Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-02-27
TWO Significant Admissions.

TWO SignHlCant ADMISSIONS
The current issue of the Outlook |
magazine has an article on "Bossism
in Delaware, written by a staff cor
respondent. The evident purpose of
the article is to make it appear that
corruption in politics was no new
thing in Delaware when ]. Edward |
Addicks appeared upon the scene, and |
that he merely improved upon existing |
conditions. This assumption, however,
will make little impression upon the |
pubic mind, as the people Of Delaware
we'll know the political conditions in
their State ut the present time as com
pared with those of thirty years or so
ago, But the article contains at least
two statements, both by leading
State official and chief exponent of
Addicks Republicanism, which are
significant admissions of the disgrace
full extent to which political corruption
in Delaware has attained during recent
years, and of what it is expected to do
in the future,
The State official and leading Re-
publican who made these admissions
was DIR. Caleb r. Layton, secretary of
State and leading member of the
Addicks cabinet He seems to have
talked more plainly and with less re-
serve than is his usual custom, and
with surprising degree of candor, as
there will be no doubt of the truth of
Els declarations. Referring to the
l,ty a
the election Of 1894, Che said, accord
ing to the Outlook correspondent;
When the hard times came after
Cleveland was elected, 1--WE thought
there was chance to redeem Della
ware, and we tried to get some of the
old leaders to advance the money
necessary to do it, but not one Of them
was willing to undertake the job. All
they seemed to care for was to dispose
Of the national patronage when the
Republicans carried the country with
out Delaware's aid. We then went to
Mr.. Addicks, and he agreed to take
hold of the work of building up a
strong Republican organization. He
gave his time and his money to this
work, and 1t was solely by his efforts
that the Republicans carried the Legis.
lature in 1894 We felt that he had
bought this victory and was entitled
to the fruits of it; but the aristocrats
up at Wilmington, who were glad to
have him buy the State, wanted them
selves to take the Offices his money had
purchased Instead of being better
than j. Edward Addicks, they are a
great deal worse We thought it was
an outrage, and we refused to vote for
any man expect MIR. Addieks for the
United States senatorship.
So here we have the admission, by
an Addicks Republican of the highest
standing, that Boss Addicks bought
the State" in 1894 OF course this is
not news, but Addicks Republicans,
when charged with this crime, have
always Indignantly denied the i'm
putation. Now Secretary of State
Layton, chief among their leaders,
frankly admits that it is true.
Another point upon which DR., Layton
spoke with great freedom was with
respect to the iniquitous Voters
Assistant law enacted by the last
Legislature, and which was garbled in
such manner as to make the con
clusion inevitable that the manglinp
was done for deliberate purpose. and
that purpose to enable it to be operated
in the direction of wholesale cor
ruption of the suffrage, and at the
same time enable those guilty to
escape all punishment. Referring to
this law the Outlook correspondent
says:
The Addicks faction in the last
Legislature secured enough sunport
from the ranks of their supnased
opponents to pass Voters Assistant
law, by which corruption could he
sure of success. BY this statute every
voter can take an adviser with him
into the polling booth. When / asked
Dr, Layton how many of his party
would take the assistant" with them
into the booth, he replied, "All ~
them. " "Will you?" 1 asked "C,ari
tainly,'' he replied; II snail do Il H.
matter Of party discipline. !" In other
words, even the well-to- and intel
ligent leaders Of the Addicks faction
viii take a voters assistant with them
into the booths in order that the men
who have been bribed may be ASSIGNED
an assistant without proclaiming The
fact of their purchase. If any worse
\ law has been passed in any State. not
p excepting Pennsylvania, the writer has
never heard of it; and in the passape
OF this law the Addicks supporters got
help from outside their own ranks,
Here we have the programme. AID.
dicks Republicans like Dr. Layton,
who have no need Of an assistant te
instruct them how to vote the ticket
OF Boss Addicks, will go through the
form OF taking an assistant into the
voting booth with them, in order te
set the example 10 those whose votes II
is expected to manipulate through tbf
medium Of these unnecessary assistants
Is any doubt felt as to this intention
after reading the frank, but innolitic.
admission Of DR.. Layton? Wonde,
what could have induced him to tall
with such refreshing candor, but wifi
such conspicuous absence of politica
horse sense?
However, the truth is admitted. thu
honest people Of the State are fore
warned. They have it by good authorit,
that thu Voters Assistant law is To Is,
worked to the fullest extent. and tho,
Will have no trouble in cnniecturine
what this means. Being thus fore
warned may not the friends Of honest
suffrage be enabled to take stems t.
preserve the purity Of the ballot nj tn,
next election?