The daily gazette., 1880-12-08
wEDHRsDAY. DECEMBER 5, lsso.

Houston, setting forth his claims to
seat in the 47th Congress to which
Hon. Edward Il. Martin was elected
on the ID Of November by majority
Of $50 votes. This Is truly rsmarka-
BILE paper, and looks as though Judge
Houston went n hto the election with a
strong desire for the Office, and that
he means 10 secure it if he can,
whether there were enough votes
polled in his favor or not.
Judge Houston's allegations are
numerous and are named in twenty
four counts. Why another count was
omitted that would embrace all the
men that did n pt go to the election
at all, as votes that would have been
cast for him, is suggested to the as
tenished reader as he peruses the last
Of the twenty-fpur counts.
The stalwart journals have gone so
far as to claim Republican majori-
ties In many of the Southern States,
where numbers of the oolored popula-
ton did not see proper to exercise the
right of suffrage at all Or voted for
the Democrats, for the reason that the
negroes were m pre- numerous than the
whites, and so persistent have some Of
them put forward their claims to
majority in such districts that there is
little doubt that they would have the
House determine that those absentees
should be counted ON their side al
though they did not vote at all. Hav-
ing secured the Inauguration of a
President by counting votes that were
never cast for him, they are doubtless
encouraged to hope for some success
from the plan on that occasion. AS if
to encourage such designs the Presi-
dent in his Message urges the next
Congress to the work of destroying
the Democratic strength and increas-
ing that Of the Republicans in the
following emphatic language
II trust the House of Representa-
tives and the Senate, which have the
right to judge of the elections, r.
turns, and qualifications of their own
members, will see to it that every case
OF violation of the letter or spirit Of
the Fifteenth Amendment is thor
oughly investigated, and that no bene-
fit from such violation shall accrue to
any person or party. 1t will be the
duty of the Executive, with sufficient
appropriations for the purpose, TO
prosecute unsparingly all who have
been engaged in depriving citizens of
the rights guaranteed to them by the
Constitution"
The language OF that paragraph will
lead many to believe that, although it
was not made public until about the
time that Judge Houston's contest was
sprung upon the people of this State,
yet it had been secretly circulated and
understood by Republican leaders that
such recommendation would be
put in the message and that it had its
influence in producing the document
put forth by Judge Houston. The
'counts" would seem in many cases
ridiculous assertions in which there
cannot be particle of truth, and &C
to show how little confidence the Re.
publicaus themselves have in the Of
feet Of their own Federal election laws
There were U. 8. Marshals or U. s.
Supervisors al all the polls in tn,
State, and had there been frauds o.
illegal voting it was the duty of thes.
ofacers to report it to the Boards o
Canvass. But We hear of nothing O
this kind being done. The election O
November was pronounced one of tn,
most quiet ever held in the State, anc
we have yet I'd learn that it wss pro
claimed to be dishonesty or unfairl,
conducted. The heavy vote pole,
proves that there were few if any per
sons in the State who were entitled t,
vote that did not do so.
The population by the recent censu
is reported to be 148, 654; and the tc
tai vote polled for Congressman wa
29,42S. Showing one voter for ever,
Ave persons in the State exercised tina
right. 1t therefore could not be tina
the colored voters were prohibited fror
voting. The colored population is 90,
<56 and about one-half of it is in thi
county where the census locates 10,
$40; in Kent county, 8, 105 and in Su,
sex, 8, ,so8.
We do not believe there is sing
Congressional district in the Middle {
New England States that can show
fair and impartial an election as
shown in the District of Delaware.
When Now England Congressma
comes to compare our free and unive
sal suffrage with that of his own diI
trict whore the unfortunate man wi
cannot read iB not permitted to vot
or the man who holds no real estate
excluded from the polls, and the 70
eign born are systematically disfra
chised We think he will be astonisht
that Judge Houston should have sigl