Daily Republican., 1886-10-16
Wet BlA.hstsea Democracy.

Wet DiAn k8Eto0 Jemocfbcy.
The great Democratic ratification
meeting, On paper, last night in the
Opera House, vas . great Democratic
fizzle. Within the recollection OF Dem
ocrscy such . thing never before hap
pened 10 3 campaign whore the faithful
wers called upon 70 come ont and rsti-
fly the nominees OF their party. A raa-
fioation meeting, the weather pleasant,
the night clear, the moon shining
brightly the First Regiment Band peal
ing forth lts best and delightful musl-
cal no zee, the leading Democrats In the
State, barring Bayard, advertised to Be
present ID enthuse the great massive
audience, and the Opera House not half
FULL What does 1t mean? Democratic
heads wore put togethe-, and the ques-
ton wAs Asked In trembling whispers
and blsnched cheeks, What does this
meant The well-flled platform with
the noted Democracy had more the ap-
pearancs OF . museum of wax statues
than OF living, animated Democrats.
Instead OF looking ont over the house
with every orchestra chair filled, no
standing room In the circle, the gallery
Q living mess Of animated beings, the
few who were present could scarcely
be seen I'D the ghAstly array Of empty
seats that seemed to arise up before the
astonished Democracy like ghosts OF
BaDquo that would not down.
Those absent from the meeting were
the most conspicuous. Senator Gray
was there, but there was an added
tremor Id his voice - he tried to i'd
dress empty seats. When was Demo
cratic ratifi cation meeting held within
many years past. when the towering
form and the smiling face Of Charles
B. Lore could not be seen until last
night? There were smiling faces
present, but they were not owned by
Democrats. They belonged to Repub.
licans. In the half-flled house, the
trem bling speeches Of apology, the
faint, forced applause, the chop-fallen
countenanoes OF the Democrats present,
they saw the doom Of Democracy, and
the dawn OF honest government loom
ing up In the future and they were
PLEASED. They saw In the sparse, strag-
Cling audience the reflex Of the Abomi-
nAbie and dishonest assessment laws oil
the State that have by Democratic ma
nipulation disfrAn chised the third part
Of the Republican party. Yes, and
the Democratic leaders saw 1t too, and
more than that, they sAw in 1t the re-
flex Of the county meeting fraud Ut
New Castle, the sheriff nomination
fraud, the State delegate election fraud,
the Susie Convention fraud, and that
greatest fraud OF all, the nomination
election for . representative 70 thu
Legislature. To dispel such thoughts
and sights from the Democracy re-
quired more than the witty plautudel
upon sacred writ by the venera BILE can
didate for Governor.
Bat the disheartened Democratic
speakers strangely had not learned Il
temper their speeches 70 suit the COCA
sion. They came with speeches pre-
pared Tor Q great outpouring OF the I'M
terrified and not for empty seats. Bul
the SPEECHES had to be spoken, never
theless, The clock WAS wound mp auC
It had to run down. Mr.. BAyArd Wal
not thare 10 show how equAlly the as
sessment laws bore alike upon all, bu
Mr.. Gray was. As he Was Mr. Bsyard'l
substitute, and tread In Mr.. BayArd'
steps, he tried TO use Mr. BAyArd'
arguments. But they would not at In
With three thousand disfranchlsed Rs
publican voters In New Castle Conns.
alone who could under no circum
stances vote. and not . Democrat II
the county but who could vote whethe
assessed or not, the well-rounde'
peroration OF the eloquent Senator ths
all were placed upon an equality, d.
serEedly met with no applause. Nj
Gray knows better. He knows th
personal hand Mr.. Bayard had in r,
modelling the assessment laws to max
them what they are, the guillotine fc
cutting of Rspu blican heads. We 81
surprised that Mr.. Gray should n
such argument. None know bstts
than be that the assessment laws, mad
wha. they are in 1873, are res ponsibl
for the monstrous ballot-box fraud
that disgrace the State and have di
graced his party. Mr.. Gray kne
very well that the cause OF the SPAR
Audienoe he was compelled to addreI
last hight, was that those who had bee
trained TO cheat Republicans out
their votes, had turned the tables upo
his own party. The assessment las
hAd taught Democrats 70 be dishones
and the tares sown In 1873 had culm
mated into q terrible harvest OF frat
in 1886. And yet Mr.. Gray eulogiz,
these laws last night What q mistal
1t was that he did not denounce the
and ad vooate reform rs the candida
for Governor, Mr.. Biggs, did.
But as Q politician We do not blar
Mr.. Gray. 1t 10 only through this
disfrsnchising assessment laws tt
Mr.. Bsyard vas enabled TO keep hi
self in the q. s. Senate, and IL Is or
through the same means that Mr.. Gri
his successor, can be kept there. Th
let Mr.. Gray praise the bridge, howe'
rotten, that carries him over. He vol
be 10 grateful as a politi sian II he