Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-03-14
VOICELESS IN THE SENATE.

Correspondence New York Evening Post.
Dover, March ga long and
memorable struggle ended here today,
and one from which imt ortant results
may flow j. Edward Addicks, for II
years claimant for the United States
Senatorship upon the ''Addioks or
nobody platform, again failed to
secure election. This time, instead of
resulting In ''nobody's'' occupancy OF
one seat in the Senate, both seats will
be so occupied. Therein lies tho i'm
rortanoe Of this fight In its consti-
tutional aspects Addicks has merely
succeeded in giving the country an
illustration Of the possible workings at
its worst vi the present method of
eleoting United States Senators.
The arena of this struggle did not
lend to 1t dignity. Dover Ia but q
country town, bedizened with some of
the furhelows of city. The state
House is small building, of school
OF architecture that is not worth de-
filming. Ii 10 worry much such structure
as one finds doing duty as town ball in
one Of the minor manufacturing towns
of New England. In plainsrooms, not
much larger than those usually devoted
to q police court, the II Senators and
the 80 Representatives constituting the
Legislature OF Delaware, have for
weeks labored to elect two United
States Senators. aidsaoIr Cd
The soeishility OF the democracy of
Delaware was to lay every where in
evidences SPECTATORS crowded the
narrow lobbies right up to the rail
that sets off the Solons from their con-
stitutents. The spectators make them
selves comfortable with cigars and
peanuts, while with the stubs and the
shells the halls and corridors are
Uttered up, to the very doors Of the
"perniciously snug executive cham
Der, In which the governor Of De'awaie
reads the bills sent to him. Everybody
in Dover, is a politician, or has been
fer weeks, and tine crowd overhows
every office In the tiny State House.
Delaware Senatorial deadlocks have
become almost as fixed an observance
as the country cattle shows. The Sena-
turial succession for the last II years
may to advantage be reviewed to show
how the present vacancies have arisen.
51st Congress ...... Higgins tRepl, Gray Dem
SD Congress ........ Higgins {Repl, Gray lDem
5sd Congress ..,,..Higgins lRepl. Gray }Dem.
5ith Congress.....,.. Kenney lpem.l, Gray. (Deml
5oth Congress. ,......Kenney tDem.1, Vacancy
The Senate Of the Fifty-serenth Con
gress, which met for the first time last
Monday, contained no member from
| Delaware. Mr.. Kenney's term having
expired at noon on Maroh 4th, and the
Gray vacancy still remaining untitled.
This was an unusual situation; even
Nebraska, where the Legislature Is
etill 10 deadlock over two Scholarships,
has one Senator 10 the person OF Mr..
Allen, serving ON the governors
appointment. The Constitution is a
| little vague as tn the expiration oil
| such terms, but the officers OF the
| Senate have decided that he is entitled
to remain until the Nebraska Legis-
lature eithers elects somebody in his
place or adjourns without action. Then
| he would have to depart from the
chamber of the Senate, we're that body
/ in session.
But Delaware has had this week moi
even such hold.over representation.
The first State to ratify the Federal
Constitution has been without repfe
sentatIon in that body for which the
Constitution was 80 specific in guaran
teeing the smallest States equality o.
rights, and making that guarantees
practically uuamendable, except b,
unanimous consent t
| The party history OF these Delawar'
vacancies is interesting. The Demo
Il Gratis regularly carried the State ant
elected tho Senators until tie Har
rison campaign OF 1888. In that yea
there was a considerable free trad
SCARE among the factory workers Q
Wilmington, which contains about hal
the population of the State. The mem
hers OF the Union League Club o
Philadelphia also took a hand in thu
contest, subscribing to small funC
which a man named Knowles, after
wards Consul at Bordeaux, iudiciousl,
employed in selected districts of tn
southern counties of tho State. As
result, the Legislature chosen was Re
publican by one majority, and Anthem.
Higgins was sent to the United State
Senate. Ii will be recalled that Senate
Hoar, IN public address referred t.
Delaware in doing THE, as "lookin
towards the rising SUM- or words Il
that effect. For an old slave State t.
send Republican Senator was de
servedly notable.
Four years later the Cleveland swee
of 1892 served to re elect George Gray
Democrat. But in 1894, as Higgins
term was about to expire, the Republi
can wave that passed over the cUuntr.
carried Delaware along with it, blu
: instead Of giving Higgins another term
Mr.. Addicks got In his work. am
Tiers was no election. Two years later
, in 1896, the Democrats carried tn
Leg islature, and sent Mr.. Kenney t
Washington TO fill out the rest of tn
term. He served the remainder of tb
Fifty fourth and through the Fifty
fifth and Fifty sixth Congresses. Whe
: Senator Gray's term expired on Marc
! 4th, 1899, the Republicans we're agai
, m nontrol of the State htlt ware nm