Daily Republican., 1880-10-06
Worse Than q Farce.


The days for the introd uction OF the
southern system Of ballot DO strfini
and false counting have fully dawned
upon Wilmington, and with sorrow
must the sturdy business honest yeo
many Of the city wake up to the fact
that the days OF honest elections art
over. In but few precincts Of the city
yesterday was an honest election held
Tho ballot box stuffsr, the repeater AID
the false counter were the rule and
honesty was the exception. So plain
and perCeptible has been the great farce
played and 60 pslpably hsv3 the people
been openly cheated out OF the election
yesterday that We can scarcely find
words 10 express ourselves.
Only in two wards OF the city, the
Fourth and the Sixth may anything
like approaching an honest election be
said TO have been held.
There were NO doubt some dishonesty
also in the two wards named but tn
results show that comparatively homes
elections werl held in them. Hordes
Of paid repeaters had free.' play in II
First, Second, Third, Fifth, Seventh,
Eighth, Ninth and Tenth, and in ad
dition 10 the repeaters, the hand ofthe
dishonest Inspector and, Of the balloI
box suffer has left its imprint in the
Third, Fifth and Z ghth.
1t was not without many misgivings
that the Republicans entered into this
contest. They knew that this was in
deed what many Of the Democratic
lights claimed it to be Democratic
election. They knew that every in
speetor appointed by the Levy Court tC
hold the election was Democrat, some
of them repudia.ed and spurned by
honest men. They know that there
were great issues at stake even in this
little election which the Democrats
would fghtwith unexampled despara-
tion and with all the election machine.
~ in their hands it was expected that
they would take every possible advsu.
tage, to gain their purposes, but though
1t was feared and dreaded by .Repnbli.
cans, and though they were prepared
10 meet with moderate mixture oI
fraud, they were totally unprepared
Sor the avalanche Of repeaters that we're
hurled upon the polls and for the bal
lot box suffers that were within some
Of the polls.
A glance at the manner in which ths
elections we're held in the respective
wards will not be out Of place.
Repsaters had foil sway in the Firs
Ward, though there was no need for
them. The fact that over a hundred
Democrats we're at the polls at nine
o'clock in the morning to stand out fo
an Inspector was evid5nce to q well laid
scheme thai was followed out through
he day. We nave 4ous at TO say agains
hi a but the Aa4 " ho Was chosen in
speotor it wAs EnoRn was ecu al Il
any emergency that might be required
for the success Of the Democracy. Til,
Republicans we're not On hand no
even knowing that an inspector was t,
chosen. Repeat ouly failed t
vote Oftener here because there was NJ
need for them and voting so often grew
monotonous. A large number of legs
Republican voters were refused thei
votes, but the inspector considerate'y
allowed 200 of them to vote because /
looked more like contest and hecsus,
their votes could do no harm.
The Republicans Of the Seco nd Ware
did nobly and in the face Of an inebria
tsd aseis ant inspector, q horde Of repeat
ers, end the refusal to accept q num
Der Of legal Republican voters the Dem
.;ratio majority Of the Ward was cu
down to 70.
The Third Ward was smphatica]Iy