Evening journal., 1907-09-18
Wednesday, September rs, 1907.
MYSTERIOUS cAMPAIeN.

p ECAUSE of its novelty and the breaking OF
~ party lines the campaign over the enact
ment of prohibition in Delaware is mysterious,
and its probable result must be confined to guess
ing. Evidently neither of the old party organiza-
tions proposes to take hand in the contest as a
party The followers of party emblems arc prop
ery left free to do as they please. Party poluts
for once in Delaware is eliminated II is plain
question of the people voting on the matter OF
whether the liquor traffic shall be driven from
the State and the property OF the saloon keepers
and the brewers practically destroyed No won
der, then, it is that owners of such property are
thoroughly aroused and are preparing to make
a desperate battle for the continuance of their
business. The fact, however, that the party or
ganizatons are out of It makes 1t difficult to pre-
dict the result of the election and mans
guess will be as good anothers
The temperance people at this time claim that
they have Kent and Sussex counties secure. with
a strong fighting chance in Wilmington. The op-
ponents of prohibition assert that this city will be
carried by them by big majority, that Sussex
county will also go with the vets, and that there
is to be a close fight in Kent county 1t is some
time before the election and the canvass has not
yet reached white heat, so that there may be
many changes in the opinions OF voters before the
day of election.
II will be extremely difficult for either side TO
Judge the result. 1t is true that canvasses and
blocks" OF different districts may be made but
such canvasses will not be so accurate as are the
canvasses made by Democratic and Republican
workers during a regular political battle.
mans political opinions in Delaware are rather
firmly fixed, but in this fight it is an entirely new
question that is submitted to the voters
The rumor monger already is busy, but he
should be discounted. That each side is to have
a huge corruption" fund is one report that is not
surprising. Huge corruption fund has an old
and familiar ring about it. and if an election were
TO be held on whether cheese is good or bad to eat
we presume stories Of huge corruption funds
would be In circulation Large sums OF money
are needed by both sides for the legitimate eN-
penses of the campaign. This campaign, like all
others, is costly, and both the license folks and
their opponents have to raise funds for expenses
Ne do not believe that there is any contemplated
expenditure, legitimately, of large sums OF
money, and the general grafters, hoaters and
dead beats who ought to be disfranchised, but
who are permitted 10 prey on political organiza-
tons we trust, will be disappointed. For the
liquor men to carry an election by the illegltinate
use Of enormous sums Of money would mean that
they would have to go through the same process
each time an election is demanded This, OF
course, would be heavy tax upon their bust
ness, and it would not be worth while. The
profits of an unusually paying business would not
be sufficient to warrant putting up great sums Of
money to carry an election. And if this
is true Of those who believe that prohibition
is not the best way of regulating the traffic of
liquor, more true is it of the other side. Hence
THE JOURNAL does not believe corrupt
funds will be in evidence as much as some per-
sons imagine