Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1912-12-17
SUSSEX COUNTY AND
THE SENATORSHTPS
From the Wilmington Every Evening
(Dem.)

From the Wilmington Every Evening.
(Dem.)
No doubt many Sussex county folk,
as well as those of the other two
counties, were very much surprised
at the information contained in the
interesting contribution by Judge
Henry G. Conrad, in yesterdays Every
Evening, about the division of the
States United States Scholarships
among the three counties. Judge
Conrad, on examination found that
from the day the first Senators were
chosen, to this day, Sussex county
has had only four, while Kent has
furnished 10 and New Castle county
II.
This disparity is somewhat sur
prising, Notwithstanding the domi-
nance of the two upper counties, es-
pecially New Castle, in population
and i'm influence that counts for most
in the affairs of State. No doubt the
disproportion was increased by the
tendency of a considerable number
of Sussex countians to move to the
upper part of the State. John M.
Clayton, one of the great Senator'S
from Delaware. was a native of Sus-
sex county, but moved TO Kent and
later to New Castle county. He was
first elected to the Senate while a
resident of Kent, and twice after he
moved to New Castle county, so that
Sussex is credited with nothing fur
Their than the honor of being the place
of his birth and residence during his
boyhood and early manhood.
To the superiority of the two
others in population and their more
favorable conditions for developing
men of capacity and political power
must be attributed the meagre repre-
sentation of Sussex county in the Sc
lection of Delaware's United States
Senators. Up to the advent of the
present Constitution, which was adop-
ted in 1897, the three counties had an
equal representation in the State
Legislature-three Senators and
seven Representatives I'm each county
so that Sussex county stood on all
fours with Kent and New Castle in its
voting strength. Political conditions,
however, heavily discounted this
equality in the Legislature, for I'M
less it was in political accord with
the majority of the members of the
Legislature, a county, I'm those days,
might have given its solid support to
an aspirant to the Senate, only to
see him defeated by reason of his
political convictions.
However, as we have said, our
State is so small that the honor OF
one county is the honor of all, and
Sussex county has no reason to feel
ashamed of the fact that the great
majority Of our United States Sena-
tors have come from the other two
counties. Whatever of credit or
honor was conferred upon the State
by Senators resident in New Castle
OF Kent counties was shared by the
people Of Sussex county a. well.
1t is only natural, however, that
now, when a Democratic majority in
our Legislature will soon be called
upon to elect a United States Sena-
tor, Sussex county Democrats should
lay claim to the honor and incline to
array themselves behind one of their
native sons. In the Democratic req
resentation in the Legislature they
will have an almost equal show with
Kent and a numerical advantage over
New Castle county, 10 of the 20 Demo-
cratic members being from Kent
ccrrty. 10 from Sussex and only
seven from New Castle Also, Sussex
county has not had a United States
Senator since 1871, when Willard
Salisbury, then concluding his Sec
ond term, was defeated after a not
able triangular contest before the