Middletown transcript., 1912-09-14
nIDDLETOwN, DEL, SEPT. IA, 1912
THE PROGRESSIVE TICKET

From Senator Clapp's speech al t"e
Convention on Wednesday.
The above quotation represents
the position which THE TRAN
SCRIPT has consistently main
tanned for years, ever since 1t
passed into the hands of its pres
ent management, and which po'
sition will be maintained during
the continuance of our manage
ment. 1t was because Of our be-
lief in this principle that we
fought Addicks and Addicbism
and have opposed the organlza'
tion control of the Republican
Party in this State. For this
reason we early, before any other
newspaper in Delaware had done
so, announced our advocacy OF
the candidacy of Colonel Roose-
velt, and in all we have done, and
shall do, we have been actuated
by the above principle, which we
conceive to be the basis one OF
the Progressive Party.
Unfortunately, the Progressive
Party in this State, has fallen
into the hands of selfish 0fice
seekers, who are under the guise
of Progressiveism, seeking such
a strategic position as will enable
them to offer trades and dickers
by which they hope to profit.
The convention of Wednesday
was made up of delegates per-
sonally selected by these selfish
leaders, and of course did their
bidding. With the exception of
the candidate for Governor,
every one of the nominees is,
and has been, a chronic Office
seeker at the hands of the Re-
publican Party. Senator Drex-
ler, the candidate for Congress,
was elected by the Republicans,
and became a Progressive be.
cause of the refusal of the eight
other Senators to yield to his
demands and elect him as Presi-
dent pro tenn of the Senate. Mr..
Tebo, the candidate for
Lieutenant Governor was only
admitted a member of the
Progressive Party the night
before his nomination, he having
been a candidate for the same
Office before the Republican con-
vention of less than a month ago.
Mr.. Houston, the candidate for
Attorney. General has held sew,
eral offices at the hands of the
Republican Party, and been a
candidate for many others to
which he was not appointed or
elected. The same remark ap-
plies to Mr.. Wilson, the candi-
date for State Auditor, while Mr..
Thon pson, the nominee for State
Treasurer, has been an unsuc.
cessful aspirant for nomination
at one or more primaries. Mr..
Wilmot, the candidate for lnsur.
ance Commissioner, has never
held office, nor been a candidate
except for Delegate to the Con-
vention. He has usually been
classed as Democrat, except on
the occasions when his father-in-
law has been a candidate for of.
fee on the Republican ticket.
For several years during the
fight made by the regular Re-
publicans against the Senatorial
of Addicks, MIR. Hyn.
son was the editor of the Evening
Journal, and his bitter scathing
articles in which Messrs. Alice
and Layton, as Tie leaders of the
Addicks organization, are yet re-
membered. To find him now, as
the candidate of Wednesdays
convention for Governor, sub.
mitting to the leadership and
dictation of the same two men is
disappointing to his friends of
this county. Surely, politics
make strange bedfellows.
Deny or attempt to disguise it
as they will, there is no clearer
fact standing out as the result of
the convention than that Alice
and Layton dominated and con.
trolled the convep tion as surely
as they ever did a Union Repub.
lican convention. The leader.
ship of these two men, The
TRANSCRIPT has never and will
never follow. This does not
mean that we have changed our
opinion of the manner in which
President Taft was re nominated
at Chicago;nor that we will abide
by that action. But it does mean
that we are not willing at the
comms and of professional and pro
Tossing party wreeaers to assist
in turning oyer this state and
county to the rule of Willard
Salisbury and his party We donot