Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-11-05
FIRST EDITION.
The Democratic Frauds.
A FLAdEANr INSTANCE BROUGHT TO SUDDEN PROOF
-wAa IT A JUDGMENT

A FLAdEANr INSTANCE BROUGHT TO SUDDEN PROOF
-wAH IT JUDGMENT 7
Instances OF the Systematic methods OF fraud
by which the Republican majority in this county
was overcome on Tuesday, are coming hourly to
light. Besides the Wholesale use Of illegal tax
receipts, hundreds of men were voted ''on age"
who were over twenty two years old. IN New
Castle Hundred about fifty persons came forward
10 swear that tloy we're between twenty. one
and twenty-five, and to vote the Democratic
ticket. most hagralit instance, however,
OF this kind Of fraud was yasterday brought to
sudden and terrible proof. AT the polls Of the
Third Ward, on Tuesday, a man came forward,
and though challenged, took his oath on the BIZ
bic that he was 'between twenty-one and twen-
ty two years of age" He was Democrat and
voted the Democratic ticket. He was in his
usual health. Yesterday morning as he was sit
ting at his house he was suddenly seized with
pain, and died in a few minutes. In two Of the
afternoon papers, his death is thus announced ;
"DIED.-on the 4th instant., - ---, In the
9th year OF his age.'
In the 9th year of his age" He was, there
fore more than -four years beyond the legal limit
at which he could vote on agel
AN OUTRAGEOUS INsTANoE OF THE DIsrRAEoHIsE-
MENTs.
In the Third Ward, resides a house-keeper,
Joel A. Seal, machinist, the son-in-law Of
Lewis Thompson, Esq. He came. year or two
ago, to this city from the West, and as the
assessor had omitted his name from the list
went, accompanied by Mr.. Thompson as a
voucher, to New Castle, last Spring, appeared
before the Levy Court and, on motion Of one of
the members, in open Court, his name was Or
dered by vote, to be added to the assessment
When he went to pay his tax, however, his name
was not on the duplicate, and thus, notwith-
standing his citizenship, his legal right to vote
and the efforts he made to be duly qualified, he
was dsfranchised. We take it that Joel A. Seal
has the same right to vote as John p. Springer
or Thomas II. Bayard but he was defrauded Of
il.
NAMES ADDED TO THE ASSESSMENT FRAUDULENT
LY.
1t was discovered, by the Collectors returns
of delinquents, last spring, that the Republicans
Of this city had more generally paid their poll
taxes than the Democrats and there was a"boom-
erang'' IN the disfranchisement laws, a larger
number Of Democrats being on the "error list, "
and therefore under the ban of non-asaessment
for year, than of Republicans. This appeared
in nearly every ward-and doubtless all--of this
city. The ratio of Democratic delinquents was
not less then two Or three to one. Now these
names, so returned as delinquent by the Colec-
tors, could not according to the law, be put on
this years assessment But zoe charge that
many of them ,1ere put on. For instance, we
have the names of tioenty-tloo PERSONS who now
live, and for long time have lived, III the Ninth
Ward. They did not pay their 1873 taxes. They
were returned by the Collectors as delinqnents.
| They were on " the error list. But, though
thus returned, they are nevertheless, on this
years assessment-not in the Ninth Ward, how
ever, where they live and did live when the as
sessment was made, where they omitted to pay
their taxes, and where they were returned as
delinquents, but in The Third and Fourth Wards.
where they do not live, and probably never did
live Fourteen of them are on the Bird Ward as
sessment, and eight on the 4th Ward, for this
year. They, therefore, obtained some of the
great number of Democratic tax-receipts. for
Mis gear, and voted on them, in the Ninth Ward,
affording conclusive illustration that the as
sessment and collection laws were intended to
be, and are 80 administered as to be, laws by
which Republicans are disfranchsed, and WI icll
Democrats can evade.