Evening journal., 1902-02-24
ABOUT BOSSISM
In DELAWARE
"OutIOOk'' Makes a Review
Of Our Politics
CALEB R. LAYTON TALKS
But Cannot successfully Defend the
GaSman Against the Evidences
Of Corruption
CALEB R. LAYTON TALKS

staff correspondents which assumes TO
give a comprehensive view Of the Della
ware situation. and particularly the
position of Addicks.
Well informed Delawareans who have
followed the events of the period the
article covers will recognize certain
errors, which perhaps might have been
expected but which, nevertheless, show
a lack of full and definite information
which is necessary in the treatment OF
this peculiar case.
It was evidently intended as a non
partisan treatment, possibly with the
desire of saying something which might
place Addicks in a less offensive light.
But if such was the purpose, it has
been a failure The writer leaves no
doubt that Addicks has won his fol-
lowing by corruption. The writer says,
his direct payments for votes have been
on a scale without parallel in any
State but Montana" His apparent be-
lief that many are opposing this sort
O. thing are "aristocrats," absurd, and
WEI be SO regarded by all Delawareans.
The writer says:
There is a prevailing myth that Mr..
Addicks found Delaware innocent and
made 1t corrupt, much as Mark Twain's
hero corrupted Hadleyburg. Outside
of Delaware this myth is almost uni
versally accepted. Within the State,
however, it is accepted only in select
social circles. and even in these circles,
outside of Wilmington, it is generally
admitted that Mr.. Addicks found con-
ditions congenial to his methods"
Following this the writer refers to
the article from the pen Of Willard
Salisbury which recently appeared in
the Forum. and then remarks:
1T was Just after reading this idylic
picture of Delaware's unworldliness
that the writer visited the capital Of
the little State The first man whom
| met spoke of vote-buying as a COM
mon practice with both parties, saying
that the going-price of a vote in a
closely contested legislative district
a few miles out in the country had
risen as high as thirty dollars, and that
this price was reached because
there were two bidders in the
market or rother because there
were thre. for in this district
tine Regular Republicans fought
the Addicks Republicans quite as hard
If not harder than they fought the
Democrats"
II is to be regretted that the first
man the correspondent met should
have been so absolutely unreliable, and
the second pity is that his absurd state
ment should have been quoted His
statement as to the contest over votes
and the price of the market may have
been true, but to declare that there
were three parties engaged in the con-
test. and that the Regular Republicans
were in the market, is an
absurdity to anyone understand
ing the conditions in Kent
The writer knows that during tue last
campaign in that county the Regular
Republicans had no campaign fund
and that they raised for all expenses
not exceeding $40. Besides this they
adopted the Union county ticket, and
only nominated a few candidates fol
the Legislature. So whether or moi
they had the inclination to buy votes
there was no inducement for them to d'
so. and no money to do it with.
The next informant we are told
was man absolutely illiterate," whC
proceeds to tell something of the poll
tical methods of the past. He though
that Addicks had not introduced politi
cal corruption in Delaware, but tina
the>Democrats had been the origina
defenders. He concludes: "Addick
corrupt Delawarel No, indeed;
think he's done us good He's jus
made us all see how mean we We're"
He further declared that "Since Ad
dicks came, the amount
vote-huying had greatly increased an
the prices paid had increased enor
mously. but Addicks, by the braze
effrontry with which he had conducte
his vote-buying, had half aroused tn
moral sense of the State. which had re
garded with indifference the vote-buy
ing that had gone on for years for tn
benefit of local aspirants."
The lneterate farmer seemed to haV
a pretty good idea Of actual condition.
and while his information seems q
variance with absolute illiteracy, "
are glad the correspondent made HI
acquaintance. No one will claim thi
vote-buying was unhead Of before AZ
dicks came to Delaware. or that he Wa
the discoverer of other forms of polit
cal rascality. and no one will questio
the conclusion that corruption in Il
minimum has been increased TO II
maximum. and that Is at the root
the contest.
Next our correspondent had an inte
view with "one of the most cultivate
lawyers in Dover" This gentlems
told the whole truth. and it is a pi
the Outlook writer could not have hf
more such conversations. The Dow
man declared:
For years, he said. the poorer farr
ers and workmen had been accustom'
to look to the candidates for Office, n
only for the payment of their poll tax
so that they might vote, or for pa
ment for any special services tn
might render. but also for merely ia
ing the trouble to vote. These poor
voters. he said. never could aspire
any Of the offices. and small mon
payments of presents Of clothing
household supplies for their famill
came to be recognized as their share
the patronge which the whole polite