Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-10-25
r,ns nannio Tlcke, Fraud.


there were names OF the poll lists, was
committed by Inspectors who under
stood the business. With careful and
competent clerh it would be impossible
as general thing to make mistake Of
thirty, forty and fifty names In poll
Of 500 to 500 votes. Occasionally q
double ticket, where they adhere dose
ly together, are voted accidentA lly, but
they are rare, and they are usually
found in the ballot boxes folded closely
+og .tner. The dangerous double tickets
are those which are carefully prepared
and put together, and which when
voted fall apart when they drop into
the ballot box. Where an understand
ing exists between dishonest lnspec
tor like some that made farce OF the
little Election" and number OF
confederate voters outside, double
tickets could BIZ very easily voted, and
after they fall apart in the ballot box
have to be counted whether the number
Of votes in the box tally with the clerks
D oil lists or not. There Ia reason to
bslieve that the double ticket plan was
carried on at the Little Election in the
West District OF the Fifth Ward and in
the Eighth Ward, there being some
thirty .fve or forty more ballots in the
boxes in those Wards than there were
names upon the clerks poll lists. 1t is
hard to see how this could have been the
case without an understanding between
the Inspectors and certain number Of
voters whose tickets Of suspicious bulk
were to be received and pumped into
the ballot bog without challenge. In
the West District Of the Third Ward
there Ia no knowing what crooked arts
we're practiosd to change the heavy Re-
publican majority into q minority vote.
There may have been double tickets
voted, or Republican tickets may have
disappeared up Pat Gardeners sleeve
while Democratic tickets went into the
ballot box, or another carefully pre-.
pared ballot box with the tickets in 1t
all fixed, may have been substituted
for the right one. There Is no knowing
how the outrageous fraud was commit
ted, go long as such extremely honest
clerks as ex-Councilman McGllnchey
declined TO show a poll list or to msks
any announcement Ct the number OF
votes cast. One thing is certain, a Re-
publican vote OF 1S7 in that District
was changed to l26 by means fully
known to Pat Gardner, the Inspector,
and the more intelligent leaders of
Democracy who prepared the plan for
him to carry out. In the Ninth Ward
it seems that the double ticket process
was not praCticsd, as The count in the
main agreed with the clerks poll lists.
1t remained for the browning act of per-
fdy and fraud for which the leaders Of
the Democracy stand sponsors to be
committed in the Council Chamber Of
the City Hall, after the result had been
announced at the closing Of the polls.
So far as the double ticket process,
which was successful in the West Dis
ttict Of the Third Ward and not sue
cessful in the Eighth Ward, is concern
ed, there is a remedy, and the opposi-
tion Inspector at each poll has that
remedy in his own lands. The remedy
is found in Section Is, Chapter XVIII,
Of the Revised Code, and reads as fol-
lows:
"Each qualified elsctor shall deliver
a single ballot, containing the names Of
1.-The persons voted for, TO the Inspector,
who shall audibly pronounce the name
Of the elector, which shall be entered
in words at length upon list Of polls
to bs kept by each OF the clerks, whom
the judges shall direct to that duty,
and ono Of the judges shall write
against 1t on the alphabetical list de-
lvered by the Sheriff to the Inspector
as aforesaid the word "voted," there
shall be 20 examination of q ballot,
Except to determine that 1t Is single /;
and the Inspector shall immediately
pronounce the electors name, put the
ballot into the box in his presence,
unless the Vste shall be objected to-"
1t will be seen from the foregoing
that the Inspector can be required to
open the ballot so far as to ascertain
whether the ticket is single, II the
minority Inspector inside the polls re-
quire the Inspector to do this, It will
put an end to voting double ballots
} and we hope every minority Inspector
whether he be Republican or Democrat
will require this provision Of the law II
bs complied with.
No MORE EFFECTIVE speech. has beer
made during this campaign than thu