Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-01-06

I
development OF any community, inRsmuch
RS thoy afford very imperfect means of com
nunication between different localities and
neighborhoods, One Of the most attractive
features OF any section of the country Ii a
well-established system Of roads, and Ia one
among the first objects to engage the atten-
ton aud admiration of strangers. The i'm
portance of this subject therefore, demands
our earnest consideration. With proper
management, owing to the oven surface of
our land and the character Of our SOIL the adj
vantageB OF such an Improvement can be oh
tanned at very triiiing cost, In comparative
sense The great difficulty In the matter Of
maintaining our public road IL, that they are
not properly constructed and worked. They
should be made and repaired accord
lug to the modern methods of work.
ing roads; and when they arc thus
made they can afterwards be kent in good
condition without the expenditure of much
money. This plan have no doubt, would
be attended with considerable expense in tho
iirst place, but the annual saving thereafter
would be more than equivalent to the first
cost. therefore recommend the enactment
oil law authorizing the Loyy Court of each
county, at itR option, to issue bonds, for the
purpose of raising funds to carry into effect
tho Improvement herein proposed, and the
creation Of a sinking fund for the liquidation
OF such bonds at maturity.
ELEcnoSs.
The open aud unbluHhing bribery aud ill
| limitation which are alleged to have been
! prhctlced at the recent elections IN this State
| ana many other States Of the Union have
| eNcited serious apprehension in the minds of
| thoughtful and prudent men, as to the per-
| petulty OF representative government in this
country. These fears are not without foun-
dalton, for, OF all the vices peculiar to gov
ernments bnsed upon the popular will,
none perhaps il more fatal to their
| perlnanence and stability than corruption
ana intlmldatiol III elections Such offences
strike at the very root Of liberty inssmuch as
they destroy the freedom and purity Of the
| elective qualities which alone con-
stitute the value and importance of this
| fundamental right While results obtained
| by such corrupt and pernicious methods may
represent the majority Of votes cast, yet they
40 not represent the preponderance of the
true sentiment Of the public mind, and are,
| therefore, destructive OF ono of the great
| principles of republican government. Elec-
| tionH under such circumstances instead of
being contest between honest men for the
supremacy OF principles, degenerate into a
mere farce and become reproach to the
| institutions OF political freedom Men of
high character, especially those of limited
MEANS though richly endowed with moral
| and Intellectual qualifications, are practically
| precluded from entering the political arena as
| competitors with their fellows for positions of
trust and honor, because they cannot afford
wonld 1t be to engage in contest upon the
| merits OF the questions involved, if few
| desperate partlsunS are allowed to captiyate
the will of the weak and to enslave the con
science OF the timid, by exciting their cupidity
and fears to such extent az to change or bias
| the verdict of the popular will Z
The ballot box being the medium estab-
lished for the ascertainmont and expression
| OF public opinion upon issues of political
nature, should be guarded an far az possible
| against the intrusion of corruption and intimi-
| daton in all their forms. While | do not
| intend to suggest any definite remedy for this
evil, yet. in calling attention to this subject,
| desire most earnestly to recommend that
| you take into consideration the necessity of
| adopting such measures as will prevent the
repetition Of such offenses against the purity
and freedom of the ballot.
| RErRIEyEs AND PARDuss
In accordance with the constitution, | here.
with transmit list of reprieyes, pardons and
remissons, and the grounds therefor. In
view of the importance of the power lodged
| in the Governor to suspend or nullify the
| Judgment OF a criminal court, recommend
that an Advisory Board be created, composed
| of certain state officers, whose duty 1t shall
be to receive AZ plications for pardons,
reprieves aud reinlssions, and to report to the
| Governor their determinations in such cases.
STATE LIBRARY.
IL appears by the accompanying report of
| the State I4lbraraa herewith submitted that
the space IN the state Library Is not sufficient
for tue reception OF the books and documents
/ which are annually supplied from other
states |, therefore, recommend that more
space be provided for that purpose.
VARIOUS REPORTS
| herewith transmit the reports of the
| Insurance Commissioner OF the State Board
OF Health, together with the special report of
the President thereof and OF the Adjutant
| General, which are all submitted to your
| careful consideration.
ADJOURNMENT.
| ln order to facilitate the transaction Of
business which shall come beTere you, and to
| prevent the present session from being
| unnecessarily prolonged. | would suggest the
| adoption Of Il joint resolution, at All early
day, requesting the people to promptly
present their business.
| Having referred to suck subjects as relate
to the administration of public affairs in this
| state, and made such recommendations and
| suggestions Ill reference thereto, as appear
necessary, will now direct your attention to
matters winch are of more general and COM
prehensve character those which involve
or relations with the Federal Government.
FEDERAL RELATIONS.
The repeated exercise of Jurisdiction by
Federal authorities over affairs purely Of a
dome itlc Or local nature, such an the appoint
| ment Of officers to supervise the assessment
OF persons in this state, and the interference
| with the administration of criminal Justice
by challenging the State methods of consti-
tuting and organizing juries, has forclbly sug
gusted alluSion to tins subject. Ii was hoped
tnat these. and kindred other arbitrary ex-
pedents, which were ostensibly devised for
the attainment of temporary ends, would dis
appear with the excitement out OF which they
were born. But in this we have been disap
pointed. The reaction of public sentiment
which followed the partial subsistence of the
unreusunng passions of men. did not
euthronc III the popular heart that sentiment
OF patriotism which alone il capable of sub
urdlnatlug the lilsts OF ambition to the sober
dictates of reason, and OF inspiring aud
| shaping n governmental policy in accordance
with the genius and spirit of our free inst-
tutiOnS-a policy winch raised this country
from the condition of few feeble States to
the greatest power among the nations of the
earth.
This unwalranted assumption of power
clearly belonging to the states, which was
lirst demanded as Il temporary concession to
the exigencies. growing out oil physical STRIFE
is now claimed M permanent right, based az
IL appears Oh no higher ground than the
absurd notion that the states are mere quasi
corporations, subject to the control OF a CEN
trail vistorlal power, lodged III the Federal
government II this theory, which IL at vari-
ance with all our ideas of republican govern
ment,is followed ont to Its logical conclusion,
dearests and fondest traditions are associated
will be gradually drawn into the unvIeldlng
grasp OF the Federal government, and the
state governments will pe nothing more than
mere shells, or empty forms in which despot-
ism will mask its hideous plots and conspira-
ces against the rights and privileges of
humanity.
The attachment to local sef-goyeriment is
not principle of recent birth which origi-
mated in the antagouismS between political
organizations, but existed prior to the revolu-
ton itself. and i'll fact may be said to have
been the cause OF that important and perilous
conflict. When the elder Adams declared
that any one of certain local institutions
would have produced the revolution, lie
realized the full import and significance OF
schools in which the people had learned the
principles of freedom, and imbibed that love
OF independence which echoed the manly and
Indignant protests of the eloquent Nirginlan
against the iiSurpatlonn OF provincial COVER
nurs and officers who were "oating ont their
substance" He knew that they were the
nurseries in which had been born that spirit
of patriotic chvalry which, disdaining the
hardships incident to war. boldly and detiantly
submitted the question of American indepen-
pendenre to the bloody arbitrament of arms
And in the formation of system Of gov
ernment by the deputies from the several
states which would secure to the people the
largest degree of liberty compatible with pub
lie safety, we find further emphasis given
to the Importance and necessity of this prin-
81. stalt a