Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-12-29

ton, Del, ~ second cshss nsh . /
-Ur.nAy. ECEMBE8 no, lsss :
Tne Dsisware DasfsssehssesasnsI
Plan.
Democrasic papers In general and
the k very gening OF his city In par
ticuIar. In order 20 defend Delaware
AGAINST her Infamous disori mtnatine
assessment Laws, ny TO Rhode Island
and other States with larger popula-
tons than Delaware, and yet ut times
cast q less number OF votes than Della |.
ware does ut her election. This 10 done
IA AZ Republicans were found who nd.
vocated discri minating laws In Repub
Acan States. We doubt IL . reputabieI
Eepu biicap journal can be found that
sincerely and honestly supporss the
dlscrimin ating laws OF Rhode Island.
we have often denounced Them, and
shsil ever do SO while they discrimi-
nate against manhood suffrage. Wei
agree with oar evening contemporary |
that %, 235 votes cast In 1880 out OF
voting population OF rs. $50 IL rather
moor showing for Rhode Island. OF
course Acknowledgement was one but
not all Of the causes OF this small,
meagre vote. or course there was IN
apathy among the voters.
Had there been any important Issue
at stake the vote would have been
nearly doub led. The vote last No
vem Der was 80 I'll. But even this in
creased vote in Presidential year Is
not what 1t should be in = voting pop
ulation of 76, Ss9, and whatever the
causes are which lead 20 such dtmin-
ished vote they should be deprecated
by every honest man, regardless OF his
political affsnities. Almost parallel
cases can be found in the vote Of Della
ware by running back few years. We
have not the figures At hand, but II We
are not mistaken the total vote cast in
Della ware in 1878 was only about 49,
900. This decreased vote WAS directly
traceable to the discriminating assess.
ment laws, laws that had been changed
some I've years before to bring about
just exactly that result.
Whatever may be said against
Rhode Islands plan OF disfranchise-
ment, the Law that produces 1t is the
same 1t has always bean, and both
Democrats and Republicans favored 1t
Not so in Delaware. The old assess
ment laws, which were fair and equit
able from time immemorable unit
1873, were changed in that year pur
posely to disfranchise Republicans. n
such change was ever made In Rhod
Island to disfranchise Democrats, bu
whatever the Laws are now they hav
always been. There was never an,
opposition against the assessment law
OF Dslavare until q new Republica
force was brought to the polls by tn
emancipation act, and there was rea
grounds for supposing that the Reput
licAn party by the aid Of this ne
force would be able to carry and contr
the ate. We hear OF no State actin
as Delaware did except the bulldozir
States of the South, where the Republ
can party has been Suppressed just as
has been In Delaware We happen
know the gentleman who drew tl
original bill for the change OF the q
ssstment laws, al he reason b .
vsnoed for the change WAS that 1t W
ptke keen The niggers from voting"
party plan, our evening contemI
rary advances an argument against t
Delaware plan, though this Is not
purpose. Injustice and oppression
Rhode Island is rs heinous In Rho
Island as in Delaware, only the sin
the latter dates back but q few yea
and was com mitted for q specific py
pose. Censursble as Rhode Isla
now Is for having al ways disfran cbis
portion of her population, she wor
have been douhly cen surable had
ooLC Au4c1 ~lSulh y doChuc past, WI
the Democrats were reaching out
grasp the State, changed the assessm,
laws for the purpose o. disfranchisi
number of Democratic. Bot Rho
Island did not pursue this plan. De
ware did, bu. to disfranchise Repul
cans in which she sue seeded. Para
cases cannot be found for Delaware
any Nor shern state for disfranc hisin
portion OF the voters, but they
numerous in the Dem ocratic State.
the South.
In 1868 South Carolina cast 107,
votes, but in 1872 she cast only 80,
In 1876 she cast 182, 682 votes, but
1884 the last election held she only {
80, 800. IN 1868 the Republican ,
was 62, 301; In 1872, ~, go in 1876,
$50 in 1884, only 81 1872. Here is
ample teid for the display of the Ev
Evenings arithmesical genius W
has become OF the Republican vot
south Carolina7 It has certainly
gone to the d smocracy, for in 1876
Democrats polled 30 1896 voter, and
1884 only 60 $50. Modern Democr
legislation made the change in So
Carolina aud modern Democratic lie
lasion works the same way in d
ware TO suppress the Republ
vote
Mississippi il another Democr
state that conspicuously sho Va the b
Ties OF the Democratic plan that d
ware caught on to. In 1876 the
vote cast was l64 ,77s, in 1884 1t
l2O0lS. In 1876 the Republican
was 80, SOB in 1884, 43, 500. In
the Democratic vote was 1918
1884, 76. $40. The Mississippi and 8
Carolina plans nos only suppress
Republican vote but makes Demo
indifferent about voting, knowing
they have sure thing OF 1t any
We would advise the Every Eve
to give the Rhode Island plan.
everybody con dem ns, . rest and ,
date the votes OF the two Southern 6
referred to, the plans of which s
TO suppress the Republican mai
ara nearer parallel with the D ,la
plan than Rhode Island is