitor of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company with 100000 salary at
tached. He has been the attorney for
the Delaware Division of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad since the appointment,
We believe, of Chief Justice Comegys
to the bench, and with his genial dis
position, his capacity to tell good
story, his ability as an attorney, and
his possession to large degree of that
personal attraction called, in large men,
magnetism, he has been force in the
Diamond State, socially, politically and
in all its business affairs.
Socially, as in his business, Mr.. Mas
sey is a success. He has the ability to
shed part of his own geniality about
those with whom he comes in contact,
and during his public career in the
State he has made many friends. He
was great success as Worlds Fair
Commissioner, his great exective
ability showing itself in his manage
ment of the large affairs that came
under his direction. During the Ex-
position and since, Delawarean in
any distant part of this country meet
ing the representative men of the sec
tion, hear words of praise of "Judge
Massey" as he was called by the people
of the "White City,"
In business way Mr.. Massey's in
fuence has been felt in the State as
that of few men older or younger. AS
the attorney for the Delaware Railroad
he has opposed competing line down
the State, and in fact opposed every
railroad improvement projected, as he
undoubtedly thought his position de-
manded, unless it was for the benefit
of the Delaware Railroad. He has
been universally popular with Demo-
Gratis and it has been said that not a
Democratic Lobbyist in the State but is
jealous of his superior influence. He
certainly has served most faithfully his
railroad, but whether to the benefit of
Delaware agriculturally, to its develop
ment and growth, will remain dis
puted question even among his most
intimate friends.
Politically Mr.. Massey has been an
enigma. Being possibly the most popu-
lar man in the State among the Demo-
cratic masses, he has been foremost in
the councils of the Republican party.
In the State conventions he has usually
had the endorsement of Kent county
solidly with him and has been an ad-
vocate of a "still hunt" or quite cam
paign, or of no campaign at all. 1t
1888 he thought it useless to contend
the election with the Democrats, and
after the victory was won and a
United States Senator was to be
elected, the friends of Hon. n. B.
Smithers, his preceptor, 'tUncle" and
law partner, claim that Mr.. Massey
urged upon Mr.. Smithers that he be a
candidate until Mr.. Smithers consented
and 10! when the caucus convened Mr.
Massey had the votes.
Since then Mr.. Massey has repeatedly
declared himself out of politics and re-
fused in 1892 to have a contest made
in his behalf for members of the Gen
eral Assembly against "his friend,
George Gray" 1t is only twelve
months ago that he declared himself
out of politics and "since he had de-
clined to oppose Mr.. Gray he certainly
would not oppose Mr. Higgins" but
when the Legislature convened there
| were Massey men who refused to abide
the decision of caucus and who
voted for Mr.. Massey persistently for
Senator for days and weeks and
months. Mr.. Massey was in frequent
consultation with those men and
claimed to have no influence over them.
They were and are his personal friends,
and have enjoyed his hospitality at Old
Point Comfort for several days since
the Legislature adjourned. The last
week of the memorable contest at
Dover Mr.. Massey issued his remark
able letter of withdrawal and urged
the Republicans to centre upon a can
didate. The writer inquired of a
Massey voter at that time how he
could continue to vote for Mr.. Massey
in the face of the fact that he twas not
a candidate, had not been a candidate,
and had written letter of withdrawal
as a candidate" The reply was:
"My dear sir, that letter of with
drawal, as it is called, is the first pub
lie evidence I have that Mr.. Massey is
a candidate or that if he were elected
that he would accept" Such was the
Interpretation, by more than an aver
age legislator, of Mr.. Massey's enig-
matical letter of withdrawal and that
letter is fair sample of Mr.. Massey's
political course in Delaware. The
TRANSCRIPT has said before that if
George V. Massey had been an out and
out Republican, fighting the political
battles of this State as faithfully and
persistently as has Anthony Higgins,
Delaware would have been Republican
years ago and no power could have
prevented, and we should to-day have
two Republican Senators in the United
States Senate. 1t is the methods of
Mr.. Massey's Republicanism that have
hurt the party in this State, and that is
what has weakened Mr.. Massey's in
fluence in his party in the State. and