The sun., 1901-12-02
WHO HATH UNCLEAN HANDS?

Somebody has told the du Pont-Anti-
Addicksite organ that there is a prn-
ciple in law, and forthwith it turns its
slop barrel upside down in search of some
incident in the history of Anti-Addicks-
ism to which the principle to which its
attention has been called Is applicable
and, aS is usual with it, misupplics the
principle.
The principle it has discovered is that
which demands that appellants come into
court with clean hands. Its contention
is, that Mr.. Addicks has no standing in
court upon the plea of majority rule, be-
cause his friends in the legislature of
1895 refused to vote for and elect Colonel
Henry A. du pont to the United States
Senate-refused to elect the Massey CON
spiracy candidate, for whom members Of
the legislature had been persuaded, and
coerccd to desert the candidate endorsed
at the polls, and to whom they were
bound by all the force of principle, and
by anti-election obligations that involved
their election.
With that case in mind, we have to
say t. the du Observation-Disclosures organ
that the parties who are barred from the
court on this issue (since it assumes the
role Of legal counsel) are tssown clients.
The defeat Of the Republican party
1892, by betrayal, under the leadership of
Spn1f1p III iprinu n,
the whole Irregular" outfit for the avowed
purpose of preventing the election of the
only Republican candidate for United
States Senator who had the courage To
contest the election with Senator Gray.
Mr.. AldicEs, was a political crime for
which atonement is scarcely possible.
Short of the political crimes that pro-
duced the Civil War, there is nothing in
the political history Of this country the
evil results Of which are at i'll compar-
able with that criminal hundcr. Ii gave
the Senate Of the United States to the
Democrats. and enabled them to commit
the most stupcndons economic legislative
blun,lcr in the annals of the country. 1t
gave place to the IIig4inS- AIaSSey-du
FONT conspiracy Of 1895. to the Demo-
cratic revolution Of 1867 to the deccp.
tion ana misleading Of a National Repul-
lican Convention, the committing of n
Presidential candidate to in act Of polti
cal trcachcry, and the holding of u
President Of the United States iii bond
age as party TO the most damnablr politi-
cal outrage that was ever imposed upon
q neople--the Democratic theft Of the
State in 1896. To the defeat of the Re-
publican party Of Delaware III 1892. for
which Mr. Higgins as leader of the party
was responsible, when there was no other
way t. defeat Mr.. Addicks, except to
elect Mr. Gray, is due the whole scheme
and evil results Of Anti-AddickSism as it
has been developed. II was the begin
ming of Anti-AddickSism and such il be-
ginning, think Of it. 4 United States
Senator with a prorfcr II aid that as
surcd success in n State where the Strug-
gle for Republican suprcmacy-fo Just
and right government--had been cease
less and frnitless since 1861, permits a
COMPROMISE with fraud and corruption
for the dcfcat Of the only Republican
caniaate for the United States Senate
that could have been elected lit that
time That was the position taken by
Mr.. Higgins and the regular" outfit
in 1892. Gould he, Or any one else who
had ;lu ounce Of political sense, suppose
that he man and his friends whom he
HIiglsinsl made the victims Of that he
trnyal who had made it possible 10 make
Delaware Republican State, and who
had forced him to tile adoption If such
reasonable and ruinons cXpcdient to de-
feat them, would allow his reelection in
1894 70 80 mchallenged! He invited the
opposition 10 himself in 1895. If he held
to the nation that he would br reelected
unchaIcnged in 1895, it is barely possible
that he is now aware of his mistake. A.
result Of his mistake in 1892 Mr. Hig
gins position before the legislature OF
1895 was ludicrous He had been beatrr
at the polls-beaten while running his
own campaign and with a United States
Senatorship at stake, Ills fued with
Massey was still on Iie had cmhittercd
every Addicksman in the State against