The sun., 1901-03-19
TUESDAY. MARCH 10. 1901.
THE QUESTION AT ISSUE.


jority to rule, and if, as result Of the
du Pont bolt from regular Republican
ism, the State is captured by the Demo-
Gratis, du Pont and his boilers will alone
be Mt fault.-The Philadelphia Inquirer,
The Inquirer tersely and accurately
states the question at issue in Delaware
politics, describes probable consequences
and locates the parties at fault. From
the beginning to the present, and for the
future, the question lying behind the
Union Republican movement, of which
Mr. Addicks is the acknowledged leader,
has been the right of the majority to rule
in party councils and State govern
ment. In becoming candidate fol
United States Senator from this State,
Mr.. Addicks became the champion of
that essential of free and popular govern
ment. The Democratic government of
the State had been that of minority,
kept in power by fraud and corruption
for a lifetime. The Republican party,
in Delaware, was being divided and de-
feated, first, by faction created by
leadership that could not agree, and of
which no one faction, or leader, was
able to overthrow the party of fraud
which held the State. So long had this
condition of things continued that the
people We're in despair. Thy saw no
hope of possible agreement, and without
agreement there was no hope of sue
cess. There had been useless campaigns
under each fractional leader and as many
defeats. There had been factional cam
pagns designed to capture the legisla-
ture and effect an amendment of the
constitution, and they ended in defeat.
There had been campaigns in which the
party made no nominations-division and
defeat ruled in party movement. The
men who had tried and knew the limit
Of the old party leadership, who des-
paired Of its ever establishing a Repub-
lican government in this State, gladly
Joined Mr.. Addicks in new, earnest and
persistent effort to establish majority
government in Delaware; and as a means
to that purpose, end minority rule in the
Republican party councils and conven-
tions. From the beginning of his polti
cal career in this State Mr.. Addicks has
been the champion of majority rule, and
that is his position in politics now.
1t is the opposition to Mr.. Addcks
that has foisted the factional issues to
the fore, made campaigns for personal
ends and who have advocated and
planned for the defeat of the majority.
The truth Of this statement is now be-
coming manifest. The attack upon Sena-
tor Hanna has resulted in his giving
to the public information which could not
he effectively given in any other way
incidentally, Mr.. Hanna clears up all
the mystery about the st. Louis conyen-
tion, and the Delaware campaign pre-
cealllg 1.-THE Legislative contest of 1895
and the primary election of 1896. Mr..
Addlcks was the majority Senatorial
candidate, as the people voted in 1894,
when the first Republican government
that Delaware had ever elected was
chosen. lie was the majority candidate
at the legislative session of 1895. had
the members of the General Assembly
been allowed to act and vote in accord
with the sentiment of the people. That
was not allowed. All the old sectional,
fractional and ruinous influences which
had formerly divided and defeated the
Republicans We're revived to defeat him.
All the old aspirants for Senatorial hon
ors and many new ones Joined in the
fight making common cause against Mr..
Addieks as the majority candidate. 1t
was a question whether the representa-
tives Of the majority sentiment of the
people should be utterly defeated, or
whether the faithful among them should
mold together as a nucleus for another
effort. II was i'll the finale of this fight
that Colonel du Pont was made a candi
date Of the factions, each of which had
been defeated, to compass if possible the
rt'suscitation of the old regime and the
reestabishment of the disastrous rule
OF the factions. 10 any one who knows
the course of Delaware political move
mehtS intimately enough TO have forecast
the result, had it been otherwise, the
failure to elect Republican Senator
IN 1895 was a victory for the majority
sentiment Of the Republicans Of Della
ware. That was proved in the preim-
mary campaign of 1896 when two-thirds
of the delegates to the State convention
% elect delegates to the st, Louis conven-
tion We're elected in opposition to Colonel
du Pont and his partisans. They were
beaten and they bolted They had been
forced into an acknowledgement of their
position of minority representatives
striving to defeat the majority. Their
success at st. Louis is now authorita-
lively declared to have been the result OF
llnslnfolEation, given on their part TO
the men who championed their cause
The campaign that followed was still
another proof Of the majority sentiment
Of the State. Two-thirds of the voters
voted the Union Republican ticket. A
majority of the members elect of the leg
islature We're favorable to the election
of Mr.. Addicks to the Senate. The bolt
Of Colonel du Pont and his friends in