The daily gazette., 1877-03-20
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Letter from Samuel Townsend.
IN [For the Gazette.l

Letter from Samuel Townsend.
!, :, s'.a lFor the Gazettel
The Democratic Party came into exis-
tencc in the United States as a Reform
Party, to redress abuses against the mass
es by the self-styled privileged remnant
of Royalists; and the Democracy have
been popular and reepected in proper
ton to their observance of the truths
laid down by Jefferson and Jackson
that all power rested in the people, and
all officers appointed or elected BY the
people should respect the source from
whence their appointment or election
came. We have, as Democrats, been
charging the Republicans for the last
twelve TO sixteen years with fraud and
corruption. Our late candidate for Pres
|ident, lSamuelJ j. Tilden, was principally
brought forward by the Democrats on
account Of his being champion Reform
or, who had broken down Tho powerful
Ring of corruptlonists in New York city,
with William NJ. Tweed at its head.
This Tweed Ring got up jobs and gave
ont contracts to friends and squandered
millions wrung from the people in taxes.
Now our Legislature, that was elected on
the same ticket with Mlden, have re-
mained in session at Dover two and
half months and passed through the
House the noted work house bill that
was not agitated before the election; and
if this measure should be passed through
the Senate it, bids fair to rival some of
VIM. NJ, Tweed's jobs, If you take the
population of Delaware, with about one
hundred and fifty thousand,a and New
York city with one million. Our Govern
or has no veto power, but a number of
men, and volunteer as one have the
power to unite and file a bill before the
Chancellor to restrain the State Treasur-
er from paying dollar or issuing q bond
until the constitutionaIity Of the work
house act is tested; for If Legislatures
are allowed, without any previous no.
tice, to get up such jobs and tax the peo-
pie our State is lost and will be bankrupt.
When the Constitution of Delaware was
amended in 1881 the Convention fixed
the sitting of the Legislature every two
years but they did not know what might
happen, and they did not contemplate
that any Legislature might sit two and
half or three months to make many un-
necessary laws, and to tear up and des-
troy many good laws; and while doing
this persistently refuse to let the Della
ware people know what they were doing,
only mentioning chapter so and So. Now,
last campaign both by resolution and in
speeches, we promised the people of Del
aware that if they voted the Democratic
ticket Economy and Reform should be
carried out. And I, as one of the men
who promised Economy and Reform to
Democrats IL they voted our ticket, do
not like to be made liar of by members
of our Legislature. Neither do consider
1t good taste to charge the Republicans
with introducing two kinds of currency
gold and silver to pay duties with, and
paper money for the use of the farmer
and mechanic-whilst this Same Demo-
cratic Delaware Legislature has passed
resolution, or offered one, to pay their
valuable selves in gold and silver, while
their constituents are compelled to take
paper money. We had an exciting and
hardworking campaign last year in New
Castle county to carry it for the Demo-
orats, and fear this present Legislature,
in undoing and making unnecessary laT
and their long and useless session, has
lost US all we gained in the last cam
paign; for how are we to begin next
year? the same promises of Reform and
Economy will not do our enemies, if
they were disposed to tell new lies, would
say this present Legislature had knocked
the bottom out of those promises. Now,
ask any candid Democrat, throwing
jobbery in, getting up this work house,
one side, if 1t is fair or is it Democratic
for the State to build, at the public's ex-
pense, buildings, and tax the people to
feed and clothe a class of men and boys
to work in said work house, to manufac-
lure dItlClGS COul0 LII ulEecU COmOes
tition with manufactures outside carried
on by honest mechanics who are COM
PEELED to pay their way from their own
resources Can the Democratic Party
blame all such manufacturers and me-
chanlcs that this proposed work house
policy will affect, if they form combina-
lions and help defeat the Democratic
Party; for self-preservation is the first
law Of nature. Then it all settles down
to this: That the Democrats of the State
below Wilmington must endanger their
success for the sake of getting up, at
great expense, doubtful experiment to
take care of persons out of employment
in Wilmington. / have warned you
members of the Legislature before this,
and 1 give you this last warning against
this contemplate work house measure,
in order to make show of legislation as
necessity for staying at Dover. You
have torn the laws all to pieces, and in
nine cases out of ten unnecessarily, and
the greater mum Der of you will, 2 think,
find this out before you are two years
older, The coroner's office, of this coun-
ty, used to be worth five or six hundred
dollars year, and the last coroner, am
told, got an, allowance of twenty-eight
hundred dollars, and the present one bids
fair to run up to four thousand dollars a
year; and when the question is asked we
are told that there is law of Whining
ton compelling useless inquests. Now, If
you members had amended or repealed
this law you might have done some good
in the way Of Reform. ..-..-. .i.r,
SAMUEL, TOWNSEND.