The sun., 1900-12-29
y
is SETTLED
IN ADVANCE
Dover Meeting Believed to Have
Decided the Contest.
THE SCHEME rs LAID BARE
The Meeting Called to Draw Demo-
Gratis and Regulars in Closer
Touch Had Just the
Opposite Effect.
THE SCHEME rs LAID BARE
Staff Correspondence.

Staff Correspondence.
| Dover, Dec. 2s.--The echoes from that
mysteriously secret Democratic confer
ence held here Wednesday are bringing
back anything but cheerful music to the
ears of the combine which has for its
object the wreck of the Republican party
of Delaware.
! The gushing affection expressed by
such moss-covered Bourbons as Biggs,
Cooper, Cayender, Records, Gills, Fooks.
Salisbury and Kenney towards what
they termed "Regllar Republicans has
stirred Republicans Of all classes in
beth the lower counties. This meeting
which was called for the avowed pur-
pose Of "drawing the Democrats and
Regulars in closer touch," has had iust
the opposite effect.
1t has disgusted the Democrats ami
started the Republicans to thinking on
a line which for years they had lost
sight of. Conservative thought here
dubs the whole affair as a sight to make
angels weep. Dover never beheld its
like.
| There was wooden-horse flavor about
the affair that made the State House
portals appear as IRRITABLE gates of
Troy. For it didn't take a very old Re-
publican to work a memory TRANSFORMER
ton that laid the whole scheme bare. To
the Republicans of Kent and Sussex es
pecially was the affair transparent.
Not very far back in the SOS the tower
ing naples of Dover Green were wont
to waive over a different scene. Demo-
cratic meetings were held then--lots OF
these Democrats had monopoly in the
meeting line. Republicans were talked
of then too-Bird and Smithers, and the
Laytons and the Cannons, Wash Hast
ings and Spruance and Bradford and
Higgins and Charley Richards. Several
of whom these Democrats of Wednesday
were urging their meinbers-elect to vote
for as ''good, honest Republicans"
They were all talked about then and
by the very same men-but the endear-
ing epithets of those days ran something
like this: ''Black as the hinges of He'll.
Traitors to Delaware. We've got them
down and must keep them down. And
they did keep them down for full gen
Grafton.
Robbed them of their franchise, and
then laughed at them. Told them til
had a right to vote, and then discharged
ii collector if Republican succeeded m
capturing him and forcing his franchise
tax ut his hands.
| ONGTrOue ull law VI tight. anu lbtIt3
to such an extent that these same Re
publicans time and again gave up the
fight in despair, and refused to put a.
ticket in tile field. These very Demo-.
Gratis who spread the sugar and water
so thickly on Wednesday did these
things. They were the controlling power
then in Democracy as they claim to be
now. And they did these things against
the very Republicans they ale now gush-
ing over and laughed them to scorn when
!, they protested.
Wednesdays meeting and its outcome
have stirred up these memories and
men are now calmly thinking over the
intervening years and the causes which
led to this wonderful change. In those
older days they fought the leaders of the
/. Republican party and defeated them dis
astrously every timc-because they had
the weapons and the Republicans were
: unarmed.
: The law-making power was all in
their hands, ard the old constitution was
their fortress. Laws were enacted like
! the old Bayard assessment law, with the
= purpose of disfranchising Republicans.
!" Higgins, Nields, Bradford, Spruance,
Smithers, Massey, Hastings, Harrington.
, Richards, all Of them, and every one OF
!, them pleaded and prayer and protested.
: 'This is white mans State and no
u d-m black Republican shall ever rule
in Delaware'-was the euph0nious and
thoroughly Democratic reply from the
very Democrats who arranged and CON
!. lucted Wednesdays meeting. In 1888
if Mr.. Addicks took hand, here is where
i. Wednesdays gathering is having an
d effect not pressure.
If We are counting up from 1885 the star
II of the Republican party began to
d rise-slowly but surely the party strength
l. was brought out.
N Defensive tactics were changed to ag
e gressive. For four campaigns it has
d been the Democrats who have done the
q. whimpering and the Republicans tht
cheering.
MIR. Addicks has been faator sine
1888. Men are coupling these facrs~tG
gether. 1t is not taking sums in algebr
le to cipher out the secret reasons for til
IS revolution in Democratic sentiment te
Or ward these "Good Republicans.'
n They recognize the foe to whom thei
le overthrow is due. They know his nam
Ii is i. Edward Addicks. Kill him An
you break the backbone of the Repula
can party in Delaware" is the secrs
message which has gone down throug
the Democratic line. Republicans dow
vi here see and understand it plainly. Sine
= Wednesdays meeting there has bee
~ much change of sentiment. The oble,
w. was made so plain.
u This is why Democrats and Rennbl
cans alike down here believe that XVc,
nesday's meetieng has settled the co,
test i'll advance and that the Republics
IN party will not be wrecked or its success
o. full leader assassination