Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-03-08
TaB COMMENTATOR.

TAE COMMENTATOR.
In Republican Glasses in the Sunday
star in IT'S latest issue occurred a sentence
which should not pass unnoticed Tho
venom behind IL may not be appreciated
at casual glance, so it should be read
over az least twice Here it Is. "Of course
individuals can pledge themselves TO stop
either bribery or being bribed. but the
number that will voluntarily seek abso-
luton from their political sins in such
I way Will be comparatively SMALL That
| sentence refers 10 the gentlemen who have
signed the anti-bribery pledge
Now reduced to palmer English Il
/ means that the gentlemen signing that
/ pledge are either ox-bribers who desire
/ 10 reform or wish TO remove from them
/ selves the temptation Of bribery. There
lore, it Is pertinent TO ask who are the
men against whom this grave charge is
! made Well here are a few of them.
/ A. ID. Warner Bishop Leighton Coleman,
/ William p. Bancroft, Alfred Cawthrop,
| Charles NJ. Curtis, Christopher J.. Ward
/ Ralph T.. Coursey, Hubert W. Wells.
/ David Ferris, Thomas r. Bayard Gen.
James II. Wilson, Henry b. Thompson,
and many other men who are probably
not SO prominent, but who are equal in
rectitude. These men are the subjects
OF the scorn Of the man who writes Re
| publican Glasses.
Now do you know who that writer is {?
II one we're permitted a guess he might
say that this is the man who aspires TO
be Congressman from Delaware. who in
his eagerness TO serve the people in that
capacity and play the role for which ho
was designed from the beginning, dc
| nounces anti-brlbers, one might surmisc
that this is the man who sought the nomi-
nation from an Addicks convention and
who fled before the gas man S whitening
contempt. lt might be recorded that
Immediately he became an ardent Regu-
lar and finally captured a nomination
Did he expect to remain on the ticket
and be elected Possibly. Possibly not
but the possibilities OF that nomination
had not been exhausted Being on the
ticket with DR.. Chandler, he had con-
siderable influence with that estimable
and badly-treated gentleman. He urged
the gubernatorial nominee 10 refuse to
resign from the ticket, and in the event
OF his removal TO contest or file a separate
ticket DIR. Chandler with this advice
from friend and associate on the ticket
made his resolution and proclaimed to
the world his determination not to be
used as a plaything Meanwhile. the
committee had asked for the resignation
OF the Congressional candidate, and got
It. And now comes the sequel: The re-
firing candidate became an applicant for
the office of secretary of state, and his
friends began to whisper that he was the
only man who could induce DR.. Chandler
TO retire, and II this we're not done the
Republicans would lose the State. DR..
Chandler was the recipient of more
treachery in a single campaign than
most men are in lifetime.
And this ex-Congressional candidate
now swings a careless pen, slashing at
men whose political morals are as much
beyond his comprehension as is the true
Partisan accent II will be something
TO remember in the future that when our
J good people regardless of party banded
together took their time and spent their
means in an earnest, unsel6sh attempt
to break up the practice Of corripting
their fellowmen this perpetual Office
} seeker was the only person who had the
brazen assurance to slander them and
pour contempt on the movement.
The anti-bribery movement has cleared
away certain doubts already. Certain
It its enemies have not been wise enough
to conceal their fear that the source OF
the power on which they have learned
TO rely is threatened II should be noted
} that there are many anti-bribers who
would coniine the prohibition of vote
buying TO the other party, which is on a
par with Thou shalt not steal'-from
me.
This same delectable writer declares
that tho Republican party in this county
and in'the State has ever turned It's face
sternly against corruption, putting a
pledge TO that effect in every platform
Now on the presumption that though
people belong TO political parties they
are yet capable of reason, and assuming
that they do not crave sugar-coated false
hoods. II may not be amiss to discuss
this briefly. In "a measure the above
assertion might have been applicable Ia
the Regular Republican party prior Ia
the last election, but then what a change
came over the scenel The party leaders
almost with one voice began TO exclain
that the party must get down to practical
politics. The doors were thrown wide
open; everybody was taken in. H. Coleman
du Pont fresh from Kentucky, became
the Moses. He smote the dry earth OF
the party with his rod and Anthony Hig.
, gins sprang up again. The old leaders
were in a minority. The Regular Repub.
lican city committee had a majority OF
Unions; the county committee had more
Unions want-to-wins and political non.
descripts than Regulars. On only one
thing they were agreed all wanted office
Then they planned and conducted a cam.
paign that for treachery has had no equal
The man who had been a Regular from
principle was asked to support ticket
part Union and part Regular, and which
was 10 be elective by "A corruption fund
furnished by Regulars. To balk was
disloyalty 10 the old and trusted leaders
DIR. Chandler was given the nomination
5 on the distinct pledge that he would
mover come of the ticket. "Will YOU
stick under all circumstances and against
all pressure. even should the President
ask you to retire they asked anNiously
Then after he had been nominated, these
same men voted TO take him off, and
d then denounced him because he had de.
s teunined TO keep the pledge they had
given him.
5 But there is more to that record. When
Z the State convention met set Of resolu-
tions have been prepared under the
, oversight Of the old party leaders. Among
b. the planks was one demanding the repeal