The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-20

PLY been situated south of the Potomac, a
systematic attempt would assuredly have
been made, and then the spirit of treason,
which is still rampant within her borders,
would have been crushed out by the loyal
army, and the present status of the State
would have been quite the reverse of what
it is.
The primary cause of the trouble in Mary
land is to be traced to the Vaccinations of
Chief Justice Chase, who yearns and longs
and pants for a Presidential nomination as
impatiently as a child does for the contents
of a confectioner's window. This Presiden-
tial bauble is the very bane of his existence,
the eagerness and recklessness with which he
pursues 1T the disgrace of his judicial
career Having labored and schemed for
years to secure a nomination, and having en-
countered defeat on all sides and at the hands
of each party, he is not content with life
tenure in the most dignifed and most respon-
sible judicial position in the gift of the coun-
try, but still labors and schemes for an
opportunity to control and dispense the
patronage of the executive. AS there is no
hope in either the Republican or Democratic
party, bis intrigues are at present all directed
towards the formation of a new political or
ganization and the only possibility of accom-
plishing this object is by sowing discord in
the ranks of the Republican party. If the
Maryland Republicans are wise they will avoid
all completely with the Chase movement,
under whatever guise it may approach them.
THAT DBLA WARE MARRIAGE la W.
Our comments on several occasions about the
queer Delaware law which requires man be-
fore getting married to one of the fair daugh-
ters of that State to give bonds for good be-
havior, has elected a statement of the facts
of the case from Delawarean point of view,
and an appeal for justice from Delaware
lady. Our correspondent states in the most
polite and complimentary terms that she is a
constant reader of The TELEGRAPH, and that
although genuine Delaware Democrat and
firm believer in the usefulness of convict
jackets and the whipping-post, she neverthe-
less has high appreciation of our general
good intentions and our desire to do justice in
all cases. OF course an appeal like this from
lady, especially from Democratic lady,
and more especially from a Delaware Demo-
cratic lady, will receive at our hands the most
respectful consideration, and we cannot re-
frain from expressing our qualification at find
ing that at least one Democratic lady of Della
ware reads The TELEGRAPH with appreciative
interest. This shows that the labor we have
undertaken of regenerating the little State just
south of us has not been without its results,
and as our correspondent acknowledges that
she reads our paper with interest, we have
hopes that she and many more will ere long
believe in the doctrines that we preach, so
| that the peculiar institution known as Della
ware Democracy will no more be known on
| the face of the earth.
But the subject to which our correspondent
invites our consideration is the law referred
to above, and which she contends we have
misinterpreted She quotes on this point
the Revised Code of Delaware, sec. 16, chap.
9, which reads thus:-
'"The clerk or Justice dispensing a marriage
license shall take from the party applying for it a
bond to the State with good security in the penal
sum of two hundred dollars, with condition that if
| -- and may lawfully unite themselves in mar
rage, and if there be no legal objection to celebra-
ting the rites of marriage between them, then the
said obligation shall be void, otherwise in force"
In referring to this law we gave the inter-
probation usually put upon it by impatient
DrldegfOOmS, VINO are at loss 10 Know Wnat
the meaning of this singular marriage custom
is. Our correspondent insists that it is only
designed to put an impediment in the way
of illegal marriages. This may be so, but it
appears to us to be one of those obsolete pro-
visions that have descended to us from the
dark ages and that are entirely out of date
in the nineteenth century. That this is SO
is shown from the fact that the law is practi.
cally dead letter, and that in the majority of
cases the execution of the bond is considered
a mere formality. 1t may be, and sometimes
it is revived, however, as a means of an
noyance, and to throw an impediment in the
way of certain parties contracting marriage
If the Delaware people are satisfied with it
we have no particular right to complain, bu
it serves as one illustration out of many O.
the behind-the-age way of doing business il
that State.
AN APOLOGY FOR A IRA AITOR
REFERRING to our article of yesterday abou