Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-10-02
Wilmington. Thursday, Oct. 2. 1884


The Question Anawered.
Under the head Of "It ia a Question"
the Morning Nsos Saturday INDUCES in
an unealled-tor, mendaoious and foul
attack upon Senator Bsyard,
obviously for the same reasons which |
prompted Mr.. Blaine to write the weak |
letter which Mr.. Phslpa made public ION
/" his own responsibility q few days ago
Ito distract attention from the fragrant
proofs OF the Mulligan oandi-
dste's indeiensible public record to
some other issue bearing little
Il any relevancy to the present
canvass. We do mot Intend to be
thrown of the track by any such subser-
tuge. Senator Bayard is not running for
the Presidency and even II he were he
needs no defender to q 1 slawArs audience
against any charge that man who lacks
the brains TO comprehend his worth cOuld
bring against him. His vote upon the
taxation of matches he took occasion to
explain frankly and fully and 10 the
eutire satisfaction Of large audience Of his
iellow-townsmen gathered in the Opera
House st, we think, the first sp, eoh made
by him in this city after that vote had
been cast. II the matter were Of any
interest al the present time and the
Neps had asked for the information In a
proper spirit, we would have bsen ready
to oblige it by looking up that speech
and reprinting enough thereof to set our
contemporary right on this subject.
As to Delawsre's assessment law, upon
which the Ne'os delights to harp so much,
that certainly calls for no defense at our
hands. The gentleman whom that wing
Of the Republican party for which the
NsOs speaks will nominate for Congress
next week, Anthony Higgins, Esq, after
an exhaustive study Of this Law, placed
his seal Of commentator upon it in an
able argument delivered before the late
Judge Bradford on January goth, 1880.
In that argument Mr.. Higgins considered
the origin, purpose and operation Of ouI
assessment system in detail, and the
following extract therefrom will perhaps
enlighten the NeUs somewhat regarding
"statutea which have been framed il
"direot contradiction OF general equity
&C., &c., ad noussum. Mr.. higgins saidl
That it 1.-THE alphabetical list which tn
clerk of the peace Is required to furnish Il
the election oflicersl is not a complete list o
the voters it is not for me to argue. 1t can
not be in the very nature Of things
for our system OF assessment
one devised WITH THE IDEA OF TIL
LARGEST PUBLICITY. IT WAS CONCEIVE
IN A WISE PURPOSE; 1t provides that the regis
tration shall be completed elk months befor
the election, IN ORDER THAT EVERYBODY MA
HAVE AMPLE TIME TO DISCOVER WHO HAS BEE
ASSESSED, and to give the clerk of tine peaC
ample time to make up his lists.
And, after comparing the Dslawar
assessment law with the PenDsylvani
registry law, Mr.. Higgins thus reiterate
his approval Of our own law;
In other words, no fraud perpetrated or a
tempted to be perpetrated through it can
made effective, AND SUCH IS THE WISE Az
These are only a few OF the tribut
paid by Mr.. Higgins to the excellence al
and completeness Of our assessment la
but surely they are enough to convince Il
editor of the News that he lie in L
wropg-unless he is egotiaticsl enough
get himself up as a better lawyer tn
his prospective candidate for CorgreI
Would it not bs more manly in him
honestly attribute the wrsokiDg OF
party in this State to its real cause
the operation Of the mslodorous Doy
ring, which the News allowed itself to
bullied into supporting twoyesrs ago 3
for which support, after the osmpsi
had closed, it inside perhaps the m
humiliating apology that ever appear
in the columns OF an American neV
psperf By the way we look for anotl
apology, in November or December,
its present sacrifice Of principle to ex
dienoy in supporting euch man
Blaine--s candidate whom it cannot ey
yet bring itself to defend, much less
praise.
One word more. The loose talk Of 81
papers ss the News may have led 80
people to suppose that there Is O
siderable percentage Of Delaware ssxAb
who have been disftanchised by
operations Of tbs assessment Law VIII
has msrited Mr.. Higgins frank and I
commendation. We think We can c
vinos even the Ne0sthat this is nista
a comparison Ct the census returns
1880 with the Presidential vote oil u
year will show that Delaware will &C
pare very iavorably with most OF
northern states in this respect. Exam
the list