Middletown transcript., 1897-01-16
ALAS, NornNRt

ALAsl NOT ONE!
In the factional fight at Dover over
the United States Senator, which will
be open to vote in the General Assem-
bly, next Tuesday because Of Addicks
and Addicksism, true charges are
made BY the factionists against each
other. The Dickey-Saulsbury men are
angry that the Kent county men take
SO leading part in the contest against
Dickey who seeks most to hold his
seat until after the caucus next Mon
day night and the election in the sep
agate houses on Tuesday and in joint
session onWednesday. They say theKent
men show "bad taste" in pushing the
matter, "men who were not elected
but were seated because they are DEM
ocrats." This is the testimony of fel-
low members Of the General Assembly.
On the other hand when the Kent
county men are threatened with an in
vestIgaJI0n even 10 the opening of the
Kent ballot boxes they defy the Dickey
threats and redouble their efforts to
nnseat man who by fraud attempts
TO sit in the seat to which Democrat
was elected and to cast a vote for Sem
aior> The real spirit of the contest is
not the right Of Mr.. Cheairs to a seat
In the Assembly, as it should be, but it
is a vote forsor against s'my candidate
for the Senate"
No one who reads can doubt the
truth of the above statements, and yet
not Democratic editor in the State
has had aught to say against the injus-
tice to the members of its own party to
say nothing of the purity of our elec-
tions which all should defend. On our
first page will be found some very in
teresting clippings from the editorials
o. our brother editors upon the organ
ization Of the General Assembly.
Many Of the Democratic papers failed
to notice editorially the action at Do
YER last week, shirking from respon-
sibility and taking refuge in silence.
Many of them privately condemn the
action but publicly approve by their
silence and their subsequent endorse
meut of the men and measures at issue.
Such is called political loyalty.
On Tuesday last the Morning News'
said, 'lhe Every Evening sees nothing
wrong in The action of the Democrats
in Kent county whereby seven Demo-
Gratis we're accorded seats in the Gen.
eral Assembly that belonged to seven
Republicans. The efforts of our neigh
Dor to discredit the truth, and to ques-
tion the knowledge of those who have
written upon the subject of rascality
In this State in connection with cleo
tions, stamps it as hypocrite.
To this the Every Evening replies:
"after the election of 1888, in which
corruption fund made it possible for
the Republicans TO carry Sussex county
and thus 10 secure majority on joint
ballot, Every Evening made careful
investigation and exposed the full de-
tails of the transaction. The editor
goes on to say that since then the pa
per has favored the enactment of laws
against bribery and stands on that
platform now.
Very true, the Every Evening fav-
ored the passage Of the Australian
Ballot Law by the Legislature of 1889,
we believe honestly, and the writer as
a member of that body worked and
voted against it and he is to-day proud
Of it. No man desires honest and pure
elections more than the editor of the
TRANSCRIPT, and he believes thous-
ands of Delawareans, Republicans and
Democrats, are equally as desirous Of |
these reforms as himself. The Every
Evening then called US hard names be-
cause we had the courage of our convic-
tons to vote against what we believed
promised 70 relief against bribery at |
cur elections. Our vote was not parti-
san as the Every Evening charged and |
the general opinion of that law to-day |
approves our judgment of it then.
The Republicans of that General AS
sembly, believing in fair and honest |
dealings politically as we'll as other
wise and being desirous Of testing the |
sincerity of our Democratic brethren |
in the Legislature, who were individ-
ually and collectively fine set of men,
many Of them possessing superior quail
iications for the duties to which the
people elected. them, offered to our po- |
litical opponents to accept the Austa-
liam Ballot bill if they Nould qualify
the obnoxious assessment and Gelin- |
quent laws of 1873. They would not
accept the offer. No one not even the
Every Evening will claim that Repub-
licans have had fair and honest treat
ment in Delaware. So far as we can |
recall this has been the sum total of |
the Every Evenings efforts in the
passage Of laws to eradicate bribery.
But to return to 1888. The present
editor of Every Evening was reporter |
on that paper then and himself "made |
the careful investigation" He knows
II he will tell tle truth that In the cleo
tion in Kent county that year far more
money was spent by the Democratic
factions in that county than was spent |
in Sussex the very men being engaged |
in it then who are now contesting the
senatorial election in Dover. Heiasked |
personal interviews at Georgetown and
having promised Republicans that they |
should receive the same treatment as