Evening journal., 1910-01-10
Monday, January 10. 1910
ARE THEY AWAKE3


( n gests the question of whether our politi-
clans are keeping up with the spirit of the times
in this state ,se notice in almost all the
Delaware papers a desire for progress, Tor inn
provement in Delaware. They call for a better
administration of county affairs in this state,
ask that steps shall be taken forward and not
backward and that the welfare of the mass OF
: the people shall not be =subordinated to the
schemes OF men seeking Office
It IS difficult in some respects to consider
these matters The chief Democratic paper, or
Y what is regarded as the chief Democratic paper
Is so furious in its hatred of Senator DUPONT
that it tries to turn and twist anything that hap
pens in any part of the state into something that
will discredit the Senator, and 1t therefore does
not fairly consider problems that should concern
all the peope-problems that have no particular
partisan bearing.
Not long ago the Republicans were in COM
pete control of all the counties of the state.
They had been in control for some years and tbs
party was held responsible for everything that
could be made the subject of criticism. Things
would be all right, it was argued, # the Demo
Gratis were to be put in power. Many people
concluded that might as well have change,
and the Democrats got control OF the lower
house OF the Legislature, they won the Levy
Court of Kent county, through the efforts OF Tor
iner Senator Alice, and they won IN TINS city
The people have had a chance to watch what
the Democrats would do and we believe that
they have seen that all the Improvements prom-
--ised were merely the hgments of Democratic
campaign orators and. that the Democratic party
is Just as it always was. Hence there comes
clamor for Improvements. a clamor that is
not altogether partisan in Its basis. For
example the good roads question in Kent will
not 60 down
The Grangers who must have large percent
tage of Democratic membership at the recent
meeting demanded that the Levy Court of that
county should keep faith as to the matter OF
good roads 1t is not necessary for the Levy Court
10 engage in an eNtravagant program of road
inproyements--the building of very expensive
roads which cost large sums not only for con-
struction but also for maintcnance-but it
desired that a systematic effort shall be made
10 improve the roads. There is a suspicion that
the Democratic leaders of Kent think that by
starting a road improvement scheme they
would sustain the loss of some political patron
age and they do not want to be without the pa
tronage.
The good road question is also alive in Sus-
sex, and the problem there is whether the Re
publican Levy Court of that county is going 70
have an engineer who means business and not
one who is to provide jobs at the public expense
for political workers.
The Sussex Republican referring to those oues-
tions speaks of what could be accomplished with
a little effort the part of our political lead
ers. 1t says:
Our streams might be opened to
commerce and kept open Our low
lands might be drained and our roads
more than ever improved; our popula-
ton would be increased, and our taxes
decreased as our population increased
we would no longer be a railroad rid
den State. Our towns would be able to
get shells and broken stone for the
streets without paying three or four
times their cost for freight. Our county
would no longer be charged prohibitive
rates by the railroad for hauling gravel
Our farmers would no longer be COM
PEELED TO allow their crops to rot be-
cause OF high freight rates, and State
Railroad Commission would see that
the railroad officials remembered that
their roads are common carriers and eN-
ist for the benefit of the public, and not
as money earners of the holding COM
pany. Railroad stock would be worth its
real value and earnings of the road paid
to stockholders instead Of being paid
into the Golfers of the holding COM
pany, for the benefit Of its owners
These are a few of the things that the
Republican party might accomplish.
None of them are impossible, and some
states enjoy many of these improve
ments-
It is true these things would all be desirable