Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-09-20

1ATUROAY. sEPTEMBER 20. 1854.
NATIONAL TICKET.
x1o0ldamt-JANEs g BLAINE.
Va President-JoHN A. LOGAN.
COUNTY TICKET.
0GiA-IRANK G. SrIDHAM.
opronee-CHARLEs T. SPARKS.
UP. RAyaPd IN Favor OF she Amend
mems.
30 Mr.. Bayard favors the ratification
OF the Constitutional amendment which
will from the start disfranchise fifty
thousand citizens of New Castle Coun-
ty from representation in the Senate,
and twenty-five thousand from repre-
sentatiOn in the House, and as time
rolls on the number of disfranchised
will become annually larger. The re-
port of the Opera House meeting on
Thursday night credits him withsaying
that the party in charge of the State
for thirty odd years had done nothing
in the past two years which they
could not lay before the people, and
ask for their approval, and conse-
'quent continuance of public favor and
confidence.
1t has not been two years since the
party IN charge of the State passed an
amendment to the Constitution which
provides that while q 900 citizens in
New Castle County shall be entitled to
only one State Senator, $500 in Kent
County shall be entitled to the same,
and that while 1880 citizens of New
Castle County shall be entitled to one
member of the lower House,
4, 800 from Kent County shall be ea.i-
tied to the same. In other words it
provides that $1,000 people in New
Castle County shall only have four
Senators and eleven representatives.
while Kent county with a population Of
81 600 shall have four Senators and
seven representatives. MIR. Bayard is
clearly in favor of the shameful dis
franchisement of II, 900, more than half
the people Of his own county, from rep
resentation in the Senate, and 49, 900 of
his immediate constituents in the
house OF representatives.
This does not sound like the Thomas
f. Bayard Of 1856, when in the vigor
of his youthful manhood he went out
over the county by the side of his dis
tinguished father and with him op-
posed the adoption of Constitutional
Amendment then proposed because it
did not provide for equal representa-
ton and provide for a regulating
clause keeping it equal thereafter.
What has changed the spirit of Mr..
Bayard's opinions ON representation
since that time? We can only state
facts and leave them to the Judgment OF
the people. At that time party line.
between Wing and Democrats wer,
closely drawn and the change of hun
dred voters often in either county
would make them Wing or make then
Democratic. As q general thing New
Castle County was more nearly allied
to the Democratic party and Kent and
Sussex to the Wing party.
We would not be so uncharitable ant
ungenerous as D say that this was tn,
handspring Of Mr.. Bayard's action a
that time, for in all probability he wa
but carrying out the honest conviction
OF his heart in opposing the anendmen
after making some allowance for th
influence exerted over him by hi
father.
Now the case is entirely changed
Another amendment is offered, whicl
In plain and very specific terms abso
lutely DISTINGUISHES one-third of tn
population of tie State from represen
tation in the Senate, and that one-thir
lies entirely in New Castle County
while it as positively DISTINGUISHES one
third OF the population of that count
from representation in the House.
II the amendment offered thirt
years ago was wrong and reused til
impetuous young Thomas F. Bayart
with all his budding ability and elc
quence TO oppose it, how much mol
wrong mu t the present amendment b.
Yet we listen in vain for Mr.. Bayard
voice to be raised against it. The stu
alton is entirely changed. Mr.. Ba.
ard has been United States SENATE
for the last sixteen years, and will |
for two years more at least. Wheth'
he will continue to be a Senator for
fourth term depends on keeping the'
20, 900 of his immediate constituent
disfranchised from representation in IL
Senate, and %, 900 from representatio
in the House, and also keeping Il
present assessment laws upon the sta
ute books unchanged. With a ju
and equitable assessment law, thu
would permit of placing nothing in Il
way of a voter from exercising, u
trameled, the right of franchise, M
Bayard knows New Castle Coun
would be strong Republican count
and with equal representation in t
Legislature, Mr.. Bayard knows that
Republican Legislature would be ASST
ed, and in that case he could not
elected United States Senator.
Under this changed condition
affairs. we find Mr.. Bayard favori
the ratification of the proposed cons
tutional amendment, which would
properly endorsed if it was called b
to disfranchise Republicans to Ike
Mr.. Bayard in the Senate. OF coul
the Democratic party need have
seruples about the amendment, for n
Bayard approves of it. Why Shot
he not approve it?
His Senatorial Office is the only thi
that keeps him posing before the col
try as candidate for the President
and he cannot be expected as a pol
clan to do anything that would let b
down from the high pinnacle fir
which he looks out over the coun
and already calculates his chances
The Presidency in 1888.