Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-05-28
Honesty In Primaries.

Honesty In Primaries.
The Republicans OF Lancaster County
Pa, held their primary elections 70
candidates for all county off GERS to b
voted for at the November election, In
Guiding q Congressman and ember
of the State Legislature. Nomination.
are made there by the popular vote o
members OF the party, but all sucl
elections are held under sanction O
law, the penalty for illegal voting being
as severe as at any other election. N early
IA, 900 votes were cast at that election
and in the contest for States Attorney
for the county, two candidates, Messrs
RsinGhl and Weaver, got all the vote
and the difference between them wher
the full vote was counted was bu
sixty-6ve, ReinGhps vote being 6,979
and Weaver's 6,9l4. One township
Warwick, which cast over 200 majority
for Weaver, was thrown out on account
of mere technical informality. Some.
time during the counting Of the vote q
gentleman who was not q sworn cleo
ton officer assisted in the counting.
Nobody intimated that he was there for
dishonest purposes, or that he acted
dishonesty, for he was q gentleman
above either, but he was simply not a
sworn officer, and this alone was looked
upon as sufficient tainting Of the bal
lot box Of primary party election as
to cause the thro wing out OF the vote oil
the township.
This nominated Mr.. Reinnhl by
sixty-hve majority; had the vote Of the
township been counted Mr.. Weaver
would have had majority Of over 100.
But now comes the manly part acted
by Mr.. ReinGhl. He was awarded the
nomination, but he knew that 1t hon
estly belonged to Mr.. Weaver. Being
an honest man, he was not long in
making up his mind what to do, as the
following letter to the chairman of the
Republican County Committee will
show:
SIR: Under the rules OF the party on
last Monday the Return Judges of the
late Republican primaries refused to
receive the returns from Warwick be
cause person was improperly present
handling the tickets, as testified by the
Return Judge, he having 10 right un
der our rules to take any part in the
count. l, however, recognize the great
difficulty of clearly proving fraud 30
as to satisfy all fair minded men, and
realizs the great bitterness and hatred
that would De aroused in such q con-
test. Much as | desire the nomination
for District Attorney, would not ac-
cept it unless the party without dissent
conceded that 1t belonged to me fairly
and beyond the shadow of dispute
had rather be right than bs District
Attorney.
l believe after calm deliberation that
1t is in the best interests OF harmony
and unity in our party on the eve OF ga
important State election that all bick-
erings and strife among Ourselves
should at once cease, and the animosi
ties OF the late election end. | there
fore withdraw from the contest for Dis
trict Attorney and request your Board
OF Return Judges to declare William
ID. Weaver the nominee for that Office,
confident in the future the eense of
justice and right which exists in our
party will eonceds me proper recoq =
milton at the hands of the Republican
party.
Thanking my many friends who
stood like a rock in nay behalf and nv
old Comrades who rallied to my stand
ard,
am, very truly yours,
A. 9. REINGHL.
We refer to this matter somewhat at
length that our readers may draw their
own line Of contrast between the modes
OF holding nomination elections in
H. a
Delaware.
There, they are conducted strictly
Hnder the law, and au honest nomina-
ton is the result Here, our nomina-
ton elections, IS a general rule, are the
veriest farces. Men here vote at all
nomination elections that turn up, no
matter what party holds them, and he
who votes the ofteDest at the same
election Is considered sharp, shrewd
fellow, and Is always in demand on
election days. In Lancaster County
II even well-intentioned, honest man
assists in counting the votes Of an
election district, even II only at a
primary election, without being sworn
In as an election Off GER, 1t vitiates the
election and the district Is thrown out.
Here, If such an incident were to occur,
even at genera election, it would not
be noticed. Then again, look at the
magnanimity Of the gu ,cessful candi-
date who might have claimed q legal
nomination, but who declined because
he knew that the honest majority Of
the votes cast were for his opponent.
He wanted no nomination Of that kind.
AS he forcibly expressed himself, h,
"would rather be right than be District
Attorney"
In Delaware we have not seen sucl
instances of political honesty. Hera i
is, get the nomination. Get it honestly
IL you can, but got it. We Iced no
wonder that the RepubIcansot Lsncas
ter County are invincible. With snci
men as Major A. O. Rein Cehl leading j
must be honest and true TO right an
Justice. He certainly deserves to b
we'll remembered by his party, and W
predict that he will be. We sincerel
hope that the Legislature will not IL
the opportunity go by for legalizing tn
primary elections OF all parties held /
Delaware. the practice o. our presen
system Of holding nomination election
is dishonest, dishonorable and degrad