The daily gazette., 1883-03-29
DoilusE gnzette
wILmINoT0N THURSDAY, MARca 30.
Onlr . Partlaan opposltlon.

party Of Delaware, Stalwart and Halfbreed,
are united for purpose, and that purpose
+ is to defeat, If possible, the adoption Of the
representation amendment to our State Con-
stitutlon, which passed the House Of Repre-
sentatives with practical unanimity and is
now awaiting the action of the Senate.
The reason for this unity is apparent. No
matter which wing controls the party In the
next State campaign 1t is desirable to have
policy upon which to go before the people,
and just now nothing more feasible pre-
sents itself than the adjournment Of the
present Legislature without any move for
increasing the representation of this county
The Democratic party pledged itself to this
reform in the last campaign, and If steps
are not taken In this direction before the ad-
iournment of the Legislature now sitting, the
Republican organization can very properly
20 before the people and demand change
OF rulers in order to secure this long needed
reform.
While the representation question posed
before the Legislature as a mere abstract
principle, under consideration, 1t is true,
but not moulded into any definite or prac-
tical shape, the Republican leaders were
passive, but as soon as the amendment ppo-
vidiug for a liberal increase OF New
Castle county's representation was
perfected and brought before the House,
they began to bestir themselves. They op-
posed it bitterly at first through their
second-rate organ in this city-the big organ
at Dover not deiSning to take much part in
the agitation-but finding this opposition
too weak and puerile to have any noticeable
effect, the clans were called together, and
the " sacred right of petition " invoked to
further their schemes. Petitions in oppo-
sition to the amendment were cir
culated all over the State and received the
signatures of the " faithful" but no Demo
crat or fair-mnded citizen earnestly desirous
of seeing the representation question fairly
and honorably settled would give this move
ment any countenance or support They
claimed that the pending amendment did
not respect the principle of represen-
tation according to population or pro-
vide for the district system, but the
GAZETTE proved conclu5ively that it re-
spected the representation principle as far
as was asked IOr Dy Ine pelltlOnerS Jnem-
selves, and provided for as many districts as
are desirable in State so small In territory
and population as this.
Devoid of principle and destitute of argu-
ment, the opponents Of the amendment per-
sisted in their course, however, and now
appear before the Legislature as a body
of narrow partisans, who entirely ignore all
the good results that will follow the adop-
tion of the measure and oppose it merely
because it will be the enactment of Demo
cratic Legislature. That it provides for all
they ask does not matter with these party
trieksters, and with the narrow, bigoted
idea that no good can come out
of Nazareth they ask the Legis-
lature to refrain from taking
any action at all this session, and thus post
pone the release of the people of New Castle
county from an unequal political bondage
until the work can be entrusted TO a Legis-
ture of their own choosing.
This Is the sum and substance of the op-
position to the pending amendment, and we
mistake the temper of our State Senators If
it IS permitted to have the slightest influence
with them in the disposal of the matter