Middletown transcript., 1896-08-29

Enfered at the Post O1lce as second-ctdss n,0ser
MIDDLETOWN, DEL. AUG. 20, 1886
AN ANSWER AT LAST.
Man issaid 10 be q creature Of rea-
son. Delaware Republicans should
show themselves reasonable and should
oct from the dictates Of reason. Re-
publican newspapers should leadin this
matter and by plain statement OF
facts should aim at the truth. All are
agreed that many important issues are
involved In this campaign, and the way
for Republicans to get together is to
consider the truth and then act with
reason.
The TRANSCRIPT has query to sub
NIT to Mr.. Addicks special organ, the
State Sentinel, for information. It is
the substance, 80 said, Of Mr.. Addicks
speach before the members Of the
National Committee at st. Louis
6 made Mr.. Higgins Senator. and I
defeated him."
1t is not of the defeat that we inquire,
that is understood, the how and why
and wherefor-but in what way did
Mr.. Addicks make Mr.. Higgins Sem
ator ? The Sentinel has said that at
the time Of Mr.. Higgins election Mr..
Addicks was not known to dozen
people down the State. Mr.. Addicks
statement is very strange one except
with one explanation-that it is false.
There may be another. II SO, what is itp
If the Sentinel will not explain per-
haps the other papers which are oc-
casionally favorable to the Addicks
cause viii do so. 1t does not matter
as to the source Of the explanation, so
1t is made. August LIST, 1896, TRAN
SCRIPT.
The question asked by the TRAN
SCRIPT has been answered in the col
umns of the Sentinel on several 0ccas-
ions. The facts it involves are we'll
known. They are SO well-known that
only the persistent pretended ignora nee
by the Editor Of the TRANSCRIPT, of
what he ought to have been well in
formed, only can excuse repetition Of
: the story.
The Editor will remember that the
Republicans controlled the joint as
sembly of the two houses Of the legis-
lature by one vote In 1888, and that it
was necessary. to have nine votes in
the caucus, and sixteen In the assem-
bly, to nominate and elect Senator.
He will probably also remember that
one Republican member of the as
sembly refused to vote in caucus for
either Massey or Higgins, and that he
left the caucus rather than be COM
PEELED to vote for either Of these men
as the Republican nominee. The
man who bolted the caucus was then,
and is now, warm personal friend of
J.. Edward Addicks; and 1t was by
Mr.. Addicks that he was induced to
vote for Mr.. Higgins and elect him
Senator. When this man left the
caucus Mr. Addicks went to see him,
and advised him in view of the dan
ger arising from a failure to elect a
Republican United States Senator,
that he had better agree to vote for
one or the other Of the prominent
candidates. In reply the man said
he would vote for the man Mr.. Ad-
dicks would select. After seeing Mr..
Higgins, and after Mr.. Higgins had
assented to the conditions named,
Mr.. Addicks assured him of the vote
necessary to elect him. Mr.. Addicks
advised his friend to vote for Mr..
Higgins, and he did 30. Mr.. Higgins
repudiated his part of the contract on
the very first opportunity.
Mr. Addicks made Mr.. Higgins
Senator by inducing the member of the
State Assembly who held the decisive
ballot, to vote for him, member who
I would not have so voted under any
other conditions. Is that plain enough
for the TRANSCRIPTS comprehension
Will it publish this answer as fire.
quently as it has published its queryP-
State Sentinel.
After repeating our inquiry three
times we get the above answer. If the
Sentinel ever gave this information we
never saw it and to be candid we do
not believe that paper can refer to an
issue containing any such representa-
tions. 1t was in 1859, not 1883, that
the Republicans controlled the General
Assembly on joint ballot by two votes,
not one, though the loss of one vote
would have made tie. The nine votes
were considered necessary in caucus,
otherwise Mr.. Massey had been the
caucus nominee he having received on
several ballots eight Of the fifteen votes
cast after one had withdrawn. We do
not remember that member ''refused
to vote for either Massey or Higgins"
and being there collecting the ballots
as teller it is likely we should know.
The gentleman who bolted the caucus
stated to Representative Maull, FIRST
that he would never support Mr.. Treat,
the choice Of six of the Sussex MEM
bers, and subsequently when Mr.. Mas
sey developed strength he said be would
neverivote in Assembly for him. The
bolter voted for Mr.. Smithers while he
remained in the caucus, and it was
understood that it was Mr.. Smithers'
influence together with Joshua H.
Maryil and others who came sup from
Laurel that set the matter right and
gave to Mr.. Higgins the sixteen Re-
publican votes. Indeed it was the
argument that this member could be
induced to vote for Mr.. Higgins and no
one else except Mr.. Smithers that fn-
ally decided the matter in the minds Of
nine members. A telegram from In
dianapolis, the home of President-eIect
Harrison, calling attention to the