Smyrna times., 1886-09-29

AAANAC - AAOb a man uDOli lDt GlCktl
who was ever before candidate for a
county Office from either of the old
political parties. 1t is ticket of en-
tirely new men, without regard to
party. Wilmington Republican.
Wilmington and its Murderers,
Gamblers and Prize Fighters.
In the light Of the political debauch-
cry such as bribery and ballot-box
stuiiing, the escape of murderers from
Just punishment, the escape of the
prize fighters from conviction and the
giving up of the city to the policy
shops and gamblers by the rulings oI
the court, Wilmington certainly stands
in an unenviable light among the
cities of the land, as one utterly in
need Of political reformation and a
new code Of radical enough ia
embrace a new Constitution, a new
penal code and a new judiciary. In
the midst Of the evils with which snt
is overwhelmed it is gratifying to SEE
that the daily papers of the CITY are
speaking out in the strongest language
against the legal and moral delinQucn-
cies that have resulted in bringing tho
city to its present plight.
The Ecery E0eajng, with more than
usual force, in an editorial a column
and a-quarter in length, reviews the
case Of the escape from hanging oI
Lewis e. Davis for the cool and delhi.
crate murder of policeman A. J.
Peterson, characterizes the trial as a
trayesty on justice, and concludes as
follows:
" But the failure of Davis to stretch
hemp cannot but be regarded i'm the
light ola public calamity. His victim
was peace officer, shot down in the
performance Of lis duty; a good citi.
zen, irreproachable in private life: the
mainstay Of family whose little prop.
erty, now that the breadwinner has
been taken away, has within a week
been advertised for sale to meet Habil.
tiles which he could in all human prob.
ability have surmOunted. Bat the as
pect in which the result affects most
seriously the community is that il
conveys to those to whom we look for
the preservation of peace and good
order the message that Delaware ius
tlce cannot adequately protect them il
the performance of their sworn dutv.u
The Republican sums up the genera
drift OF the city to the bad as follows:
During the present term of court
Lewis E. Davis, guilty of the most out.
rageous murder of a peaceful citizen
that ever disgraced our State, has es
capped the gallOws and got off with a
life Imprisonment a batch of prizC
fighters have been released and left the
State laughing in their sleeves at Della
ware laws; the policy shops equally
as pernlclOus as the most pronounced
gambling hells, have been re-openeC
and the brutal, fraudulent hand O
crime has been not exactly licensed bu
turned loose with all its dreadful eff
tects upon society. Is it not high time
good, law-abiding citizens should
pause and ask themselves, whittier are
we drifting? Is there to be no check
to this carnival OF. crime? We are tolC
there IS no law to meet such cases
Then when are we to have laws thai
will meet red-handed murder, priz,
fighting and policy gambling? Will
get them by the next Legislature ;
Can we expect men nominated by
thieves, gamblers and the ballOt-boy
suffers to pass such laws? These are
questions which vitally concern society
and the peace and order of our com
mOnwealth. Let candid, honest mer
stop and think on these matters anC
see to it that their votes for the men
who are to make our laws are mo-
tinged with partisanship and poitica
rancOr?"
The Morning NeUs looks upon tn,
situation as a grave one for the citi
zens of Wilmington to face, and thu.
deals with that aspect of il IN relation
to the gambling dens:
From to-day on Wilmington will
be given into the hands of the Stroude
the Files, the Gallaghers, the Bicktas
the Farmers, and their retinue of wri
ters and stool-pigeons. There is nC
law, says the court, under which tn,
policy sharks can be convicted, and ouI
social system thus receives a shock
from which it will take years to re
cover. The absence of a statute to es
pecially define and provide for tn,
game known as policy is what hai
brought Mayor RhOad's good work tC
naught. Phe saving to the shiftlesl
and ignorant during the weeks tn,
policy shops have been closed will
amount to thousands of dollars anC
yet the evil has just been given :
greater lease of power than ever fol
demoralizing and degrading its victims
The business, by the decision of tn,
court, virtually becomes legalized. anC
every saloon, every cigar store, ever,
disorderly house may legally omen 5
policy shop. The writers NAV prose
cute their calling in our hotels. on on
street corners, in our public schools
and in legitimate places of business
with no one to say them nay. TIL,
policy mems boast their cases would
never come to trial was not an idle one
With all due Difference to the court
we are unable to discover wherein ,
difference exists between a policy
ticket and a poker chip, or betweeI
the rows af policy figures upon which
the players bet and roulette table
TO our way of looking they are al
devices for gambling. Now. how
ever, that the decision has been mad,
there is no redress from the terribl,
monster that will continue to tighter
its grip upon the body-politic of vii
mington until the Legislature. yer,
uncertain factor, to be sure. comes tC
the rescue with law upon which in
dictments that will hold can be drawn
The feeling of the community to-dav !,
that law and order have been OUTRAGED
by what, TO put it mildly, is an nm
avoidable want of foresight upon ON
lawmakers. Disgust, chagrin anl
sadness will fill the hearts of all de-
cent citizens to-day when they read
that it is impossible to punish the un
scrupulous fellows who live upon tn,
poor wretches who are kept in soualoI
and want through greed and supersti
ton. Justice is very badly out O
joint in Delaware"
lit be true-and the facts seem tc
warrant the assertion-that the saloon
men, the gamblers, thieves and mur
derers, run the politics of that city. is
there amy way out of their .leplorabl,
situation except by thorough politi
QoI pnfown,afso., AN