Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-11-13
The Disfrancnisement System.
HOW IT WAS USED AaAINsT REPUBLICANS II
KENT COUNTY.

HOW IT WAS USED AGAINST REPUBLICANS IN
KENT COUNTY.
Under the caption " A Stolen State" the
Dover Sentinel says
a stolen State Yes, stolen State
Delaware has been stolen; stolen bodily,
stolen in defiance alike of law, morals and
common decency.
What do you mean Why this the
Democratic maj ority in this State is the re-
suit and product of fraud. Not of fraud
perpetrated by ballot. box stuffing, repeat
ing or false counting, but by an unlawful,
because premedltated, omission of names
from the Assessment Lists. More than
5000 persons have been designedly and pur-
posely disfranchised, and tliis disfranchise-
ment has been with the knowledge of many
of the Democratic leaders, and, we regret
to say, with the tacit consent of many citi-
zens. In this county alone 1900 persons
were thus omitted, and in East Dover Hun
dred one hundred and fifty were prevented
from fulfilling the legal prerequisite to vot-
ing. We are not talking wildly; we are not
cropping in the dark; we know the facts
stated as to the number of men left off to
be true. Below we give the names of those
left off in this Hundred. If this many are
omitted here, what will be the proportion
through the County
[rhe names of 14s persons are here Civ
en- by the Sentinel
1t will not do to say that these men did
not pay their taxes and were returned de.
linquent. rhe law fixes q time at which
these delinquents may be put on the Lists,
and those named above, with others, were
prepared to fulfil the requirement. of law
and go on the Lists, but the Levy Court
adjourned before the expiration of the time
fixed by law in which they could be res
tored, aud, we believe, with the design and
purpose OF preventing these persons and
others from claiming their legal right. The
hlmsy excuse given by the Levy Court was
that they were without business. Without
business with delinquent list of over five
hundred No they made it their bust
ness to avoid this business; to adjourn, and
by that adjournment stop man of his legal
right What is the moral difference be-
tween cheating man out of a right, or
cheating him out OF his opportunity
to make his right good? Moralists would
call the wrong equal plain men would de-
nounce both equally dishonest. Men of
KK5ns-C County, what does an election mean
the free aud full expression Of the will
of the people, speaking through the legal
electors. This is what an election should
mean. Does it mean that here? Can it
mean that here when you shut the door and
bar it against the performance of prere-
quisite duty which is necessary to be done
in order to enttle you to the right of suf-
frage? And yet that is just what the Levy
Court of Kent County has done just what
has been done in the other counties. 1t is
this mode of procedure-this wilful omis
sion of names, this preventing of opportu-
nifty to do certain acts, which has built up
the Democratic majority in this State.
We therefore say the State has been
stolen. The will of the people has not had
its play; portion of 1t has been etihed.
What matters it whether yoa change Or
modify this will by false count or whether
you do it by Acknowledgement? Not the
least in the one case you nulllfy the elec
tors vote by another; in the other you
will not let him become voter. The effect
! is the same; the fraud is as great.
1t may be said, "It is only the vote OF q
nigger." So much the worse; the strong, the
rich, the powerful can protect himself
against those who would rob him of his
right to vote, but the ignorant, the weak,
the poor cannot. Is it not ineffable mean
neas to rob poor helpless negro Shame
upon the leader who coutrived the wrong
Shame upon the poor weallipgs who did the
| dirty work Shame upon the citizen who
stands by, seeing these wrongs done, with
OUT protest Shame upon us all, our coun-
try, State and county, that these wrongs
exist without even seeming remedy !