Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-03

support TO the movement.
AS an efficient organization is neces-
sary in politics, so il is in any reform |
organization which expects to do any
thing more than beat the air Not |
only should there be officers and COM |
mittees, but there should be headquarters |
and a person or two on hand, devoting |
their whole time to It. There is never a |
successful citizens movement anywhere |
which doesn't play the game in a |
thoroughly businessliSe manner. There |
is now the nucleus of an Organization !
that might finally arouse Delaware from |
her apathy and make vote-buying too
dangerous to attempts but it must show
some sign of life soon or il viii come to
be regarded as a memory.
The opinion has been expressed that
it is useless TO try to secure a large men,
berhip, as the only way of putting a
stop 20 bribery is to employ detectives
and pay for evidence on which to found
prosecutions. II this spirit prevails, the
anti-bribery movement will lapse into
innocuous desuetude People don't give
money TO a dead cause, excepting for
purposes Of burial; and the spirit Of ell
thusiasm may be aroused for decency
just as il has been for indecency. If
there are really a number of public
| spirited men who are willing TO devote
certain amount of money to the cause,
let them put something into the move
ment now and organize il on the right
basis. What is needed more than any
/ thing else at the present time is a definite
| programme, and back Of il the assurance
| that il will be carried out Then there
] should ba "A oorrntarxr flnxrofiuu his VhOIo
time to it and being paid salary.
Then a campaign should be inaugurated
70 bring the question home to the people.
| There should be q series of meetings
covering every part of the State, and the
/ question of clean elections stated forcibly
and without partisan bias The religious
organizations have approved the move
ment, and undoubtedly the ministers
would enter with enthusiasm upon a cam
paign that promised 10 improve our
elections. But they viii not wage in
dependent fights. In a few months the
lines will have been drawn, candidates
slated or nominated, support pledged and
interest aroused. II will be difficult then
for an anti-bribery crusade to make head
way. The public is languidly inquring
about the health of the reform move
ment, and that usually is an ominous
sign. II IL is to live and wage a fight,
let it make an effort worthy Of our sacri-
iice. If IL is to die, then a sudden demise
Is preferable to lingering illness.
But conditions are ripe in Delaware for
a movement that would give the old
parties, the old leaders and the old
methods a very bad jolt. Il is not a
Presidential year, and thousand Of citizens
would hail movement intended to force
both parties to be honest and live up 20
their pledges IL would be healthy il
there were several thousand citizens
banded together, determined to have not
merely one reform, but reform in general.
And this we shall not have as long as we
send to the Legislature creatures who 60
under orders. Such an organization
could say to both the parties: "Now be
careful IN your nominations as we pro-
pose to take a hand" When the candi-
dates were named this independent body
could indoTe or refuse its Endorsement
or, in certain instances, nominate in
dependent candidates.
Under the present conditions no man
can sit in the Legislature without some
body's brand burned deep into him. lie
is an Alice, an Addicks or a du Pont man;
a kenney or a Salisbury man. And this
does not apply to making a Senator,
alone, but 10 every question that comes
up for consideration. man is chosen
to represent "A district but every voter
of that district might petition him to do
particular thing, but in vain unless he
had the consent of his Senatorial candi-
date. We care so little about our laws
that we send men to Dover primarily
and solely to vote for a particular man
for Senator; he may vote for any measure
he chooses and sell out as often as he
gets the chance.
As a consequence, we have a most
nourishing lobby The grafters find out
what the bosses will tolerate and then
they ply their trade with a class of mem-
bers, trioking and oajoling when they can
and dividing the swag when they must.
The House of Representatives is no more
representative than are our iuries-in
fact, we are governed IN the main by
ignorance with a strong dash of crimi-
nality. We 60 10 the primaries and TO
conventions, make our fight and indulge
in great deal of heroic talk And on
election day we pull off our coats and do
yeoman service for the glorious cause
2 And If we win we paint the town and
2 indulge in much enthusiasm, liquid or
2 otherwise. But, bless your soul, we
} have mighty little TO do with IT,. 1t
was all arranged in advance in a
little room in Dover OF in Whining
! ton, and we did simply what we were
! told to do. So why couldn't we have an
organization composed Of good Repub-
licans and good Democrats who in certain
cases Of fiagrant party insolence would
say this man is not fit, and defeat him
J The average American is pretty shrewd
} in business, and reads motives rather
accurately; but in politics he seems to
enjoy being humbugged. Few there are
who cannot make Q good speech on the
1 glores of free institutions, vet It gives
e them Joy unspeakable 10 support some
7 arrogant boss, 70 keep in power inefficient
men and TO pay taxes in proportion to
the inefiiciency. Can anybody, for
instance, tell what the fat animals in the
stalls Of the Court House have done TO
deserve a life tenure Can anybody tell
why they were chosen in the ffst place {?
They are known to everybody In char
aeter and in ability are they individually
b or collectively superior to hundreds that
walk the streets or till the farms Have
they conferred any great honor upon the
party Have taxes been lower because
they have enjoyed office Are there not
hundreds OF citizens of equal worth who
have devoted a great deal of their time
; 70 Their party Yes but gentle reader.
you will go 20 the primaries and nominate
ihee same old gang, and you viii regard
TINS as evidence Of your republicanism.