Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-04-02
TEE DELAWARE PLOT.

TEE DELAWARE PLOT.
what o Correspondents Of she New
xesk ssrsfbune' says About tht
Delaware nisfSane ehiaomeats.
From the N. Y. Tribune.
Nsw CASTLE, Dsi., March 80.
1--WE are holding our Presidential
election here" said Wilmington law
yer 70 me this morning, as We stood q
the brick terrace In front Of the quaint
old, vhitswashed Court House, In tn,
midst Of Q crowd Of negroes who hat
come TO demand Of the Levy Court thei
rights % eitisens. "The contest will
bs virtually settled tomorrow, so fal
10 our county 10 concerned, for the meI
who do not get upon the Assessors
rolls by the time this Court adjourni
Wednesday afternoon will not bs able
10 vote next November.
described In former letter the Dem
ocratic scheme for disfranohising large
numbers Of Republican vsters BY omit
ing their names from the Assessors
rolls. The effort Of the Republicans Il
get these names restored before the frs
Of April and Of the Democrats 10 keeI
as many Of them of as possible is 1
more interesting phrase Of the Presi
Dental contest In Delaware than any
likely to be developed after the regula,
campaign begins. To witness the pro
cess Of rehabilitsting oitisens who have
been arbitrarily disfranchised by the
Democratic assessors, l came this morn
ing to this prim, ancient, sleepy little
town.
"Why did the assessor leave your
name Of 7" \ asked Of q respectable
looking colored man in the crowd hang
ing about the court house door.
"Reckon 1t was because I'm Re-
publican"
"Maybs he didn't know you were a
voter"
"He know'd me as well as he know'd
his own father. done live in st..
Georges Hundred desc ten years. My
house is within sight Of his'n."
An old negro with his head tied up In
o scarlet handkerchief said he had lived
twenty eight years in his Hundred
township, but the assessor refused TO
put his name on the list. He declared
that more than two hundred colored
men had been left of In st. Georges.
When the courtroom door was opened,
the crowd OF disfranchised black voters
concentrated into dense mass and be.
gan to pour through the narrw entrance
with a deal Of pushing and squeezing.
''Wslk in, boys" said a white man,
who had prudently kept out Of the
dark torrent of humanity. "Walk
straight inl You've as good right
there as anybody"
"We know we have" replied stall
wart negro as he shouldered his way
along, "and we's Just gwine in"
In the courtroom were the ten mem.
bsrs Of the Levy Court, body answer
ing in most respects to eur Board of
in New York, q dozen pol
twenty or thirty whHe specta.
lors, and two or three. .hpndfed negroes.
Rvery applicant for restoration to the
voting list was required to present him-
Ielf with the affidavit of freeholdsr,
md the mau bonding for him was also
required to be preeent.
The formula was as follows: The
sfidavits wsrs handed in one altar
mother 20 the members Of the Court.
4 member would move that John Jones
,e placed upon the roll OF such or such
. Hundred. Then the clerk would
ook over the delinquent book for that
and report whether the ap-
,licants name was upon 1t. II not,
he chairman rosa and asked II John |
|ones we're present. When Jones re
Iponed, he was asked how long no had
ivsd in this Hundred. The reply be-
ng satisfactory, the chairman said to
lis colleagues, "Are you ready for the
luestiona" and then put it to vote
With all parliamentary solemnity |
' neither John Jones's name should 20
lpon the roll.
Nearly all the men have questioned |
luiing the two hours sat in the
ourt room this morning, were old
esidents OF their respective localities.
)ns said he had lived thirteen years
n his hundred, another eighteen, an
ther twenty eight. and several de-
Jared that they had never lived any
7here elss. There could be no ques-
ion after hearing their statements
hat they have been eurpossly left off
he Assessors rolls to prevent them
rom voting next fall.
One Of the cases that came up this
orenoon show ed the working of q de-
les for DISTINGUISHING voters which
1as not described in my letter Of yes
srday; an important part OF the gem
raj scheme adopted in 1873 to red duce
he Republican vote. A white me
hanic from Wilmington applied to be
ut upon tho roll. The dslinq
* book showed that he was returned
Iarch 27, 1879, as delinquent for q
oil tax assessed In 1878.
have seen good many intriguing
'rovisios in Southern State election
AVS, but none that equals this Della
'ars delinquent statute for glsring in
lstics; for. mind you, the voter has
0 remedy. He may proder the back
sx, but the Collector is expressly pro-
ibited from receiving 1t. The dis
an chissmsnt is absolute; there is no
,osps from it. For neglecting to pay a
'iaing tax, which he was never asked
, pay, for the Collectors under this
sw law do not make q personal de-
'and for poll taxes, voter is deprived
the most important right Of citizen
, in for n narinl of nearly two yaara |