Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-01-07
DBAsov DrsrRAxoH1sBMBxr
There Was "A Time When It Pre-
VaIIed i'm nelawnre.

I
Editor Gazette and Journal: Agreat dea
has been said in the Republican papers
of our State about the Acknowledgement
of Delawareans, and seveIal of our promi-
nent Republicans have Joined in card
of thanks to a New York paper for IN
article which appeared in that paper
lately. 1t has just brought to my mind
the fact that at one period of my resi-
dence in the State Of Delaware the entire
Democratic citizens of Delaware were
either DISTINGUISHED or obliged to take an
obnoxious oath unknown TO the laws of
the State of Delaware, or to tho funda-
mental laws of the United States, and at
other times, in more than one election
we had TO go up to the polls between
q file of muskets held in the
hands of United States soldiers
and placed there by strong Republican
partisans. who at that time held the
power. Would it not be well for the gen
tlemen who signed that card to just look
back for couple of decades and see
whit degradation they tried to heap npon
men who had independence to proclaim
that they were Americans and had right
| TO hold such political opinions as to them
appeared best? Yet if we attempted to
Republican party we were compelled, be.
fore we could exercise the elective fran
cbise guaranteed to every Delawarean by
the constitution and laws of our State, to
take m oath not known to the laws of the
State.
At that time was elected inspector of
election for White Clay Greek hundred,
and when asked how (by Republican,
/ xpNtc IN
reply was, according to the laws of the
State under whose laws l had been made
an officer to carry out the laws of an in
spector Of election when was told that
had better be careful how talked or |
would be shown the road to Fort Della |
ware. l said it mnde no difference TO me |
what they said, should do my whole |
duty as laid down in the law resp sctipp |
elections. was called up ont of my bed |
at IL o'clock at night by friend inst
from Wilmington at that time who said it |
was reported in that place that the United
States officer would DO out to arrest me
for what had said us to how WINS going
to conduct the election. l told my friend
that was not going away, and that if
ony such officer came he would find me
ut home.
l have witnessed company of soldiers
come into the town of Newark, place SEN
tinels ut every avenue and then go and
arrest without II warrant any and very OF
our citizens against whom any s"nl.twap |
OF Republican might breathe tine breatl
OF suspicion. have known some uf our
best citizens arrested by military isurna
ton of power backed by conteiuptible
Republican officials and dragged to Will
mington and made to clean the streets OF
that city, and probably many of those
prominent citizens who signed the card
referred to above were witnesses of the
act and probably gloated over the fact
that they had at that time the power to
degrade in their estimation some of our
best citizens. Think that if some of those
gentlemen who signed that card will look
back and recollect what was done at that
time it will bring the blush of shame to
their cheeks if they are susceptible of
such a thing as shame.
There Is no reason o.day why any per-
son who will attend to bis own duties as
citizen, see when the assessment books are
hung up in the several hundreds and pre-
cincts and see that his name is upon them
and if SO at the proper time pay his taxes,
and IN that case no man need be disfran-
chised. That the laws were made as they
are the Republican party may blame them
selves, for when they had the whole ma
chinery of the Federal courtsin their own
hands it was then that our asses
sors and tax collectors were
liable to be brought before such
a court and the result was too well known
and too severely felt by our State officers
to allow our citizens to be brought before
such court, when to be brought there
was sure to work a conviction. "The
worm curls when trodden upon" and if
you fool with mule you may not be
made better looking, but may learn much
more than you knew before. It seems to
me that the gentlemen who signed that
card are learning to know that it makes
difference whose bull is gored.
WILLIAM DEAN.