Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1911-09-23
PARTISAN WISDOM

States in their state, congress
sional and municipal elections,
have plainly rebuked the reac.
tionary policies pursued by Mr..
Taft's administration. The De.
mocracy has been swept into
power in the House Of Represen-
tstives, and with the help of the
Progressive Republicans - now
permanently antagonistic to
Taft's folly-they have also a ma.
jority in the Senate.
To anybody but one wilfully
self.blinded, these blunt rebukes
of the American people, would
serve as useful warnings. They
have but spurred Mr.. Taft, stub
bornly sticking to his folly, to
rush more madly on to the de-
struction, which if he be renomi-
mated, will visit the party also.
At the last State election, our
party received here in Delaware
several warning iolts in the de.
feat of our candidate for Attor.
ney.General and the imperilling
of the Treasurer. Since then this
independent spirit in the voters
has grown in this State as else.
where all over the land. Plainly
the day for blind, thick and thin
partisanship is past; and even
IL as a Republican journal we de-
sired 10 promote the candidacy OF
unfit or unpopular candidates, it
would be bad policy to do SO, for
the people will no longer tolerate
mere partisan or machine tactics
and any attempts at enforcement
of either will react disastrously
upon the party practicing them.
Although the next election is
more than a year off, already we
hear Of many aspirants through
out the county for places on the
Republican ticket-indeed, their
number is so great, we fear the
offices will not begin to- go
around.
The editor of The TRANSCRIPT
in the past two weeks has been
talking over political matters
with some Of the present office,
holders and is amazed to discover
that acithout q single exception the.
present county officials whose
terms expire in 1912, will be can
didates to succeed themselves.
Three of these professional Of
fice.holders are finishing, their
second terms of four years and
one a first term in county Offices,
and all are seeking four more
years of lucrative Office. Other
sa1f.announced candidates for the
above four Offices, are also now
chronic Office holders.
In q word, New Castle County
to-day is, and for years has been,
in the absolute possession of a
few politicians who are still figur.
ing to perpetuate themselves 10
their fat Offices indefinitely, to
the utter exclusion of other
equally true and worthy Repub-
leans who in the hustings and at
the polls have long "borne the
heat and burden Of the day" for
the party.
THE TRANSCRIPT would like
in inquire how long these gentry
purpose to keep this thing up?
Or how much longer they mag
inc the people and the party
voters will submit to it? Are we
to have erected here in Delaware
q batch of offce.holding lords and
barons prostituting indefinitely
the party machinery and prestige
to their own selfish purposes?
Some Of the just criticisms OF
THE TRANSCRIPT upon the mis-
taken course in the past Of tits own
party in State and Nation, have
not always been well received by
some of our Republican contemp'
oraries. But any journal would
be both wanting in self respect
and derelict to the duty it owed
its readers, were it to fail ir
pointing out the evils in its owr
household, which uncorrected
would entail disaster upon the
party.
We purpose, therefore, as best
we may, to do our duty in speak
ing the plain truth in these mat
tiers, both here in Delaware anG
elsewere.
The persistency of these
chronic Office holders, ever greed
lily grabbing for more, more, il
tamely submitted to at the pri
maries by the voters, will surely
injure the party and may totally
defeat the ticket at the polls.
The TRANSCRIPT for one does
not intend to allow any machine
or set of life-servlng placemen,
10 whip it into line in support OF
this rninous policy; on the con.
trary it purposes TO ventilate the
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