Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-20
WHERE ARE WE NOW
Dover Delawarsan

Dover Deawarean.
All well regulated establishments at
the end OF fixed periods make IL a rule
to take an account OF their assets to de-
termine what they have made OF lost
and where they stand
We have evidently reached the end
OF one period in our politics and Della
wareans had as we'll summarize for
themselves where our public affairs
stand. Addicks personally has adj
mitiedly stumbled shameiully into his
political grave, his way thereto migrate
fully smoothed by the chief benehciaries
OF his corrupt munihcence. Broken in
fortune, iorsaken by his political leu
tenants whom he raised from obscurity
said to be physically wreck of his former
sell, he serves only to point a moral, not
certainly to adorn tale.
Could he now find, hidden away some
where, 10 per cent Of the million and
a half dollars he probably wasted in
Delaware politics, he would esteem the
possession OF so much. at this time. COM
parative riches So far as he is CON
cerned his punishment well fits the
crimes he has committed. and while some
may pity him in his broken down old age
he viii have no sympathy or friends.
The moral pointed by his fate is that
no rich outsider can come to Della
ware and buy one Of it's United States
Senatorships-yet The general dis
gust OF all, with the venal tools whose
services were his to command, so long
as he had money with which to pay
them, may be trusted to provide appro-
pirate punishments for his treacheIous
leutenants
The passing Of Addicks marks the end
OF the period Of the rich carpet-bagger
attempting to buy a Senatorship.
But where are we now
The richest of our native born citizens
succeeds to the vacant throne of cor
ruption because he is best qualified to
continue the practices by which that
throne was erected and has proved his
qualification for the place.
We may as well, then, look this con-
dition in the face.
So long as Republicans are in the as
cendancy in Delaware, merit. ability.
high ideals and honest efforts to pro-
mote the common veal will not be recog-
nized as emitting those who possess
them. or so labor. to the high political
honors our State can confer.
Money and the willingness to use it in
political contests and money only, will
entitle its possessor to aspire to high
political place, if Republicans continue
dominant here.
Millionaires only arc wanted. None
others need apply The only qualihca-
tion other than the possession wealth
IS that its possessor must be born
here. That much Addicks' downfall
and Henry A. du Points success have
proved.
We wonder how Republicans of merit
and ability in this State like this mani
fest condition
Probably nothing narrows a man
more and more completely uniits him
for public life, more rapidly destroys the
natural sympathies one has for his
fellow men, narrows his views and CON
tracts his intellectual powers, than
money grubbing and the possession OF
great wealth
We doubt if Col. du Pont, for instance,
either knows or wants to know a dozen
men in lower Delaware We fancy he
could more readily tell us the boundaries
OF Abyssinia than where to look for
Nanticoke hundred, that he probably
might describe the Danube River and
the Sea of Azof with some degree of ac-
curacy, but that he would locate Indian
River in Florida and Isle Of Wight Bay
somewhere in England.
The needs Of our people for the COM
pletion of the Inland waterway may
need discussion and elucidation in the
Senate, but he will be mute-mute for
two reasons, one because he will be
mute on all questions except when he
votes yes or no, as he initiates Aldrich,
Of Rhode Island, the chief OF the Railroad
Senator's and his second reason for re-
naming mute will be, that unless he has
his secretary to look it up for him, he
probably doesn't know where the Inland
waterway is or a single person it will
benefit
Col du Pont will probably cause all
his generation Of Republicans who have
ability to remain in obscurty while he
possibly until senile old age overcomes
him, occupies unreservedly and un-
worthily his Senatorial chair.
Then there will be other rich ones IA
take his place A great trust like oul
Powder Trust can breed millionaires
faster than Senatorial seats become
vacant.
Other rich incapables will crush out
the political ambitions of the next
generation of Republicans who are tread
ing the paths Of political effort next be
hind ex-senator Higgins, Gen. Wilson
Judge Spruance and their types.
Wen, we must do our best. Maybe
ideals will improve Maybe the slug.
gish currents OF political thought will be
quickened here. and old days may come
again when rich men and their toadies
will not obscure the political Landscape
and block all pathways Of honest and
wholesome political endeavor and as
,frotfon