Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-01-07
NO OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
A Very Complete Refutation OF ia
i MHinnims manifesto.

10 the httHt0T OF M6 HptHtfy lVae :
SrR-The effort of the editor of theNoyM
american ReUiew to obtain from citizens
OF Delaware some confirmation of the
wild charges made in the editorial
entitled "a DISTINGUISHED People," has
been SO unfortunate as to render the dis
cussion of the subject almost painful.
Nevertheless few facts should be
noticed.
: The testimonial Of thanks to the editor,
signed by "a citizens of Delaware, does
not represent the Republican party in
that State, but only faction in New
Castle county. II does not bear single
signature from Kent county and only one
from Sussex, and thGt was given by q
devoted personal adherent in that couDty
Of the lender of the faction referred to.
Solicitations were made to prominent Re-
publicans in both of those counties for
their signatures; but it is q matter OF
common notoriety that some of them, at
lenst, peremptorily refused to have any
thing 20 do with the editor'sagent, because
they were unwilling to bolster the false
and unjust charges made against their
own people. II may be that these gentle
men, like the "a signers, did not discover
in the editors conduct of the discussion
''any partisan motive or bias !" but they
discovered something worse.
But the most unfortunate feature of the
testimony, so far rs the editor is con-
cerned, is that it knocks the bottom out
of his charges. The burden of his argu-
ment was the essential dishonesty of the
laws he was attacking. He alleges that
they were passed for the purpose of dis
franchisement. SIN order, however, he
says, "to disqualify the blacks, it was
necessary to disqualify Republicans in
general, without distinction of race OF
color. So, to this end special
laws were passed on the 9th and 10th Of
April, 1878" And further on he states
that sin political speech in 1882, in the
city of Wilmington, Secretary Bayard
acknowledged the most Objectionable
features of that statute to be the work Of
his own hands :" and that Mr.. Bayart
"seems to have justified it, though witt
some circumlocution, as means of Ell
abling his state to elude the penalties o
| Federal law" Here the twenty-four in
terpose. Although partisans, they ar
still Delawareans; and they resent the i'm
| putation of dishonesty of purpose to on
of our foremost public men. Their CON
| plant, they say, is that the laws have bee
"distorted warped from their origins
and honest purpose for partisan ends"
| 1t would have been very creditable {
these gentlemen if they had correcte
another misrepresentation. The editc
alleges that in order toqualify themselve
TO vote poor men hive to pay their take
in Delaware nine months before the elet
ton, that is to say, in the winter, whe
they are generally out of work" an
'need every dollar" that they can lisa,
or earn" This statement is utterly III
founded. Up to the closing of the pol
on the day of the election every perso
on the assessment list'-i. e., every rel
istered person--may pay his taxes an
vote.
We are informed, however, by the te
timonial, that tour DISTINGUISHED citize,
do not happen to be altogether black
they are simply the poor" Bearing
mind that the prepayment of tax is {
electoral qualification in Delaware, tn
statement is comprehensive But il
confusing TO read afterward that the
signers "have made no complaint, in co
nection with present outTages upon u
against the poll tax of Delaware,
against any other tax that the people, as
whole, consider necessary" The on
limitation set by the Delaware laws
the payment of the poll-tax required
them is that it must he paid in the We
for which it is assessed. This requiI
mont is due to q provision in the Sta
constitution which it is not now materi
to discuss; and its object, the electio
in Delaware being biennial, is to CONF
the continuous payment of the poll-t
(required by the oonstitution) as a conc
ton of the continuous enjoyment of d
| rights of an olector. But why is it hard
for the poor mon to pay one tax (ge
orally not over dollar in the year f
| which it is assessed than to pay that al
another tax in the succeeding year?
is evident that the hardship is not to Il
: poor man, but to the politician who wan
his vote. 1t is not always easy to raj
7 funds in an ''off'' year; and when elect,
day comes, and the politician finds hii
self with plenty of money, but block
by vile law, which prevents him fro
, purchasing the votes of venal and
. graded herd by paying their delinque
5 taxes and "little more, il is not stran
that bitter thoughts arise.
= The EDoning Post has already shoy
Q how absurd is the charge of disfranchis
. ment preferred by the editor of the Mr.
american ReUieao against the State of d.
' aware. The "a memorialists have deni
s his allegation that the assessment M
: collection laws are dishonest in their co
s struction. All, therefore, that is left
3 the EDITORS grave accusations is that 4
laws are badly administered by the par
in power. II is the old cry of the "out
against the 'ins," If, rs the result of d
a editors COURSE there has been reyeale
as the testimonial asserts, an ''inexcusat
a shame" it belongs to those who have be-
e willing to give an oblique approval to Il
I slanderous charges of sensation.monp
:, against their fellow citizens. The va
: cast at the last election in Delawn
q amounted to nearly 80 per cent of i
I whole male population over q years
q age, and of that vote nearly As per ce
q was cast for the Republican candidate
In 1850 the relative proportion of Repu
llcan votes was even larger. In is
: there was a considerable decrease; b
D there was then no allegation that disfra
Q chisement was the cause of Republic
: defeat. Only two years before, u prom
!, nent Republican lawyer, one of I
a signers of the testimonial, deliver
: the most elaborate eulogy
I the laws in question that they have ey
a received. The occasion was an appliC
ton to the United States Court for 4
appointment of supervisors of reeistl
ton, and the object of the eulogy was
convince the court that the laws cons
tuted a system of registration within d
! meaning of the act of Congress. II
i application was successful. The In,
/ had then been in force for seven ven,
and the gentleman who supported the II
, plicatiOn could use with reference to the
! the following language: "Thus the i
l SCISSORS, the collectors and the levy cou
are all charged together with duties as
the creating or making a qualification
voters, and that is guarded by the laws
the state against the mischief Mt which Il
act of Congress is leveled-namely ii
! fraudulent exercise of the right to uitnli
I voters by the prepayment of II tax. y
: But the system of law does II
7 stop here. 1t would not be complete
it did, and the learned and worthy MI
who framed our laws did not intend Oh
, it should"
And yet to day an implied sanction
given to the reckless charge of the edit
J that Through the fundamentally of tn
. measure, land as the inevitable seuuenc
the natural growth of the statute
1873, partisan cunning, injustice, a,
dishonesty have reached their lowest ii
in our public life." nj.
january I'd. .
/ -
, A WantOn Assault.
Tuesdays New York Star.
It is not easy to understand how
came about that the letter to Mr.. Bava,
was published in the North AmegicC