Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-09-01
The C.., 4Esa.srsr.Alp.
TIE slAsDzas on Ez-ALDrzxAS VINCENT.

man was en- accountant IN his youth, ne ls not
| one nov. vonld simply state that the Editor
knows nothing about IL. He has never eaw Mr.,
| Vincent cast up Al account or even MAKE . ng-
/ ure. He has never had intercourse with him
sufficiently to judge Of his capacity in anything
| Without seeing 3 mans action In matter you
cannot judge Of his qualifications in it. Now I
4 assert that Mr. Vincent e good accountant.
| Mr.. Vernon of the Republican, alleges the
same. Nov who is to be believed, those who
know the Ex Alderman, and his qualifications,
/ or be who knows nothing about hlm2 The as
sertioDs that his friends would be astounded not
only BY his appointment TO the secretary-ship Of
| an Insurance Company or any otherpoution, no
matter how high, are simply preposterons. MIR.
vincent's friends believe him capable of any po-
sitiop.
The charge Of encouraging litigation by Mr.
Vincent, when he was alderman, is base SLAM
der, that was momentarily raised for political
i effect, and then suddenly abandoned. On
the contrary, no magistrate ever did 80 much to
1 prevent ii. He opposed it by every means with
In his power, and it was only when
public justice required it that he issued
| q warrant. In every instance he would
write letter to parties who unknowingly
offended against the laws or ordinances inform
| ing them when they were wrong, when the cir
| cumstances admitted OF IT, Many times he has
left his office and walked to distant parts Of the
city to settle disputes, and thus prevent the en-
| teTing Of suits. He gave away his costs, until
| some Of the policemen demonstrated with him
saying, I'VE live by what We get When you
throw OF your costa they want US to
i throw on ours" He remedied this in
many cases. by returning his costs
to poor parties after II was paid TO him
| Aftervard these who had made these chArges,
endeavored TO get him nominated for Mayor.
They examined iato the case and found they
| were wrong. But the best answer to this IL, that
without spending any money for election purpo-
/ ses without any patronage holding Office
| that must make enemies for in his Judgments
he would offend one side or the other, he always
/ ukanI I..Nh hfa bat ffNnaa ha ha
| highest on the ticket : sometimes the second
Heuerl ne last. He was reelected FIVE times in
| succession. The people, who examine every
mans conduct that comes before them, do not
| vote fer q man who does wrong, or give him
high vote. unless they approve OF his course.
| The Office Of Alderman was abolished because
/ the Democrats desired to get possession of all
power in the State. They turned out the City
| Council and changed the qualifications OF voting.
and to get majority in the City Council, divided
| one of the smaller wards because it had large
ma jofity of Democrats into two, thus giving two
men in it. about the same political power as five
men In the larger wards. II the Democrats could
| have elected their Alderman. they would not
have abolished the office. But they believed
| MIR. Vincent could not be beaten. and hence
| destroyed the Office Of elective magis-
trate, which had existed under one name
aud another since Wilmington's first or
gAnizstion as a community. and gave its
power to the magistrates resident in the city.
appointed by the Democratic Governor, aud
whom the citizens had no part or lot in choos
ing. 1t was the most dsgraceful party measure
ever committed Ia the State. But even then it
was only abolished through legislative fraud
DR.. Brown, the member who had the bill in
charge. says 1t neN or passed the House with the
clause abolishing the Alderman's Office in it, but
that it was smsggled in the Senate, not returned
to the House, but engrossed, and signed, and Of
course b,cAme a law.
Again it is notorious the Alderman constantly
endeavored to rescue those who come under his
notice from life Of crime. Twice had he been
commended publicly for this in public from
the circumstances becoming accidently known to
ministers Mrs. McClees and others know the
many erring girls he saved and endeayored to
save. She has known Of his struggles to gain
| in q particular case, Justice for the benefit Of
the poor against power for he had to call in her
help, and after hard fight succeeded She al
| 80 knows that when any good work WAS wanted
to be DONE she always had his assistance; for
| instance, when bill was required to be drawn
for Asy lum for the benefit OF the insane which
| noue Of our lawyers would do for lees than $500
and which some confessed Geo complicated were
it's provisionH) they could not do at all, that Mr..
Vincent drew it for nothing, and it was 90 admir-
| ably done that when the highest legal
minds Of the State examined it, they
weIo astOnished She has however before stated
this publicly over her own signature. Again
members know how nearly every week (night
after night, when every one else abandon ed
them he has struggled 10 obtain lodgings for
unfortunate women, aud obtain position for
them who might otherwise have frozen to death
in our streets, and that he paid for this out OF
| hln own pocket.
The Aldelman's whole life has been a great
| struggle against wrong When the cOored man
had no friends, and it was political death to aid
HIM, the Alderman was engaged in constant
struggle to do him justice. 1n proof of this /
will cite case well kno Sn to most Of our citi-
zsns Judge EgglestOn, at the session of the
Court in ElktOD, charged from the bench that
for articles against slavery any one that took
theAldermans paper from the office was liable to
not more than 30 years, and not less than 10 years
| imprisonment In the penitentiaTy. This caused
, bis paper to be rolled back upon him by hundreds
l from the Eastern Shore of Maryland where he
bad large circulation. Until recently he
had letter from North East Md. signed by Mr..
Mccullough, brother OF the proprietor of the
Iron Works there, and about twenty other citi-
lena ordering his paper to be stopped and stat
ing as reason that they dare not take ii out OF
he Ifce for fear OF being sent to the penitentia-
: Ty. True, he was in danger Of his life from this
cause from personal attacks. The editor OF the
GdztHe, il LIE recollects, stated that he would be
| ynched if he opposed slavery 30 strongly. The
I Alderman was never lynched but he afterwards
saw an angry, excited mob, that were with diff
I Guilty dispersed, assembled round the Gazeue
: office threatening to destroy it. The loss to the
Q Alderman for his adherence to principle, in op-
: | posing slavery. cost him, az can be proven by
. calculation, at least 5000 year.
: Again, all the State reforms that the Alderman
" | fought through, such as the freeing of the
o bridge, the ten hour days work BILL the exemp-
a ton Of 800 worth OF poor mans
. goods from forced seizure for debt the
i abolition of the imprisonment OF strangers
for debts in this State that could not be collect
ed i'll their own the whipping Of white women
for theft Qhe legislature refused to amend it
/ as regards colored women) the Convention bill
i (that was voted down in hopes Of getting bet
ter) that increased our city's representation in
: the Legislature, and saves US the power of elect
II ing all officers by the people AN these and
s many others too tedious to mention were
g fought through by the alderman at his own ex-
+ pense. !e paid for tickets, bills, travelling ex-
: penses, most always for the rooms and never
II received dollar for his services, or to assist
}, him III his expenses, to aid him in his endea-
! yors. he never held an office worth anything.
= His public life has always been an expense to
. hun, and gain to the city, aud all his friends
4 now ask il for those citizens who know these
mattors to state it to those who do not, and il in
consequence they think that this long unrequi.
ted labor entities him to receive their suffrages,
10 vote Tor him. FAIR PLAY.
AN APPEAL FOR FRANCIS VINCENT
Q | To he Editor of he Connerciali
Much has, and probably much more will be
said, concerning the qualifications Of Mr. Vim.
cent, who is, Es most Of our citizens are aware
J, tue Republican nominee for Treasurer of thii
= = city, Thus far you have not said much in his
behalf, but what you have said has been wei