Middletown transcript., 1896-03-07
MIDDLETowN, DEL, MAR. Z, 1896.
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.

The people in this State want Con-
vention of statesmen not Of partiSans.
Some of the papers. notably the Ecery
Euening, are advocating non-partisan
convention on the basis of five Repub-
licans and five Democrats from each
county. If the people had any guar
antee that the men thus selected would
be statesmen rather than mere politi-
clans such plan would work but there
is no such guarantee. In fact the
chances are that the delegates thus Sc
lscted would be politicians rather than
statesmen, for they would owe their
selection, and election, not to the poo
pie, but to the politicians of their re-
spective parties. The people would in
no way be consulted. The politicians
who are so potent in setting up tickets
would select from each party five men
In each county and their names would
appear on both tickets, the Republi-
cans endorsing the Democrats and the
Democrats endorsing the Republicans.
There would be no one else to vote for,
no choice by the people at the polls,
only an endorsement of the selections
by The politicians, with the risk that
the men who have fattened upon the peo-
pile of this State for years, would contrive
by dicker among themselves to control
the Convention. The question is, Can
not the people trust themselves in pref
ererce to trusting the politicians? The
politicians in this State have pIeven-
ted the adoption of new Constitution
for years, the politicians of the Demo-
cratic Party, because they were and
are the direct beneficiaries of our old
constitution. First they defeated
amendments by legislative enactment
in 1884 with legislature solidly DEM
ocratic and with the party committed
to those amendments by two State Con-
ventions. Under the Every Evening's
non-partisan Convention the men who
did that act would constitute one-half
the convention and they would con-
troll all legislation as an active major
ity must necessarily be more than one
half. After the election in 1894 when
Delaware had elected Republican
Governor and New Castle and Sussex
had decided for the Republican Party,
prominent st. Georges hundred Dem
ocrat who had opposed Convention
with all his might said, "Now, am
in favor of a Constitutional Conven-
tion." BY the death of Governor Mar
vii the Democrats again have the ap-
pointing power and the supp osition is
that that man and all like him are op-
posed to the formation of such Con-
stitution as the people would approve,
hence he and all of similar sentiment,
should be kept out of a Convention.
No man who has opposed Conven-
tion should be member of it. He
would be if the five and five PROPOSE
tion prevails.
In November. 1887, the people by a
decided vote favored Convention, and
the Republican members of the Gen
eral Assembly Of 1889 to man voted
for Convention 10 be composed of
delegates elected by districts, with
minority delegation to be elected
throughout the entire county and New
Castle county had fair increase in
her representation there, the writer,
then representing Sussex county, hav-
ing the honor to introduce and push
the bill through the Republican House.
The Democrats through their judges
and other politicians defeated this bill,
having ssven Of the nine State Sena-
tors. One judge wrote anonymous
letters, pretending to be farmer To-
Gated in town distant from the home
of the Judge, opposing the Convention.
Can those men, after having defeated
the people in calling Convention for
years, be trusted now as non-partisans
to formulate new Constitution? Un-
der the five to five proposition they
would be strictly in it. Let the peo-
pie answer. The writer is in favor of
q new Constitution, has advocated it
by pen, by ballot, by legislation, when
ever and wherever he could for years.
and he does not want to see the pres
ent opportunity lost. 1t may be lost
If the right men are not selected as
delegates. He IL not opposed to nom
partisan convention but would favor it
il it is possible. but is it possible? He
is frank to say that he cannot make up
his mind that it is, and is loath to con-
clude that it is not. lis not appar-
ent, moreover, that the Democratic
leaders are in favor of this movement,
their organs not having spoken. If
they were sure of majority of the
convention they would oppose it to a
man. Hundreds of Democrats who
dI0 tHiuhcics Duo oAo Ho0 oio"So ~
lead because they are too liberal would
favor such movement if they could
be certain the right men from each
party would be chosen, but woull
they?
What are some of the provisions of
the Act calling this election of dele
gates to Convention? Section l. pro-
yides that the delegates shall convene
in Dover on the first Tuesday of De-
cember next, being Dec. 7th. Section
2. provides for q Convention Of ten
delegates from each county, the dele