Daily Republican., 1881-03-30
Tbs Ioiqui,ous GerryIn m d or.

a party, is not 80 much to be wondered
at since gerrymardering has been Gus
tomary and all parties have tried theil
hands at it, but it is at all times to b.
condemned in proportion to the inc
quality and I'M ustice Of the measure
The present attempted gerrymander o
the city is to be condemned for severa
reasons, and We might as we'll say herr
that it is the most iniquitous gerryman
der ever attempted in this city. |
reaches out farther to encourage dis
honesty and fraud at elections thar
any thing that has ever been attempt
ed in the shape OF Legislation in oul
Slate.
One of the least oil iectiors to it Is
that it destroys the syn metrical system
of laying out the wards Of the city as
established when the Nine ward bill
was passed. Then, Third, Sixth and
Ninth streets their whole length, ,divid,
ei the city into four equal parallelo
grams, which being divided by Market
stree. Termed eight wards, ani the ter
ri;ory over the Brandywine made the
Ninth ward.
The first attempt TO gerrymander af,
tes the city was divided into more
wards was when the Tenth ward was
formed, cut of part of the First. This
could not we'll have been avoided on
account of the large territory included
in that ward and its fast increasing
population, and this gave the Demo
cratic party a sure Democratic ward
though at one time the Republican
candidate for Council W. D. Dove,
Esq, came Within ten votes of being
elected.
The uext gerrymsnder was when the
Sixth and Eighth wards we're turned
end about in the attempt to make a
strong Democratic ward out of the
Eighth, bnt even the slight advantage
gained by the Democrats by this uncall.
ed for redistricting turned to ashes upon
their lips. Both the Sixth and Eighth
are strong Republican wards and at no
time would have been anything else
except by shameless system Of dis
franckisement Of Republicans insugu,
rated oy Democratic collectors Of taxes
and Democratic assessors. One other !
thing is worthy of note and We will /
here state ii. When the territory over
1hs Brandywine was converted into the
Ninth ward and annexed to this city,
the Legislature was 80 impartial at
that time in the selection Of Council.
men to serve until the regular city
election that DR.. Simon Miller,s Demo
crst, and C. Febiger, Republican, were
chosen to represent the ward, and we
sre under the impression that one from
each party was selected for CouncilmeD
when the Tenth ward was made and
,vsn so late as when the Eighth ward
under the management Of
4r. William H. Lee took place.
1t has only been left for the present
attempted gerrymander to discard
very semblsncs Of fairness. The First,
Third and Tenth wards have been car
red up into shapeless masses and un-
,atur al lines have been established for
he sole purpose Of continuing party
n power that large majority of the
,itizsns of Wilmington do not want in
power and repudiated at the last cleo
ion.
But all this does not constitute the
worst phase of the Eleventh ward
bill. That is found in the attempt to
displacs Republican Inspectors Of cleo.
tioDs honestly elected by large major
tiles and to appoint Democrats in their
places. 1t contemplates no less than
a seizing of a large majority Of the
election inspectors By the Democracy
and then by the appointment of such
men as Lee, Mccall, "Pat" Gardner,
Gsynor, Johnson, Walker and other
we'll known manipulators II votes and
slight Of. hand performers, to hold the
power for the Democracy no matter how
the people vote.
The evidence Of this ia shown in the
attempt of those who have charge Of
the gerrymsnder bill, to deliberately |
throw out George R. Roberts regularly |
elected by 9 large majority in the
west district of the Fifth ward over
Mr.. James and the appointment Of Mr..
JAMES, who never claimed to be cleo
ted, nor nobody ever claimed for him
that he was elected, in place Of Mr..
Roberts. II must not be forgotten too
thst the gerrymandsr in no way inter-
fered with the Fifth ward, only SO far
as 10 appoint defeated Democratic