The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-06-10
WEDNESDAY JUNE 10. ,ss,.s
whito aud colored voters Rights.

NoA tuuJ lifb young MT. NdIp6nJeT 4
and his father have determined to have
wholesale arrests made for offences
committed, many OF them imaginary, (
at last Saturdays election, the Repub- I
leans might as we'll take hand in 1t .
also. We do not believe the Messrs. :
Carpenter have very strong moral
backing in their undertaking, as most I
people know, and they too, ought TO ,
know, thut the whole system OF hold
ing elections in this city, and we may
as we'll say in this county and State, is j
rotten to tho very core, and has been
30 since laws were passed. in 1873, pur-
posely TO debauch the ballot. The idea
OF making anything good come out
OF the old system is simply ridiculous;
there never was anything good in
them, neither was IL intended that
there should be.
In saying this much we do not mean
TO include the present system oil city
registration in tho catalogue OF bnd
laws 1t Is really good law If prop
erly enforced by itself, but when 1t be-
comes mixed up with, and hns to go
back to the abominable abortion of
1873 to find q qualification for voters,
II las got to suffer tho consequences.
There is no denying the fact that as
long as tho government of the people
by tax collectors, OF which tho elder
junior Carpenter was once one, brought
Democratic victories, no objections
wero urged against the election frauds
under the law, but as soon as the Re-
pnblieans got down to hard-pan and
got to understand the workings OF the
machine, or in other words, plowed
their grounds with Democratic oxen,
then trouble came.
1t was all right for the Democrats to
glory ina long lino of Democratic sue
cesses since 1873, successes only by the
most outrageous frauds and dlsRran-
chlsement OF Republicans but when
the Republicans got a little moro ac-
quainted with the machinery and be-
gan to put Republican grlst through
the same mill then everything goes
wrong with our Democratic friends.
Perhaps we would be nearer correct II
We were to say, wrong with the Messrs
Carpenter. Other Democrats seem to
understand the matter and would
rather let the whole trouble go by with
out making any fuss about it, and
trust for the future on the new system
of elections that Is to he inaugurated
next year under various registration
laws that have been passed.
But II Messers. Carpente: intend to
Insist on prosecuting a number OF Re-
publicans, amongst them several po-
licemen, for technical violations of the
election laws, the Republicans might
us we'll do Il little at it too. They have
much wider range for making ar
rests than the Democrats have, because
ouc extremely non-partlsan election
d. par tn, ntsaw proper in the appoint
ment Of their inspectors to give the
Democrats two out of three In thirt y,
three districts and the Republicans
two out Of three in twenty-five dis
triets. AT the most of these Democrat,
ic districts, there were the most shame
iul efforts made to keep Republicans
from voting. and in districts where
there was large colored vote it was
the boast OF tho Democrats that in
SOME instances more than half of
them were kept from voting, though
they had proper tax receipts, were
properly registered and had perfect
ly legal right to vote.
For instance, in the First district
Eleventh ward, how did tho case stand
Here ex-Constahle Harry II. Smith WA
master of Democratic ceremonies
Here, twenty.six coiOrod men wer,
legal voters were registered and en-
Titled TO vote. Only fourteen of then
were permitted TO vote. kennard but
ton, respectable colored man, In ut
tempting to vote, wns knocked down
kicked and bruised by gang OF Dem
oeratic heelers from the Tenth ward
He went away. butknowlns that he, a
least had a perfectly qualified right t
vote regardless of others, came hac
and tried TO vote. when he met tn
same brutal treatment and he has no
voted yet. Was there any outrag
like this committed al the distlic
where the Mes5rs. Carpenter tried t
run things2 Wns any white Democru
knocked down twice. and kicked an
bruised, because he wanted to vote
The nearest approach to anythin
OF that kind was when Mr. GORE
handed his ticket in over the heads
others at the window, when Captai
Mitchell pushed him away, telling hi
1t was not his turn yet. Even for tn
Captain Mitchell has been dragged bt
fore the Court and is to be punishe
If the case goes against him.
Captain Mitchell, the police and Other
are TO be punished, what should |
done to the Democratic roughs wh
knocked Kennard Dutton down an
twice drove him away from the poll
30 that he lost his vote? buttons cas-
is but one OF a hundred similar.
The great difficulty lies in the fac
that Democrats will not permit eolore
men TO vote at all, qualified or NJ
6natitinA nTia,e