The daily gazette., 1879-10-06
WILMINGTON. DEL. MONDAY, OCTOBER g. 1872
POIittcas RsspSeUtsfes.

THE HORNETS NEST THE REPUBLICAN,
STEPPED INTO WHILE HUNTING Fol
ILLEGAL VOTERS.
The latest aspect of the elec. ion trcu
bles In this city shows how little tht
present managers Of the Republican par
ty know about running party, conduct.
ing campaign, or managing political
affairs In general. So sure were they
that their political ability was beyond
question, and would be established by Z
sweeping Republican victory, that the
result was q terrible blow 10 their per-
sonal pride, which they tried to ease by
screaming '.fraud"- at their success. full
Democratic opponents.
In order to give color Of plaueibility
totheir fraudulent charges they arraigned
the Fifth ward contests, aud the result
proves that they. bungled this part Of
their work worse than they did tie man.
asement Of the campaign. Without
making mOre than curso.y examination
Of the poll lists they al once seized upon
q hot Of names they supposed would an
swer for their purpose, and by putting
them down on the list as illegal voters,
induced Measrs. Evans aud ,Gswthrop,
upon the strength Of their unsustained
assertions 10 contest the seats of Messrs.
Carmichael and Allen before the City
Council. lN
The result proves that one of these
contestants, Mr.. Evans, has got himself
+intoa "peck of trouble" by trusting too
iwpltcitly to Benny Bye's. political saga
city and leadership. Among the names
of those parsded before City Council and
ip the public prints as being illegal voters
were those of a number of pers ms who
were duly qua flied in every respect to
vote at the city election, and who did not
rel sh the idea of being paraded before
The eyes OF the people in the unenvable
position of illegal vo.ers. These persons
we're naturally indignant at, the false
charge Mr.. Evans brought against them,
and some of them, as will be seen by
another article in to-day's paper propose
TO hold Mr.. Evans to a legal accounta-
bility for his indiscretion, and the care
less, unthinking manner in which he
made the affidavit that accompanied his
contest. Five Of them are already pre-
pairing to enter suits against him for dam
ages, and others are seriously chinking of
doing the sane thing. 1t is hard OH Mr..
Evans, for he must bear the brnnt of the
trouble while those who got him into it
will escape all responsibility, but it will
teach him better than To pin his faith to
the political wisdom of Benny Bye and
others of his ilk IN the future.
Another aspect OF the election troubles
is the large number of illegal Republi-
can voters that are being brought to light.
Thee are not poor, ignorant negroes,
duped by party managers to vo.e upon
forged tax receipts, but ''high-toned" citi-
zens, who have not paid any county tax
for three or four years, but who assumed
they had right to vote, and voted. The
number Of people who voted illegally in
this way in the upper wards is really as
tonishing, and even surprised those who
took the matter in hand and compared
the poll lists with the tax c. llectors'
books. Some of these cases will proba-
bly, be made examples of, and befJre the
troubles are over the Republican man
ayers will wish they had been more dis
Greet before they raised their cry of
"fi audi" which they only did with vi-w
to influencing next years election, not
expecting the unpleasant results that
have followed.