Evening journal., 1912-11-01
GRAYs LAME nEFENsE.

a NDREw G. GRAY. Democratic Attorney General.
has issued statement in attempted defense Of
his chief deputy Josiah o. Wolcou, Democratic
didate for AttorneyGenera who the outset Of his
candidacy lauded as man who. as deputy, had
done much toward furnishing election bribers and
who II elected Attorney General would be vertable
election corruptonlsts We take pleasure in
calling the attention OF the voters these extracts
from Mr. Gray's statement:
stated to the people of Delaware four years ago
when was candidate for Office that would to the
best of my ability prosecute all breaches of the con-
stitutiona provisions against bribery In keeping with
this pledge have personally taken charge of all
deputies only in assisting Ia the preparation
of said cases It is only fair TO say however, that at
the time charge was made against Benjamin r. Con-
way for bribery in Sussex county in Europe on
matters Of business and Mr. Wolcott assumed the re-
sponsbilities of the atorneygeneras Office and took
stops to secure the return, ater pursuit OF some
Weeks from place to place in the South. of Conway
who had fed the jurisdiction and in all probability
without the prompt and efficient efforts OF MI Wolcott
in my absence Conway would not have been secured
and convicted might add that the attorney generals
oice Tor the last iouI years mas peen more Fsah III
the prosecution offenders against the election law
than the bare fecords OF CONVICTIONS would lndicate.
There have been "a prosecutions Tor onenses AGAINST
the election laws The attorney-ge office has
presented the evidence in all these cases to the pro
per tribunal, and II convictions have not resulted IL
has not been due to any lack OF diligence or zeal on
the part of the prosecuting officers. The work Of the
attorney-generals office, pertaining TO bribery cases
is however only small part Of the duties devolvng
upon the Encouragement.
In other words Mr.. wocott in the four years he has
served has played conspicuous part in only one
bribery case and the court do not show that
he prosecuted it,
Assertion by Mr. Gray that he has been, in the last
four years, more vgilant in the prosecution Of Of
tenders against the election than the bare records
Of convictions would Indicate also is interesting. He
says there have been twentyfour prosecutions for Of
fenses against the election laws He might have
that there have been only three convictions and
that seyen-eghths Of the prosecutions he undertook
were on such nmsy and unsubstantlal grounds that
they would not withstand the acid test OF trial
before the iudges-not urors-who were eager to
send to prison any against whom charges
of election corruption might be proved. Think
Of itl Twenty-one innocent men compelled to
undergo the humiliation and torture of trial for alleged
corrupt practices charges nismy that an inn
partial court discharged the prisoners one after an
other Mr. Gray might have made his confession a
trhe stronger had he related in his attempted boost
of his friend Mr. Wolcot how many Of these twenty
one innocent men were Republicans and how many
Democrats
.srhe ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Office has presented the
evidence in all these cases to proper tribunal and
if convictions have resulted it has not been due
70 any lack of diligence zeal the part of the pro-
scouting officers" Mr. Gray says.
No; there was no lack Of diligence OF zeal Mr. Gray
but there was a woeful lack Of official Intelligence and
fairness end it is to the everlasting credit OF the
Judges of our courts that they were as diigent and
jealous in throwing your hmsy cases out OF court as
you were in taking them there
We now ask YOU for the information Of Delaware
voters 10 issue further statement reciting the party
affiliations of the twenty-one whom you tried tc
send to Jail on evidence nimsy that the judges re-
fused to accept it as proof Of guilt Let tho voters
see how many Republicans and how many were
Democrats that they may realize fully in what direc-
tiou your official diligence and zeal directed.