Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-12-31
DELAwARE's SHAME.
Thanks 60 NF. Rice OF tho North
AmePfcnu Review for his MANLY
Exp0suRe.Cf she Infamous ASSESS
mont Lmvys Of Uelawmre.

Thanks 60 DIr. Rice OF tho north
AmePfcnu Review for his MANLY
ExpOsuRe.cf the Infamous Assess
ment Laws OF fDelaware.
The following letter, which will ap-
pear in thee yorth American Review
for January, fully explains itself !.
WILMINGTON, Del, Dec. II, 1885.
ALLEN THo1fNDIKK RICE, Esq. Editor
of the North American Review.
DEAR SIR As citizens of Delaware,
subject to her institutions, and identi-
fed with hes interests, we wish to
thank you for the stand you have
recently take in the North American
Review, in your article entitled GA
Disfranchised People," That brief
but effective monograph is bringing to
the knowledge and criticism of the
whole county condition of public
affairs in th State unique in their ini-
|quity, and necessarily inflicting upon
our people II 9 charge that PARTISAN
cunning, injustice and dishonesty have
here reached their lowest ebb in
American public life.' These are
your own words and they are true.
1t is futile 70 attempt to dispute the
facts or to h'le the point at issue. We
are indignant that even the small band
of ex- Repub Jeans, represented by the
New York Evening Post, should add
insult to inj,.ry, in our case, by sneer-
ing at our gsievances, and seeking to
belittle most important exposure OF
political crime.
But we de- not find, in your conduct
Of this discussion, any PARTISAN notice
or bias. We have simply described
the political denominations existing in
this State, which have practically nulli.
fed the prii ciples and purposes of our
Constitution itself and your elucida-
ton Of the matter has been so calm,
clear and connected, that, to a thought.
full reader, IL carries conviction on its
face.
You have rigidly and truthfully
summarized the political wrong which
exists among US when you say that a
large part Of the citizens of Delaware
3" are as thoroughly disfranchised by
legal chicanery as any community of
negroes in Mississippi were ever dis
fraachised by physical intimidation. :"
Our disfianchised citizens do not
happen to be altogether the blacks;they
are simply the poor At present they
belong chibfiy to one political party,
the Republican; but, as the thousands
of Democrats in Delaware are also
poor, the disfranchised might easily
belong to tie Democratic party if the
tables shou d be turned, and the same
dangerous laws and unscrupulous
methods should be continued. This
question, In fact, rises far above all
mere partisan controversy, and is thus
a proper subject for the strenuous but
impartial treatment of the North
American review.
1t is unnecessary for us to reiterate
the main a ad evident facts exposed in
your article. Here permit us to give
special emphasis to one point : Those
who misunderstood us, and those who
misreprestnt us, pirate of Massachu-
sets and Rhode Island, with the i'm
plication tlat we complain of laws
similar to sheirs, which require voters
to pay K. Whatever any of us
may regard a. the ''cthics of actual
democracy" on this point, we have
made no complaint, in connection
with the present outrages upon us,
against the poll tax that the people, as
a whole, consider necessary.
Our complaint is that during the
past twelve years the tax laws of our
State have been 30 distorted-warped
from their original and honest purpose
for partisan euds-that one political
party disfranchises at will a sufficient
number of its opponents to reduce the
exercise of the great right of suffrage
almost to farce. Our difficulty is, not
that We have tax to pay in order to
vote, but that we live under laws
which prevent citizens from qualify
ing to vote by paying their taxes, and
which thus defraud us of our rights
and defraud the public of its legitimate
revenues. This crying abuse, this in.
excusable shame, which is well uuder-
stood and generally acknowledged in
our State, you have been able to bring
to the attention of the nation. You
have done an excellent work. Again
we thank you for it, If you should
continue it you would still find much
to do.
Very truly yours,
George W. Bush, Edward Belts,
George W. Lobdell. Henry DUPONT,
Anthony Higgins, Edward G. Brad
ford, W. Hastings, George W. Stone
Henry McLear, H. Mendinhall, Thos
S. Bellah, Watson r. Sperry, E. T
Warner, Washington Jones, J. H
Adams, H. B. Seidel, H. G. Jones
William Candy, John G. Baker, Dan
iel ]. Layton, William G. Pennypack-
or, Job II. Jackson, James Scott, A ID
Warner.
| Or. Bull's Baltimore Pills neve
pr omise more than they can accom-
plish. That's business.
/ &
The water Commission.
The water commission will com
mence the New Year with 81 .562,34 II
L n n prAt,o hla it1