Delaware State reporter., 1853-04-26
NUMBER II.

slder IT not only wrong in principle to suffer
such influences to operate upon me- but absurd
to expect to affect popular elections hereafter,
IN favor OF the party with which, might he con-
: nected by the peculiar arrangement Of districts
E II would always operate against the party which
attempted it Twill cndcavor to show that even
to the most suspicious mind, in the arrange
, mcnt which have proposed, no such aspect can
be possibly supposed to exist
In the double district composed of Nanticokc,
North West Fork Broad Creek and Little
, Creek, in Sussex, the three strongest Hundreds
, of the Democratic party are combined in one
district Their majoiitiesare all thrown together;
and i'll that district torc is larger proportionatc
number of constituents than in any district in
that county for dividing its population 1887,
it leaves 543S represented by each Senator.
Cedar Greek and Dagsborough have 1904 and
was necessarily compelled to put them together
Dagsbolough, in political point of view, is u
doubtful Hundred. Cedar Greek Is a certain
a one and being thrown with the doubtful one,
necessarily controls it. Baltimore and lndiah
River are both decidedly Of one line Of politics.
and contain population of 1 500, far less than
is contained in the Democratic Hundreds which
! | have embodied within one district Bfoad-
4 kiln, and I.cwcs, and Rchoboth are Botlinca11y
i equally tied, and are uncertain as regards the
I political result of an election. | have thrown
/ them into one district as the only mode in which
!, to approximate to an equality of population in
L the districts.
4 Then come to the county of Kent. / have
! formed double district of Milford, Mispiilion,
and Little Creek. AIispillion and Little Creek
are close Hundreds. Milford always votes one
way, and, therefore, under the present condition
of party divisions in the State, have given the
entire control of this double district to the party
TO which | am opposed. Murdcrkill is Hun
dred which has generally been Democratic. Ii
has a very large constituency, 800, and was
necessarily enttlcdto bc a single district. The
smallest constituency in Kent, is the double
district of Milford, Mispillion, and Little Creek,
because if you divide S,2l0 by two, it gives you
| HOS as the constituency for each Senator for
the double district. Dover is the next smallest,
containing but 4,20T, but | was obliged to throw
I it into single district in order to give Kent
county the benefit of her large fraction. Duck
Greek | have also made into single district,
containing population of 1896
When We come to the County of New Castle,
it will be found that | was necessarily obliged.
to throw together Rcd Lion and Appoq unimink.
which are both exceedingly close Hundreds in
order to equalize the population of the districts.
st. Georges is left to itself 1t is always close,
but generally votes ON one side. New Castle
4 and Pencader Hundreds arc both doubtful, with
small majorides each way, and therefore stand
on very fair basis in that respect; and the
result will he uncertain hereafter in any party
! struggle. Mill Greek and White Clay Creek are
/ Democratic Hundreds, one decidedly and the
! other almost universally so but have put them
/ in one district, with large constituency of
/ 5000. Clnistiana is a Wing Hundred, and |
| have left her tohcrself with small constituency
\ Of 4 Sal The City of Wilmington | have
divided. The first and third wards, which arc
one district, would be moro often Wing than
Democratic and the second and fourth would
more probably be Democratic than Whig but
neither would be certain The district com
posed of the fifth ward of Wilmington and the
Hundred of Brandywinc, would probably always
be Democratic, unless some change took place
i'll the sentiments Of the people.
4 have thus gone thloug the districts in order
+ TO show that the most suspicious member cannot
imagine that Lahave been influenced by party
feeling, or that | have looked to party conse-
qucnccs in the adjustment which have proposed.
Then, as regards the question of division in pro-
portion to population, if any gentleman will
point out to Inc how it can be brought nearer to
an approximation with cur present knowledge
Of the local divisions Of the State, / will cheer
fully amend my plan 50 as to accomplish it, If
the Convention prefer different number Of
members in tie Legislature, and that number
can be adjusted, am perfectly willing to agree
to it. / IRISH 10 be understood that all that ]
coGcnd for is the principle, and until haze
ricd ont, / ShaH be Wqu2ling 10 beliere that this
Connaua rW not sanction IL
Sir have an abiding confidence that when
man has a great sound principle to contend
for, though he may be defeated to day, though
he may lie defeated for years, the principle will
ultimately triumph. And if had not this con-
litlcnce, should lose my faith in the capacity Of
the people for sclfgoycmmcnt.
1t will be observed that the effect of this
division of the State will be, as have already
said, to destroy all county fcelingin reference to
State legislation. I have adveIted to counties
merely 10 ascertain the ratio of division and
when came to make the districts, was neccs
Sarily compelled to take the local subdivisions as
found them. wouldnot care if your districts
ran from one county TO another The ncces-
sary effects of elccting members of the Legs-
laturc by Hundreds will be to put an end to
county feeling. The Hundreds Of Red Lion, st.
Georges, and .ippoquinimink would be Just as
likely to differ from the people Of Brandywinc,
/ Chrstiana, and Wilmington as the people of
Sussex. 1ou destroy entirely the jcalously or
the esprit du corps, if | may so speak, Of the
counties, the moment you elect members Of the
Legislature by districts. You may leave the
counties for the purposes Of local government
as they now stand, if you see fit to do so, but
for the purpose of elccting representatives who
are to govern the whole State, yOn ought not to
OpN 10 INSltSllCC vi llC hlitAl plS county
or another but TO the fact that every man repre-
scnts as near as possible, an equal number of
constituents. That is the basis Of your institu-
tons. If any member should propose in. this
assembly that one man should be entitled to
vote because he was fiecholder, or should hold
office on conditions that he was the owner of a
certain amount ofrechold estate, wouldnot your
answer be at once " let us voteit down the ques-
ton is not arguable in republic, and mans
pl1f off bpr IN vNtn op b0l OuOht
depend upon the amount or the character of the
property which he may hold?'' Youhave affirmed
principle, by adopting proposition which has
swept away the last remaining property qualifi
cation for holding Office Task you, is there not
much more reason in favor of giving man a
right to vote because of the possession of real
estate, than of giving a greater or less right of