Daily Republican., 1882-06-21
The Nlntl. Ward Outrage.


and Appeals in the Ninth Ward Little
Election, Mandamus case though not
overruling the combined decision OF
the State Chancellor and Associate
Justice Wootten, is 80 logical and un'
answerable in its conclusions that it
has thrown the Democratic papers OF
our city into spasms of fright ana has
driven them to a defence of cause
which has not the least show of justice
on its side. The dissenting opinion OF
the Chief Justice comes the more crush
ing as it is the product of ripe mature
mind. uuinfuenced aud unwarped by
partisan prejudices. From whom in the
State of Delaware could an bipartisan
view o! the case be expected to emanate
if not from Chief Justice Com.
eggs? If any thing, it might be ex.
pected hat he would lean towards the
Democratic view of the case, as he re-
ceived his appointment of Chief Justice
from Democratic Governor. We are
surprised that in the face OF the dis.
senting opinion of the Chief Justice so
logical and clear, that any paper with
any disposition to be fair should find
fault with it. What are the real facts
in the case? They have been told over
and over again, but each time they are
told the actions of the Democrats with
the mask torn off look so miserably
dishonest that we are surprised that
even the most stalwart party organ
would say a word in their defense. BE
it remem bered, that even the Chancel-
lor and ASS ociate Wootten, united in a
hearty condemnation of the actions of
Knight and Kennedy. Not one word
was said in defence of their actions. In.
deed no honest judiciary could defend
them. But they based the main ground
of their decision on the want of juris.
dicticn Of the court in the case, and
upon this plea dissolved the .nandamus,
leaving the illegal actions of Knight
and Kennedy still standing forth in all
their fraudulent deformity. The Chief
Justice, with few words wipes away
the fiimsy plea of want ofjurisdiction
As it were a thin gossamer web that
disappeared at the rising of the sun, and
then he demolished the actions of the
Democratic Inspector and his assistant
in such manner as to leave no room
for argument. Here Is little election
held. The Inspectors were appointed
to hold it and wero sworn to do Justice.
From the results of that election there
could be no appeal. No matter if the
ballot boxes were stuffed with fraudu-
lent votes they had to be counted. The
boxes of the Third Ward and the West
precinct of the Fifth Ward were stuffed
but there was no appeal. There could
he none, for there was no power to ap-
peal to, nor power to hear contest.
The decision of the Judges of the election
Is final.
If an illegal vote Is offered, it must
be decided illegal before it is put IN the
ballot box and rejected. Edmund G.
Knight was the Judge of the election
held in the Ninth ward No vote
could go into that ballot box without
being passed upon by him, and after
being deposited it could not after wards
be withdrawn. 1t is not disputed that
every body was satisfied that Ziba Fer
ris had q majority of one when the
vote was counted off at the close of the
election. Knight himself had an.
nounced the election of Ferris and as
directed by him the clerks filled up an
election certificate in blank certifying
that fact. After knight reached the
City Hall, he was persuaded to change
his purpose for the sake of gaining a
Democratic inspector. He was told
that colored man named Bush, whose
vote he had accepted was an illegal
voter and his vote should not be count
cd. But how did Bush vote? He
was a colored man and it wa. thought
that of course he voted the Republican
ticket in tho face of the claim by the
Democrats that number of co!ored
men were voting the Democratic ticket.
Upon this presumptive evidence Knight
changed his mind, away from the cleo
ton polls with the election board dis
solved, and in the presence of a plot of
Democratic plotters in his maudlin
condition he struck a vote from tho Re
publican line of figures, which made it
tie, and then As if still at the polling
place of the ward with an organized
board of election officers he gave \
casting vote and declared Jesse U.
Johnson elected inspector of the ward.
This proceeding was condemned by tie
whole court of errors and appeals. No
attempt was made to justify it, and it
has found no justification from any
legal source whatever. But now the
Every Evening AMI the Gazette have
both come out squarely on the side up
holding palpable and glaring fraud
upon the rights and liberties of the
people. These papers tell US that the
action of the inspector was right in
equity and justice. If snch an action
Is right what security have we for
honest elections. If it was right for e.
G. Knight to throw one vote out of the
ballot box on suspicion that it was IL.
legal, might he not have kept on
throwing out votes under one pretext
or another until any majority was
overcome This is monstrous doctrine