Middletown transcript., 1874-07-11

delegates were appointed by the several hundreds
to take up candidates for sheriff, coroner, menu
bers of Legislature and Levy Court. They then
met at the old Red Lion tavern, near the centre
of the county, and made out the ticket The
sheriif's office being very profitable, that is as
now, paid well, there was so much ring packing
and rascality practised in that nomination that it
threatened the defeat Of the Democratic party
On June 4th, 1888, at the village of Christiana,
at q very large meeting of the Democrats, princ-
paily attracted there on account of the way NOM
! nations had been made at Red Lion, the subject
OF nominating by ballot came up and was discuss
ed two or more hours. Mr.. Jas. A. Bayard OPP
posed the change, others, myself lfincluded, favor
ed change to nominations by ballot. We 6nal-
y got a vote or division of the meeting, and there
was large majority in favor OF nominating the
candidates for sheriff and coroner by ballot, and
we have continued TO do so down to the present
| time. The nomination of Senators and Repre-
sentatives 10 the Legislature and Levy Court
Commissioners was left over for the next few
years and we at county meeting held at Della
ware City, or Bear Tavern, passed n resolution to
nominate the members Of the Legislature and
Levy Court by ballot, and so nominated. This
resolution of the Democrats drove the then Wing
party 10 nominate sheriff, coroner and members
of the Legislature and Levy Court by ballot, and
| that party, through all its different names, down
| TO the presnt day continues TO do the same
letting negro Republicans take part in it. Will
any white man, calling himself n Democrat pre-
| tend or dare to say one white Democrat has not
as good right as another to help select his
choice of candidates? 1t is a mere mockery of
liberty and Democratic government, TO admit
that white man is fit to be a voter, equal rich
or poor, but that he is not fit or capable to help
nominate candidate to vote for; and that too,
in the Democratic party where part of the county
ticket is nominated by ballot. ! should here
state, for the benefit of young voters, that after
the Democratic party nominated their whole
holders and Wilmington wre-workers, finding
their vocation of packing a county ticket gone if
nominations by ballot were continued, secretly
wrote letters throughout the county 10 their wire
pnllers to send delegates, that year, and this
Hundred nominated its candidate by ballot, Civ
ing him l34 votes out of l35 Notwithstanding,
another set met one week afterwards, in the Hun
drcd, and appointed FIVE delegates and these
disorganizing delegates were admitted in that
packed delegate convention and made nomina-
ton for this Hundred, thus throwing out our
nomination by ballot, and it was given out that
this trick was TO punish me, (although was not
the canddate) This was in 1856 The next
campaign, 1858, the Wing party was split up
and nearly annibilated, and the Democracy di-
vided on the Kansas question. | called meeting
in Middletown and proposed the organization of
Union Democratic Party. We went to Dover,
held a State Convention, and organized party.
proposed it be called the Union Democratic
Party" another person proposed it be called the
People Party, and il had or 10 votes ma
iority for that name. We went into the cam
paign that Fall and had the pleasing saisfac-
tion TO defeat the corrupt tyrants who had treat
ed me and my Hundred so badly two years be-
fore. am now getting too old or at least have
no desire for political strife; but warn you court
house and Wilmington packers, who call YOUR
selves Democrats and still insist that the mass of
the white Democratic voters are too ignorant TO
be trusted TO help select their own candidates to
vote for; you, the ring masters and pack
crs must name the men for them 10 vote for, and
if they do not, try TO read them out of the party
as you tried me, but | gave your predecessors
their deserts During the time of the troubles
had with the wire-pulers and their organ, the
Gdzdte, there was meeting held by these men
at Middletown and those noted Democratic Rules
laid down. II did not attend said meeting. y
George Read Biddle wrote them at least he told
me he did, and cursed them afterwards to me-
never would read or recognize these cursed rules
and those persons who attended our late county
meeting should know this as it will explain some
things that took place there. The persons who
composed that late meeting will recollect that it
was who brought this matter of nominating
members of the Legislature and Levy Court be-
fore the meeting, and not James Ray, although
John O'Byrne wrote resolution and offered it
TO me, was speaking and had not time TO look
at il. He then went over to Mr.. Ray, and he
| handed it in. 1t was !, however, who brought
this matter up, and when certain persons saw
the meeting favored my views, Mr.. George Gray,
our late chairman of the county meeting, and the
very man who as chairman, called this meeting
| on Saturday, June 9th, spoke up and said we
could not adopt the ballot system until the rules
of the Democratic party were amended and that
without rules the party could not get along. |
told HIM that never regarded those cursed rules;
that the party got along better before they were
made. The meeting generally being ignorant OF
the facts and the wire-workers who had the rules
not being kind enough to read Them it was f.
nally thought best 10 appoint committee of one
from each Hundred to take this matter into con-
| sideration and report. The committee have met
! was one of the members, and we passed n rese-
luton in favor of nominations by ballot; and up
to the time of that meeting of the committee
| had not read those celebrated rules but | have
since. ! went into Mr.. c. P. Johnson's office
and talked with him about them, and he told me
| that he had been frequently requested to publish
| said rules; that he would not do it that they
had been so repeatedly broken they were of nc
account; that the Democratic party got along
much better before said rules were ever made
This perfectly agreed with my idea and when
read the FIRST rule, what do you suppose it said
| Why, "on the first Saturday in June, candidates
for sheriff and coroner should be nominated by
ballet" Now, there was Mr.. George Gray q
comparatively young man whom think grea
deal of, and in no wise blame him for old politi
cal troubles Ill tne DeInocratlc pat ", Tor he Wa
too young then to take part. Well, at our lat,
county meeting Mr.. Gray was, as before stated
defending the rules and their observance, wnef
he, as chairman, had trampled on the very frs
rule by calling a county meeting on the day thes,
infamous rules said the sherff's nomination
should take place. Therefore our nomination
for sheriff and coroner, according 10 the first rule
is not binding or of any account. There mus
either be new nomination or the rule must b
considered of no account; and if one rule, ant
the first one, is of no account is the third an,
more binding, that We must first take the trou
BILE to appoint delegates to recommend its ex
puuging? Then again, there is another ru
that says Wilmington shall have five delegates
so she cannot have ten until that rule is expung
ed and if we can expunge one, as we have don,
in the nomination for sheriff and coroner, canno
we do ii in all other cases2 !, therefore, recon-
mend that John P. Cochran, Esq, call count,
meeting early in August SO the party can dis
pose of these matters, and save running two leg
islative and two levy court tickets this FALL Fo
here state, not as a threat but as a right of or
white Democrat who believes every white Demo
cratic voter, either rich or poor, is entitled II
ri oh baf a at nt bo1d