The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-26
DELAWARE's SENAToRSHIP.
WAS 4 SENATOR CHOSEN nY THE
LATE LEGISLATURE AT DOVER.

AddickS.
Dover. Del, May e5.--The most extraor-
I binary senatorial, election in the history
Of the United States and one which ex-
ceeded in dramatic tensity and the atten-
tion bestowed upon it any struggle of the
kind yet recorded has entered upon a new
stage. and from an absorbing state bat
tie has become an important national
one
The case Of Delaware IS unprecedented
Thirty men balloted. four months and adj
journed without knowing whether they
had elected a senator or not. All parties
to the struggle are by this time in a bit
I terly determined mood. and Dover is the
scene of active preparation TO mako out a
good case in Washington.
Every man concerned. from the COVER
nor Of the state 10 the left" Addicls was
interviewed for the purposes OF this mar
rative. 1t appears from what they say
that the breakdown of our senatorial cleo
ton system could not be moro complete.
The very comments Of Bryce in his
American Commonwealth" received a
new confirmation.
/ There has been no election" said Gov.
/ Watson to me. when l saw him at the
/ state house. Delaware has one senator.
/ Mr.. Dupont was not elected"
Then who will be SENATOR"
The man l appoint"
| Whom will you appoint
/ Il shall think that matter over"
| These words of the governor show a de-
| cided change Of opinion on his part It
/ hae l.l Dol. hot Fl, Ia
| minute he was very unwilling to take
| part in the balloting He thought he had
1 no right to do so. on Thursday. May 3
| last, the day the Legislature adjourned,
| he was called upon In the audience room
/ of the state house at Dover by Chancci-
Tor Wolcott and numerous distinguished
| democrats. They found Gov. Watson at
| 10 o'clock in the morning-the balloting
| was to begin at noon and the republicans
! had fifteen votes concentrated on Du-
| portland assured him that as he was
only acting governor, not the real govern
| or, his functions as speaker of the Senate
| had not ended. Therefore, he was bound
to preside in the joint session and vote
making the number of votes cast thirty
! and the contest a tie. it took four men
| more than an hour to talk the governor
| into taking the step.
The government of the state of Della
| ware resembles nothing so much as tho
mechanism of an old Dutch clock. The
| man who is looked up to as competent
| to make the complications of the present
situation clear is Chancellor Wolcott. The
| people are sure he knows all about Della
ware law, and he says there was no SEN
ator elected. Chancellor Wolcott is the
highest judicial authority in the state.
| There was no election" said he, when
asked him about It, mir. Watson, under
| our constitution, is not governor of Della
ware. He is only acting governor-a diff
| ferent thing entirely. He is stll speaker
| of the Senate, and in that capacity bound
| to preside over it and take part in all its
| proceedings a member of the legisla-
ture. Delaware is I'm reality governed ac-
| cording to a constitution framed in 1891.
Its date is 1892 but the instrument adopted
that year was really the one Of 1871, with
a few important amendments, and we are
| practically living under that constitution
now. That explains some unusual feat
ures in our state government"
Has Mr.. Watson a right to appoint a
| senator to succeed Mr.. Higgins2"
Il think not" said the chancellor, thus
| putting himself in opposition to the COVER
nor 81 should say the state has now
| but one senator, and must run along
| (until the legislature convenes two years
hence), with only half its representation
| in the Senate"
There is one thing brought out in this
| senatorial contest and the death of the
state executive. which has deeply wounded
! the pride of Delawareans. This was the
! statement widely disseminated that the
late governor of the commonwealth could
| neither read nor write. The story went far
and wide and even in England aroused
| comment that in any country man could
be made governor of a commonwealth
! without being able to read or write.
| at is ridiculousY' exclaimed Secretary
of State Smithers. when | asked him about
it, The late Gov. Marvil wrote a
| passable hand, as You see. He was not
very well educated, but he could read and
write"
Addicks is the central figure of this
| fight, soon destined to put to the severest
| test the legal acumen of the United States
| Senate ]. Edward Addicks brought this
whole muddle about His followers said
! it would be Addicks or nobody, and they
are all prepared to swear that since it is
not Addic1s it is nobody. Nobody has
| really presented Addicks' side of it-what
| he thinks of himself, whether he feels
that he did wrong. how he excuses his
conduct and finally the moral of the whole
episode. On all these subjects he spoke
very freely with me.
"in the first place." he said, there has
been no election. The senatorship from
Delaware is vacant. The next thing /
| have to say is that i am going to be sena-
tor from Delaware l am in this fight 20
the bitter end. Two years hence, when
the legislature conVenes, l shall be a can
didate for senator, and what is more, |
believe l shall be elected"
A very extraordinary man is John Ed
! wards Addicks. He has made $4,000. 900
in twelve years and has the money now,
not to speak of what he has made in the
way of money that he hasn't got now.
In physique he is tall, neither slim nor
stout, very erect in his bearing. His feat
| ures are not handsome and there are
many crows feet about his eyes, and yet
| he has both an attractive and a young
| look in his face. He is always faultlessly
groomed and irreproachably dressed. He
| always looks cool and unilurried. When
| he speaks he leans deferentially forward
and fixes a pair of deep, beautiful blue
! eyes upon his interlocutor, and the low,
! facile utterance habitual to him makes
, even commonplace from his lips import
| ant His chief characteristics are genial
| yet dignified affability and an extraordin
| airy personal magnetism which would
make one like him in a mistrustful way.
| Even his opponents acknowledge this.
Chancellor Wolcott said to me, speaking
of Addicks:
He is most extraordinary. disap-
prove of his methods. his policy and his
| record and yet am not surprised at the