Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-05-29

In an address to the Democrats of
Kent county, Thursday, Mr., James A.
Marsh of Sussex county said:
We have too many politicians in our
little Commonwealth, and not enough
statesmen. Statesmen live and work
for the advancement of their country
politician for position and purse.
Mr.. Marsh is deputy sheriff Of Sussex
county, but his remark is one worthy
of Senator Of the United States. He
has hit the bulls eye with the bullet
of truth.
Mr.. Marsh truly says that we have
too many politicians in this State The
woods are full of them;'' there are
probably more of them to the square
inch in Delaware than in any other
State of the Union,
Unfortunately, while we have too
many politicians, we have too few
statesmen who live and work for
the advancement of their country.
Their places are taken by politicians
who think only of positions and profit,
particularly the latter. They fix their
eyes on the offices they desire, and then
strive to enlist the entire organization
and strength of their party in the
furtherance of their ambitions Ooca-
sionally it is the mere honor of the
official preferment that they desire,
but as rule it is the peouniary profit
that the Office carries,
And yet we have had statesmen in
Delaware-men who represented the
State in the National Congress with
dignity, honor and signal ability.
From the formation of the government
up to very recent years, Delaware in
variably had one Senator who was the
peer of any of his fellows in the Senate,
and at times we had two. And "there
were giants in those days, " and the
Senator from Delaware who measured
up to the full intellectual stature of
his colleagues was great man in
every sense of the term. But Delaware
had them, and their names are in
scribed high in the record of the
uountry's most honorable history, to
their lasting credit and that of the
State Would that we had more Lof
them now.
In the course of the same address
Mr.. Marsh of Sussex county made
another plain statement Of solid fact,
as follows:
In 1889 a little carpet bagger came
into our State and spread the seed of
corruption, much of which took root
Nd et,ro.ata1 mt In tho tNrp lntuaf
,ounties, and some of it in New Castle.
And how terrible is the growth of this
Ieant of corruption. l never did think
we, as State, could get quite to the
condition that confronts us. Let us
fight it like worthy foemen, and see
that our State is represented at the
nations capital by men who will dc
US honor.
In this single paragraph Mr.. Marsh
has pictured the situation and pointed
out the remedy. 1t is to fight like
worthy foemen and see that our State
is represented at the nations capita
by men who will do us honor. +" Suct
fight would enlist the hearty co
operation and most earnest efforts o
tho best citizenship of Delaware.
But such fight must be led b!
statesmen, not by mere politicians. Ii
the cause of the people the politician
is not to be depended upon, as h
works for himself, and not for tn
common good.
Have wo the statesman left in Della
ware? No doubt we have At least W
have the people who represent the rea
spirit Of craftsmanship and revere it
traditions. These are the people VIII
may save the State from tho power Q
the corruptionists who seek to contro
it for their selfish purposes.