Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-28
TIE COMMENTATOR.

lllE UUNMEAlAlUK
Has anybody heard any word from
the new Senator? Is there any assur-
ance that be will accept still Alice
IS the only Senator to represent us at
Washington. One has to become IA
miliar with the duties Of the office and
get recognition in many ways ere he
can count on welding a great deal of
influence. Soon there will be pressure
Tor Offices, but the seekers will have
10 look TO Senator Alice. No wonder
that Knowles met Alice and patched
up an agreement, for Knowles must
look to Alice for his consulate. 1t Is
little odd for a Legislature TO elect
as q Senator person who is in Europe,
without ascertaining his wishes and
without receiving any message from
MN. The cable is working, and yet
we nave no message saying that Col.
du Font appreciates the honor and will
accept it.
Councilman Postles has not played a
very noble game since he came into
office, but he has certainly received no
encouragement to reform his political
ways. Behind him in most Of his
moves has been Magistrate Bradley,
and he too has felt the thrust Of the
knife. Now Bradley and Postles in
combination can cause the party lead
ers to sit up nights if they are so dis
posed, and the Republican press has
given them every inducement 10 do so.
IL one ability as vote-getter is to
be the consideration in appointments
70 Office, then either Postles or Brad
ley should be considered for a foreign
mission IN preference to Horace q.
Knowles.
The anti-bribery league has encoun-
tered some peculiar sophistries since
u organized. Listen. "The members
are an impractical lot who never
engaged in bribery, and having re-
Trained from the practice, know
nothing Of the methods of the briber,
and, consequently the iniquity may
be practiced with impunity before their
very eyes. " Listen again. "These
anti. .bribers are themselves guilty
they are disgruntled politicians who,
because OF personal disappointments,
are seeking to cause trouble, but very
little attention is to be paid to them. "
Brother Wilson of the Dover State
News-a Democratic paper with strong
Alice leanings-is responsi BILE Tor one
argument and Horace Greeley Knowles
Is responsible for the other. The
purpose is to catch the coon coming or
going. If these reformers are guilty
Of bribery they are not TO be Needed
II they have never indulged in bribery
they are helpless, because Of a lack Of
/ experience. We shall see, but IL may
happen that these apologists Of bribery
Will wake up some day to find their
| sophistries as unpopular as machine
/ pleas have become In Pennsylvania.
The anti bribery league does not de-
mand pledge from its members all
that II requires is the statement that
the person signing is in sympathy
with the anti-bribery movement. Now
any man who refuses to support such
a cause can make no claim to positive
| virtues, and he who places obstacles
! in the way is public enemy and is
at heart as corrupt as the ignorant
negro who sells his vote. The time
has come to rip off disguises, to tear
away sophistries. The people of
Delaware are simply asked to signify
I their purpose to eliminate vote buy
ing Any man who refuses to lend the
weight Of his influence TO the cause is
helping TO continue the degradation
arising from our elections and is in
effect giving his sanction to corrup-
tiOn. There are situations when we
cannot remain neutral. Suppose that
when San Francisco, after the awful
earthquake, was burning some had
/ listened to the cries of wounded, had
watched the flames eating away the
city and had said; Il will hold aloof
/ am not concerned one way or
another, " would he not have been re-
garded as an enemy and a menace?
/ Apply the figure to our elections in
/ Delaware We are informed in one
Sussex county district at recent
election the voters in solid line went
to the polls and in the same solid line
crossed the street to the Office Of the
paymaster. A gentleman kept tally
all day and only eight men out Of the
total number voting failed to 90 across
and see the Eaymaster In face Of
such conditions Commentator thinks
it is time to call a spade a spade and
to repeat that anybody who positively
or negatively encourages such a condi-
tion is a traitor 70 his State, to So
ciety and to good government,
Out in Indiana the leaders Of the
two parties representing six counties
have entered into a binding agreement
not to use money at elections for cor
rupt purposes. Why can't it be done
in Delawareg We are told that the
agreement would be violated but
under such an agreement the tendency
would be to compel the parties 10
watch each other, which would mean
the finest detective system. lt would
be good politics to prevent bribery
better than to engage in it. When we
are told that the scheme is visionary
let us see whether there isn't back of
the plea a sinister motive.
The Commentator.
CURRENT LITERATURE.