Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-14
THE COMMENTATOR.

OA AAAl AAtlN NAAaN NNAAaN1A aAAANN NaAAAN ~
Wilmington 10 arrange with the Regular
leaders a compromise ticket and reach an
understanding under which the cam
paign OF two years ago was conducted,
he probably had it in his power TO return
TO the Senate for a six-year term. He
held trump cards, and all that was re-
quired Of him was that he play the game
fairly Accompanying him was c. X;
Layton, and the reception their plans and
pledges met must have astonished them
1t did not take long to reach an agree
ment. A Regular was to be named Tor
governor, who was TO bo pledged to
make Layton secretary of state, and the
campaign was TO be financed from VIII
mington. There was probably an under
standing, also that the New Castle In
fiuenees would be behind Alice for re-
electiOn-at least at that time he
might easily have made such a condition.
But the bargain, as far as it related to
the secretary of state was repudiated blythe
Regular State Committee, Influenced
undoubtedly by the indignation voiced
by the press and the people And when
the choice of the candidate fell upon
Preston Lea, the jig was up. He re-
fused TO be nominated with conditions
But with the exception of this item, the
programme remained unchanged.
II at that meeting Alice did not secure
pledges Of support for himself for re-
election he missed golden opportunity
for he was no more obnoxious than Lay,
ton, and that astute leader had found no
difficulty in making his bargain-a bar
gain that those who we're parties to 1t
endeavored TO carry out.
Well the golden tide flowed from Will
mington to Kent and Sussex. There
was not a man elected but who acknowl-
edged his obligation to the source of the
benehcence Among them generally
was an expression Of gratitude and the
acknowledgment that as a quid pro quo
a Senator from Wilmington should be
elected.
Right there Senator Alice lost his
chance. Good politics and good faith
demanded the keeping of his contract.
! Even then he had no love for Addicks
and knew that he could not be elected
Senator. But he didn't want another
Senator to divide the patronage with
him and to hold office after his (Allee'sl
term should expire. Therefore he deter
mined to block an election. OF course
Layton, out of a spirit of revenge. came
TO his assistance and Marshall and the
lesser lights out of blind obedience rail-
lied to his support. Very soon, under
pretence Of loyalty to Addicks, the lines
were drawn so tight that the election of a
Senator was out of the question.
But even then, while pleading with
members with tears in his eyes to "stand
by the old mar" (Addicks) Alice was
whetting his knife and waiting his oppor-
tunity. He knew that both of them
could not be in the Senate at the same
time; the financial support of Addicks
and the administration was disposed TO
look asSance at the claims of one who
owned himself a creature of the gas man.
Then the President told him fatty that
he would not appoint anybody to Office
whose selection could give any strength
or comfort TO Addicks. That settled it.
| The Senator issued his declaration of
war and followed it by overtures for
harmony with the Regulars. First, by
an alliance with the du Points he had as
sumed to overthrow AddicSs; then he
had renounced the du Points for Ad-
dicks again, and as a climax he had
parted with Addicks and was once more
extending the glad hand to the du Points,
which they respectfully declined to
notice
But the President accepted the Sena-
tors conversion in good faith. "Allee,
by contact with leading men and affairs,
had broadened; he had come to realize
how bad man Addicks was He had
determined to cut loose from the old
order of things, TO unite the party and
put it on plane of decency" The
President was "dee-lighted, and to
strengthen the Senator's hands turned
| over the patronage to him without re-
serve. The patronage has not added
materially to his strength. Conrad S
| appointment means one vote; Clark s,
two Abbott's, two, and Layton's pos
sibly four But so far it has worked
very smoothly; the President wanted
Senator Allee's vote and got it. and
Senator Alice wanted the patronage and
got it, so all was serene.
But as one Senatorial vote from Della
ware was desirable, the question kept
obtruding itself: Why not two Alice
had his explanation ready, but the de-
mand OF the Republican State Committee
set somebody in Washington thinking.
Was il possible that Alice had led the
administration astray Well, recently
an official turned a searchlight on the
Senator's motives and learned more in
FIVE minutes than the administration
had been able 20 gather in six months.
The Senator was induced TO talk of the
Delaware situation, which he did with
considerable huency. Everything was
in splendid shape he (Allee) had the
organization behind him and was in
vincible. He told what he expected to
do in the next campaign-to elect a
Legislature that would return him TO the
Senate along with a man acceptable to
him. Then, growing enthusiastic, ac-
cording 70 report, he declared that he
could elect Senator at any time; II can
elect one now If / choose" is the re-
ported climax of his speech.
Think of thatl One United States Sena-
tor, reveling in patronage and basking
in the Presidential favor, calmly boast
ing that he is responsible for a deadlock.
is depriving Delaware of a Senator and
the President Of the support he needs for
his measured The admission was as a
thunderbolt, and for the first time the
President realizes to what purpose the
patronage has been put.
So there is a rlmor that the Senator
is considering the advisability of irving
to elect a Senator il the governor will
call an extra session. But even though
he wishes 70 do it now. the chances for
success are slim. And even though sue
cessful, it would not improve his chances