Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-27
HAD CONSIDERED THE
MATTER SOME Time
Friends Had Been Consulted ana
He Felt at the Time That the
Step Was Proper.
THINKS CRITICISM is
NOT WELL FOUNDED
However, He Feels Compelled to
Recognize the Feelings OF
the People.
Special Dispatch to Every Evening.


State House. Dover, May q.
Governor Denney today received
letter from United States Senator VOL
cott asking the governor to reconsider
his announcement concerning his selec-
ton as Chancellor of Delaware. The
senator expresses qualification over the
honor the Governor conferred upon him,
but feels that in Difference to contrary
public sentiment. though seeing no I'M
propriety himself, in the acceptance Oh
the Office he ought 10 ask permission
Of the governor to decline the nornin-
alton, which he does in his letter.
When Governor Denney was spoken
10 in regard to the matter today. with
out making any comment. he Indicated
his willingness TO grant the request OF
Senator Wolcott.
The matter of appointing a Chancel-
Tor will not be determined for the
present. the governor said. and he could
not say. today, who would be chosen for
the place.
Senator wolcott's Declination.
Following is the text of Senator VOL
colts letter TO the governor;
Washington. ID. C.. May 2s, 1871.
Honorable William ID. Denney. Cover
nor of Delaware, Dover, Delaware-My
Dear Governor: / have watched with
consuming interest, the reaction to your
announcement of last Tuesday, in which
you revealed to the public your proposed
appointments for the judicial vacancies
which will occur in the middle of next
month I have been hearing from
friends in wilmington and have of
course been reading the newspapers and
have been gathering from every source
| could the sentiment of f-the public with
respect particularly to the suggecuon
of my own name for the office Of Chan
cellor.
/ am thoroughly convinced in my
own mind, and i am sure you are in
YOURS, that there is nothing dishonora-
HE or questionable in the proposal
that / leave the Senate and go 10 the
Chancellorship. If the thought had
ever occurred to either of US that the
fair name of the State would be injured
by such an eventuality. or that the good
repute in which the Bench Of Delaware
has always been held would be in the
slightest impaired. you, ! am sure.
would never have proposed to appoint
me TO the Office and / am equally sure
that / never would for a moment have
seriously considered the acceptance OF
such an appointment
You did me a very high honor in
announcing that you intended to ap-
point me to this place. / regard the
position as among the highest that men
are called upon 70 fill. ] have all my
life INDUCED what / regard as laoda-
BILE ambition, to some day sit in a court
of justice as judge on the bench.
Before you mentioned TO me a short
time ago. your desire TO appoint me to
7 bod ha1 fhc
port that my name was possibly re-
ceiving serious consideration at your
hands These reports had come TO me
from gentlemen whose relations with
you were of such character led me
to believe that the possibility of your
naming me was indeed a probability.
/ thereupon began 10 give serious con-
sideration to what my answer would be
in case the tender Of the position should
be made to me- i thought this out
alone, and then sought the counsel and
advice of friends in whose Judgment /
had great confidence and whose pur-
poses l knew TO be high-nlinded. After
many conferences and much serious
thought and discussion, it was the
judgment of myself, reinforced by the
judgment of the friends with whom
conferred, that I could, with all pro-
priety, accept the appointment if il
should be rendered. 1t is not worth
while for me to detail to you in this
letter the various considerations which
controlled the views of myself and my
friends. 1t is sufficient to say that when
the final decision was reached, / was
convinced, as were my friends. that no
legitimate criticism could be urged
against my accepting the appointment
I, Of course. knew that there would be
some who. for purposes Of their own
would endeavor to stir up adverse
criticism / was convinced. however
that public sentiment, which must al
ways be regarded in the naming of
high officials would find no fault in
case became the chancellor. Now that
your intention is public, however, ]
find that those of US who discussed the
matter were mistaken in appraising
the possible public sentiment.
Az much as / desire to occupy a
judicial station. I would not want any
place on the bench, If there was any
considerable body of public opinion
questioning the propriety of my oc-
cupying such place. In this particular
instance / still think the criticism is not
we'll founded. ] am still of the opinion
that there is nothing questionable in
the proposed appointment. / believe.
however, that considerable public
sentiment does not agree with me in
this regard. II this were a matter
purely personal to myself. would allow
public opinion to pursue its course and
content myself with the satisfaction OF
knowing that in my own esteem ] had
Su6sred no detriment. But inasmuch as