Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-10-20
FIRST EDITION.


SoN-REpUBLIcAN MISUNDERSTANDING conf
MENTs ON THE SESSION OF 1873.
Unless the people have short memories, they
have certainly not forgotten the record of the
Democratic Legislature of 1873. Its uniform op-
position to all measures of Reform its rejection
Of nearly every proposition of that kind, and its
reluctant concession in one or two cases where
the public demand was too strong to be prudent
ly refused, cannot certainly be forgotten.
We present. following this, some reminders
of what was said at the time the Legislature was
sitting-how people talked of it-what their
comments and criticisms upon 1t were These
extracts from the editorial columns of one of
our city papers are not from a Republican stand
point; they are not the criticisms OF opponent {;
they are, indeed, structures which come from
newspaper which is charged with desiring the
election of another Democratic Legislature, In
order to secure Mr.. Bayards return to the
Senate
Let us turn to the extracts
From Wilmington Every Evening, Feb l3, 1871
The State Senate did very unwise thing in
defeating the bill which passed the House
repeating the law for the attachment Of wages.
We were not 80 much surprised that the Senate
should have defeated it when left to its own
natural prejudices which have made it stumb-
ling block to all reform or wise legislation, dur
ing the present session of the General Assembly
as that the shrewd Democrats of this city should
have permitted it's defeat Il II " ~If this Legis-
lature could sit a few months longer, 1t would
ALLEVIATE every working man in this city from the
party controllingit it, Its members seem absolute
ly crazy.
From Wilmington Every Evening, Feb. 10, 1891
They have good saying down at Dover.
They call the Senate ''the slaughter house."
and ilaughter-house it has been for every
good and beneficent measure.
[From Wilmington Every Evening, March 90 1871
A more offensive, uncalled-for and in everyway
obnoxious appointment to paltry Office could
scarcely have been made them that of -
-- for Constable. and the appointment is
made and remade by direct action OF the Legis-
1ature, without the intervention of the regular
constitutional appointing machinery.
[From Wilmington Every Evening March 81, 1871
We have looked over Mr.. Pride's correspond
ence for the last few days, seeking to detect the
ground for offence in it, and though we find
hearty denunciation of the fellows who are now
msmanagiug our State affairs, we do not find
decent pretext fer the Houses action He
shall stick to the Legislature like burr, as long
as it sits there. menacing by its continuance
the best interests Of our State, aud the welfare
of our people.
[From wilmington Every Evening" March 30, 1871
We looked to this Legislature with hope and
treated its members with courtesy. We hoped
that the commonest dictates of political prudence
would lead it to make some effort, to at least
which our people suffer. We have had hope
after hope for decent action at their hands
blasted. They refused with dissourteous and in
decent haste, to allow the people of
this county to decide by their votes a
matter which concerned none but them
selves. They have defeated measures for
the repeal of these odious attachment laws at
the dictation Of petty Squires and constables,
they have utterly refused to consider the out
rage on the people of this County by the exist
.tots.
neglected bills essential to the proper growth of
our city, and threatened to take from our peo-
pie what little vestge of the power of self-gov-
ernment is left them.
tFrom the Wilmington Every Evening, Apr. 8, lsI3l
The House has instantly killed the PROPOSE
ton to give the people Of this county just repre-
sentaton by the unanimous vote of the mem
bers of the two lower counties. This refusal
to remedy this wrong is one OF the most open,
shameless acts Of absolute tyranny ever COM
mitted.
LFrom Wilmington Every Evening, April 10. 1871
Our legislators begin their sessions at Q, in-
stead of 10 O'Clock in the morning, and hold night
sessions, while bills are fairly rushed through
This is necessary to enable them to adjourn thus
week, but it could not have been necessary if
they had wasted less time in divoroing people
and driving cattle.
[From Wilmington Every Evening, April IA, 1874 ]
Our Legislature has adjourned,to to the relief of
the whole State and especially to the relief OF the
people of this city.
lFrom Wilmington Every Evening, April 10, 1874.
The Legislatures sins of commission, howev-
er, ARE triilipg composed with its sins Of omission
1t refused to do the simplest acts of Justice
asked of it, and showed an absolute and insolent
disregard for the wishes of the majority of the
people of the State residing in this county. &
committed stupid acts OF folly and was oil the
whole miserable failure, extravagant in
spending the peoples money, outrageously I'M
just in refusing to tighten unjust, unequal and
burdensome taxation, If it happened to find that
the bulk of the burden lay ON the shoulders of
our DISTINGUISHED people.
From Wilmington Every Evening May 3, 1871
[The article is headed "a Legislature which
did Nearly Nothing, and Cost the State, $780,
000." 1t proceeds to show that $40 OFT OF 405
acts passed by the Legislature were unworthy
its attention, and that only 39 we're of general
nature, and then says j
But into the long chapter OF it's failures to do
Justice, or love mercy for the poor and needy, it
is needless to 60.
1t frittered away its time in divorcing people in
COW driving, in laying out roads, &C., and 30 sat
a menace to justice and disappointment to all
hope, for nnety-seven days, paying itself there
for in gold, and costing the people directly near
ly twenty thousand dollars, wasting thirty thou
sand more on an old buzzard-roost for State
Capitol, and pledging the credit of the
for 5000, 900 to build railroads in lower county
while refusing to remit one cent OF the onerous
and unjust taxation laid on the roads built with
their own money by the people of this county
These are truths which cannot be gainsayed
charges which cannot be met but we can hope
and expect nothing better 30 long as this vile
system OF government by the minority continues
to curse our State.
From Wilmington Every Evening, May II, 1871
The last Legislature of this State seems to
have had all absolute genius for committing stu
pid blunders. It did many wrong things and
avoided doing many right and just things pur-
posely, but when now and then it did try TO do a
good thing, it seems, in nearly every instance to
have given its act some foolish orlworse feature.
.. Let our people trace every wrong and OPP
preston under which they suffer from legsla-
tive action to the fountain head in the infamous
ly unjust system Of representation which ena-
bles minority to govern the State.
(From the Dover Letter OF Wilmington Every Eve
ming, June IS, 1871
Chief Justice Gilpin and Associate Justice,
Wootten, Houston, and Wales concurred in the
opinion Of the Chancellor THAT the railroad tax
bill was unconetitutionall and the e'new tax law,
the deformed child OF ignorance and prejudice,
was strangled in its cradle.
Powell CiaytOm's Career.