Evening journal., 1912-10-22
IN FAIRNESS TO MIR wOIcoTT

THE Sunday Star is in error when it says that the
light against the candidacy of Josiah o. VOL
cott the Democratic candidate for Attorney General
is neither clean manly" We would remind the
Star that Mr.. Wolcott made a speech in which he
reced what he would do in the way Of purifying cleo
tons in this State and Furnishing election bribers in
event of his election to the Generashp In
view of such declarations it is eminently fair and
proper TO call upon Mr.. Wolcott to make public what
he has done in that behalf in the four years he
been chief deputy under Democratic Attorney Gener-
al In view Of his attacks upon the Republican party
and repeated assertion by him and his friends that
the Republican party in Delaware is, and has been
the seat of electoral corruption, the people had per-
feet right to call upon him TO explain why he and his
chief did not prosecute this alleged horde Of Republic
corruptioniss The people know that the inquis-
onal powers of the Attorney Generals office in this
State are great and that the sentiment OF
is to deal harshly with corruptioniss Therefore they
are unable to understand why II is, II Republican
rupton has been rife here for years, that the four
years that Andrew c. Gray. Democrat of Democrats
has been Atorney y General, and Josiah O. Wocott
another Democrat Of Democrats has been his chief
deputy only three in all three counties of
State have been convicted Of corrupng, attempting
60 corrupt elections That is only conviction
for each county in four years, average Of say
one-Quarter of one conviction per year. Nor should
the fact be lost sight of that in the Goodwin case,
which Mr.. Gray obtained conviction, the evidence
obtained and the case prepared by Robert H.
Richards the Republican Attorney General who pre-
ceded Mr. Gray Dropping aside that case from sense
of fairness, find only two convictions in four years
in the entire by Democratic Attorney General
Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. wolcott Mr. Grays
chief deputy and his political friends have yelled
Republican bribery until the ears of the people are
tired OF the sound Of their voices Think os ~ Our
State honey-combed the Democrats say, by Republican
bribery and corruption, and yet Democratic Attorney
General, his three deputies and two State detectives
working under their direction. find satisfactory evil
dence of only two cases in the entire State in four
years.
In this connection also wish 10 emphasize the
fact that Mr. Gray and Mr. Wolcott have had at their
disposal during the four years they have been in Of
nee. contingent fund for for the express pur-
pose OF employing outside detectives to assist them
in ferreting out brbers and other election corruption
lists and that in addition they have had the moral and
material support of the Anti-Brbery League of Della
ware, of which Thomas f. Bayard, chairman of the
Democratic state Committee is prominent official
and of which many other Democrats OF prominence
are members
Under such showing for a Democratic admins
tration OF the Attorney Generals office submit this
proposition to the people Of Delaware: That il the
Republican corruption that is alleged by Mr. Wolcott
and his Democratic friends existed Delaware during
the last four years, the fact that not conviction
is credited on the court records to Mr. wolcott chief
Deputy Attorney General proves conclusively that he
not only is not ht man TO be elected Attorney
General. but that he also is ht to hold the
office of deputy Attorney-General.
In fairness to Mr. wolcott we wish to say that We
do believe there has been such Republican cor
ruption as he asserts. We do make the point, how
ever, that every time he prates about widespread
Republican corruption here, he simply makes confess
sion his own unhness to hold the position Of deputy
Attorney General. say nothing OF the more i'm
portant Office of Attorney-Ge General.