New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-21
DELAWARE md THE SOUTH

Mr.. Rices excursion in Mr. Eayards pocket
borough was WELT timed. The elections of the
year had passed; there were no political issues
before the people; and thoughtful men had
leisure to consider dispassionately the present
phase of the Southern question. Delaware has
always been accounted border State with
political sympathies enlisted on the SIDE of the
South rather than the North. Race prejudice
has been strong there, but the latitude has
been too high, hberty-loviDg and enlightened
communities have been too near, to permit the
grosser forms of intimidation and outrage
practised in the South. The latitude, however,
has been low enough to enable INSCRIPTIONS
politicians to copy the most discredltabe de-
vices adopted by solid South for the dis
reimbursement of Republicans What is done
below the border is also done in Delaware.
Outrages have ceased in South Caro-
lima and Mississippi because the Rcpub
lican vote can be either kept down or
efiaced altogether by the operation
of State statutes, the manipulation of assess
ment lists and systematic cheating by election
officials. The shotgun and the tissue-bnllOt
have been discarded because they are no longer
needed. All the cOarser forms of race intIni
dation and political robbery have disappeared.
With Democratic Legislatures, assessors and
officials, it has become an easy matter to main
tain ascendancy in the South by legaliZed chi
canery and wholesale cheating. With this
last phase of the Southern question the pOlit
ical managers in Delaware have been i'll full
accord. Disf anchsement is an established
fact in Mr.. Bayard's pocket borough. precisely
as it is in the Solid South. For this reason Mr..
Rices succinct account of the process in Della
ware possesses great political interest. The
methods by which Republicans in that little
State are DISTINGUISHED suffice for the mainte
nance OF Democratic majoritie- N-oughout the
South and for securing the eecuon of Demo-
cratic President and a Democratic House OF
Representatives,.
In a letter from Wilmington published on
another page will be found cumulative evil
dence of the accuracy of Mr.. Rice's description
of the political methods which have received
the special sanction of the present Secretary of
State. The facts are notorious in Delaware,
and no serious attempt has been made there 10
break the force Of the arraignment Of the
Democratic politicians and assessors for syste-
matte cheating and partisan manipulation of
the assessment lists In fact, the only defence
OF these abOmlnable practices wdlch has been
undertaken at all is grounded upon loose gen.
Civilizations from the census tables and COM
parative percentages of voting population.
Some of the figuring done in this field has been
as INSCRIPTIONS as the working OF the assess
ment lists by the Delaware cheats themselves.
For example, it has been assumed that there
can be no dIsfranchisement in Delaware
since 1853 out Of 1000 male adults vote.
This proportion is undoubtedly higher
than IN many of the Northern States
but it is below that of Indiana, where
the proportion is 941 out of 1000. The
natural conditions in Delaware favor high
percentage. The foreign population is small
the elections are closely contested, and the
territory is thickly populated. The percentage
ought to be over 90, and would be ii the assess
ment lists were not manipulated. In 1882 it
was So with allowances made for the increase
of population IN two years. To argue that
percentage of Is precludes disfranchisemcnt,
when a percentage of 50 has been reached I'M
der favorable conditions, is to beg the whole
question. In 1884. while the percentage was
high, it was materially reduced because Re
publicans were DISTINGUISHED by systematic
tTickery.
The facts presented by our Wilmington cor
respondent cannot be dismissed with elastic
differences from Fictitious comparisons of the
aggregate vote in various States. The assess
ment laws In Delaware have been designed for
the express purpose of perpetuating Demo-
cratic rule. The administration OF those laws
by the levy courts in the counties is most I'M