Evening journal., 1908-03-06
ANTHONY HIGGINS
OUT FOR TAFT
CcontInued From FIRST PereJ

!
railroads.
"I further believe that there has
grown up the necessity OF regulating by
law the public service corporate lons o.
The State whose commerce or other
functions are entirely within the limits
of this State and therefore, exclusively
within State control. The railroads
the railways. telegraph. telephone and
! gas and electric companies. should b.
brought under the regulation of speciu
| laws. We need such a public utility
bill as has been enacted in the Stat
! Of Massachusetts, and New York, regu-
| lated by a comm ission Of responsible
| and Independent citizens to be ap-
! pointed by a governor and confirmed
! by a Senate who shall not themselves
| be the tools of the very corporations
which they are set to regulate. Tax
alton upon real estate, especially in the
! city Of Wilmington, has risen TO a
height approaching condscaton of al
most one-third Of its value and / be-
lieve that our only remedy is to see
! that taxation shall be laid upon all
! property that can be reached and pre-
eminently, that those public service
! corporations should be made TO paw q
taxation proportioned 70 the amount
either to the amount OF their capital
! ization. whether In bonds or in stock
or IN proportion to their earnings
made as they are out of the pockets
of the people ana upon frachises grant
ed by the peoples representatives.
"The Republicans of Delaware.
! through seven campaigns, have been
absorbed In n conflict among them
| selves which has fortunately at last
passed away During that time, al
most while we We're asleep. the light
companies and railroads of the city of
! Wilmington have been transferred to
the ownership Of the holders great
interests In other States. Unhapplly
they seem to think their only interest
here Is to exact a large revenue AM
not TO bear. as the principal individuals
of the community should do, their fair
! and proper share of its burdens OF
! taxation. While we have been thus
absorbed in another conflict these pub
! lic service corporations. unknown to
! the people. have grasped the control Of
! the Republican organization of this
county, and also the control which they
share with the railroad interests. they
have an equally pernicious influence
throughout all the counties of the
| Satte.
"The organization Of the Republican
! party thus controlled and imDelled, ar
| rogates the powers Of a Car; It no
| longer seeks to ascertain the wishes Of
| the party, but II hands out its orders
and expects an obedient people To
register its DEGREES. It assumes that
the success Of the Republican party de-
pends upon its control as the writer of
Republican Glasses in the Sunday Star,
put it. II IL is poliScal success that
is desired; If the obiecl Of campaigning
Is that the Republican party shall win
| elections, then no serious thinking Re-
\ publican having this view would for a
moment consider changing the present
political arrangement ! would rather
base the assurance Of Republican
success upon the fidelity TO Republi-
can principles than I would upon tn,
expectation Of popular obedience 70
orders given by gentlemen however
prominent they may be, to be enforced
by agents however obscure.
GAS I said at the outset. I believe
the Republican people Of the state are
in favor Of the Roosevelt policies under
the national jurisdiction and in favor
Of Secretary Taft as their peculiar and
proper exponent. and I frankly confess
that l am afraid of the dubious hesitat-
| ing and half-hearted support that Is
/ given to him, and expressed for him
by some Of their representatives and
Of the open hostility of others. IL Is
not so much a question whether the
state Convention will instruct their
delegates to Chicago 10 vote for Taft
as it is whether they win select men
In whom they can conflie that they
will vote for Taft. and not for those
who favor a man who may appear al
the time Of the convention. the hest and
strongest candidate Now for instance
to use the language of the writer oi
Republican Glasses, delegates to Chi.
cago who will use their own bes
judgment as TO what is best for tn,
party and State they represent still
less win they desire to elect delegated
imbued with the sentiments expressed
by the able editor Of the one newspape
in the State who supports the interest
Of the so-cailed Organization" name
ly. the Sussex Republican. who in a re
cent article said:
We admire Taft and believe HI
would make as good a President as WI
have ever had. He has poise ant
Judgment, acquired by his experience
on the bench, that is foreign to tn
nature and disposition Of Roosevelt
We believe that he would be consider
ate and fair to all interests and tina
neither labor nor capital, Individual o
corporate. need fear that exact iustic
would be meted out 20 them while h
administered the affairs Of this gov
ernment. Personally. we could vot
for him with as much pleasure as an,
man nominated. but we take IL that tn
Republican party wants to nominate
winning candidate. Everybody know
that Roosevelt has arraved the none
interest right or wrong. against him
self and what a powerful influence. /
is. few realize. This combined an
powerful influence can defeat any can
dikate. This influence has made Re
publican victory possible In nationa
affairs more than once. and Il is ou
opinion II 1t is arrayod against Tai
Il means defeat for the Republca
party If he is nominated. This OF
position TO Taft grows out Of the fac
that he is known as the choice q
Roosevelt. and most men In polite
are opposed to the man their eneme
| want. II this opposition is a fact.