Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-06-21
THE COMMENTATOR.

lllE GUMMEA ALUM.
Esquire Bradley may not he an ideal |
character for q justice Of the peace. bat I
are conditions improved by displacing |
him with James ". Robertson That |
Is one question, but IL is not the most |
important. If Mr. Bradley was good !
enough for Governor Lea 70 appoint |
why isn't he good enough 20 retain ? !
Has anything tmnspired 10 show that |
ho Is less it than when he WIS appointed /
Mo- al that he was politically. as a man
and as justice was known when he
received his commission from Governor
Lea. Why then was the trick Of failing
10 send his name 60 the Senate Tcsoucd
70 There Is an answer; when be was
named he was expected 10 do certain
things politically. Perhaps he failed
and possibly he was no longer useful,
but we haye not yet gotten down to the
real solution DO the following iacts
mean anything James W. Robertson
threatened to be a candidate for the
state Senate; Senator Sparks desires 20
return and does not like 20 contemplate
a contest with Robertson; Governor Lea
Is the uncle Of Mr.. sparksl
II II was desired 20 retire Mr. Bradley
why wasn't his name sent 10 the Senate
and the contest made in that body
Why should the governor stultify him
sell by ousting from office by a trick a
man whom he himself had named
And who is this man named by the
governor Four years ago he was
charged with having won his nomina-
tion by fraud, and on the basis Of that
charge Dir. Sparks had his name placed
on the ticket He had already served
a term as Senator; had been elected on
the most solemn assurance on his part
that Inc would never vote for Addicks-
and he did it. This is the man whom
the governor delights 20 honor, and we
are assured that it is on the recommenda-
tlon Of Senator Sparksl Is this the kind
OF politics we are to expect from the new
Republican party ? Truly there is an
endeavor 10 show by contrast that Ad-
dicks and Addicksism is respectable and
to be preferred.
We Delawareans feel some pride at
the conspicuous place this little state
has taken in the history of our country.
The record Of our people in statesman
ship OF in war is one to be perused with
great deal OF satisfaction. In the
Revolutionary period Delaware won re-
nown by the quality Of her civil leaders
and the bravery OF her soldiers in the
held This was repeated during the
stirring period Of the Civil War; and our
children in the public schools when they
come 20 read In their histories the part
Delaware has played are impressed with
the laurels this little State has won.
But history is being made every day;
that which happened yesterday is to-
morrow sifted and becomes a part of our
permanent record The writer was
struck with this idea when a few days
ago the following paragraph from the
history written by DR.. r. Benjamin
Andrews was called to his attention:
"Ihe legislative election Of Senators de-
bauched Montana and Delaware. In
Delaware, owing partly to its large negro
vote, mere brute money was able for
years to obstruct il not quite to conquer
the opposition Of decency to its claims.
In such guise we are passing into his
tory; Delaware and Montana linked to-
gether by the bond Of corruption-the
plain demands Of decency denied for
over a decide by the use Of brute money.
We may protest as we will, but true his
tory usually manages to get itself written
and in this case Dr. Andrews has put it
into a sentence. Brute money has
thwarted what the people under normal
conditions would have demanded, and
there is much to convince one that brute
money has triumphed.
Il is impossible to say what the
du Points think of the situation or TO
undertake TO outline their policy for the
future; but it is possible to state the
nature of the expectancy in the public
mind Nobody with any pretence to
honesty will question that the rural
legislators who turned to du Pont and
made him Senator did so with the full
understanding that he is to furnish the
money for campaigns in the future The
du Points may not be responsible for this
understanding, save as their course in
the past warrants il, but il they shall
refuse to finance the next campaign the
mass of Republican politicians, great and
small. will feel that they have been be-
traved and buncoed This is not a mere
random shot either for men who turned
from Addicks to Col du Pont explained
openly that il was necessary to have Tor
a leader somebody who would continue
70 do what Addicks has done for Kent
and Sussex.
Sometime recently Mr.. Addicks was
visiting one of the down-State towns
trying to prevail upon several OF his
former retainors to remain loyal to him
in his senatorial fight. Having some
leisure he took a little stroll, looking at
the shops on either side as he passed.
Presently his attention was attracted to
a prosperous locking establishment, the
proprietor Of which had once held a public
office by the grace OF Mr.. Addicks, but
who had turned 10 a du Pont supporter.
Mr.. Addicks inspected the windows,
glanced az the fine display within and
stepped back and took it all in. Then
q curious. grim smile spread over his
features; he nodded his head once or
twice and passed on 1t requires no
effort Of imagination to translate that
smile into words. Somebody has bid
higher
Who is to be the Republican candidate
for governor in 1908 Perhaps the
answer 70 that is that it is too far ahead
and that the people viii attend to that
when the time comes. But there is a
rather persistent rumor that 1t has been
attended to already. The knowing ones
say that along with the election Of a
Senator the successor 20 Governor Lea
was decided and that his name is 5. S.
Pennewill Although the date of the