Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1888-12-04
POLITICAL sonEmIEo.

! ~AhANs w NouutSAl Slso Wug tnb blTSel
corner meetings Of we'll known Demo
cratic manipuiatOrs and wire pullers,
the frequent resorts to the county col
lectors' office, the examinations Of the
assessments at the Court House, the
evident love-feast that has been patch.
ed up between the two clashing wings
OF the Democratic party, the general
increasing interest at the time the as
sessments are progressing, and the
near approach OF the meeting of the
Legislature What do these things
all mean anyhow
| That james L. Wolcott aud John f.
Salisbury, each with their henchmen,
should be seen in Wilmington at the
same time, hobnobbing with the local
| politicians here, with the tax coliec-
tors Office as general place of rem
devious, means something more than
casual meeting, nod of the head
and "How do you dor"
Otherwise ard at other times there
would be lofty mein and supercli-
Gus toss Of the head when the clans OF
Wolcott and salisbury meet. There
Is nothing Of this now. The smile, the
bow, the pleasant word, the' most cor
dial recognition of each, have taken
the place Of the frown and tue cold,
indignant stare.
All seems lovely.
What 10 IN the wind2
There Is something.
Can It be struck II guessed atP II
can be tried, anyhow. The guess
shall be made in the form OF a ques-
ton.
Have the Democrats buried the
Ratchet, shaken hands over the
bloody chasm, scaled their VOWS with
kiss, agreed to fight no more and 10
gether have decided TO contest the
seat OF Senator A. B Richardson of
Kent County, and thereby, if success
iul, prevent that terrible Democratic
calamity, the election OF Republican
United States Senator from Delaware?
How far this guess is wrong Demo.
Gratis who are in the secret only know.
To do this requires the burying Of the
Ratchet. This has apparently been
done, 1t requires unity Of purpose.
This II would appear they have. 1t
requires long and strong pull alto.
gether. This It appears they are
making
Farther, senator.eleet Richardson
Is to be unseated upon technicality,
another Fly speck" on the ballot,
while his honest majority is admitted
by all, 1t Is all important that there
shall be no 'fy speck" business In
New Castle county that might prevent
seven Democrats from holding their
seats in the House Of the Legislature,
Is this the cause of the late meetings
in the tax collectors ofllees2 1t Is
highly important that 1t should be
known exactly how many fraudulent
votes have been cast in the county
upon fraudulent tax receipts. The
collectors office Is very good place to
get this Information, and 1t is not sur
prisinE that the weary Democratic pill
grims from Kent should Join their
anxious brethren of New Castle and
proceed TO the tax collectors, office to
see how the land lies in their sea of
trouble.
If not more than 1900 illegal votes
have been cast in New Castle County,
then contest might be made In Kent,
but If more than that number have
been cast 1t will be unsafe TO proceed
in Kent. This is about the manner in
which the matter comes before the
DemOcrats9 VIII the seat, then, be
contested THAT Is sor the Democrats
to answer. There will be music all
along the line when they commence
t. South Carolina plans are not popu-
lar in Delaware. Even a government
of assessors and collectors is falling
into dierepute, and every effort to boil
ster ii up makes it but the weaker.
1t has been suggested that perhaps
these meetings at the collectors office |
were for the purpose oftaklng measures
to raise money to pay the collectors
some 81, 600 for tax receipts issued OF
previous elections upon the faith of the
party, and which has not been paid |
yet. This might appear reasonable |
were 1t not that Kent County Demo.
Gratis are equally If not more concerned |
in these mysterious meetings than the |
Democrats of New Castle county are.
No, this is not the idea. The Demo
cra,a are after bigger game. They
have had the advantage of the COL
lectors unpaid generosity; the future 10
what they are looking after, not I'm.
paid bills of the past.
The anxiety of the Democrats is not |
surprising. They see the sceptre de-
parting from them, They find them.
selves by the result OF the late election
knocked into a struggling, snarling
mass. 1t is not surprising that they
should make desperate effort to re-
gain the lost battlefield, but their
charge will meet the fate Of Napoleon's
Imperial legion at Waterloo, it will be
a defeat
ANY small success gained now by |
the thimble rigging process of con
tested elections, will only sink them
the deeper IN the mire of defeat when
a e.enfrancbised people have a chance
10 speak at the ballot boxes less than
two years hence.
: No doubt it is hard for the Democrats
to Give up Delaware after having held II
tor shout 81 yeATs. But they should re-
collect that they have had NJ right to the
STATE since 1873, the year IN which they |
TUNED the government of tie people over
INTO the hands the assessors and coli
lecturs by the infamous assessment laws
which disgrace the statute hooks aud
which received Senator Bayard's hearty