Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-10
"rheft should Be Called Theft"


This is the headline the Philadelphia
Times of December Sd puts over its editor
ial leader on the New York legislative
controversies. The Times premises that
"no one with grain of intelligence and
common honesty can mistake what
Governor Hill is doing. He started out
to steal the New York legislature for
the Democrats. He does not call it by
that name, any more than did the Re-
publicans when they stole the legisla-
lures of New Hampshire and Montana
to consummate the theft of three United
States senators, or when they stole the
governorship Of Connecticut and of
Nebraska from the Democrats, but it is
none the less political theft. He has
seen the Republicans steal Presidency,
governors, United States senators and
legislatures with impunity, and he saw
the last Congress turn out Democrats
who had been elected by majorities of
Z thousands" and he has chosen to
retaliate in a small way by SO
manipulating the returns as to
obtain for his party. control of
the New York legislature, thereby
treating the Republicans to dose of their
own medicine. But, urges the Phila-
delphia Times, let us call things by
their right names. "Theft is theft,
whether it is theft of an office or the
theft of money or goods" "When men
want to steal political power it is easy
to find plausible tcchnicalities to arm
party organs and party leaders with ex.
cuses, and it has become so common that
when theft is consummated by either
party, the other is compelled to submit
because its own record has furnished
precedents for the wrong committed
against itself"
We do not like to accept view Sc
pessimistic, but unquestionably from
the Times point of view-that the
Democratic machine in New York i.
engaged in stealing legislature-the
Dnly legitimate defence is, what Prcsi.
lent Harrison would denominate "the
bold, if brutal" plea that it is justified
in doing in New York what the Repub
licans have done in New Hampshire
Connecticut, Montana, Nebraska and ii
the Capitol at Washington. 1t is doing
as you have been done by; not as yor
would be done by. 1t is fighting
the devil with fire; returning blow foi
blow. 1t is following out the SAINT
policy that was exemplifed in the Fiftl
ward of this city last July-that "the,
shall take who have the power ever
though it be necessary to resort to mol
law to carry their point.
We give this Philadelphia Times argu
ment, without in any sense endorsing il
as showing the only logical ground oil
which those Democrats who champion
the "theft" of the New York legislature
as ''theft," can stand. For ourselves
we are not yet quite clear as 10 tn
merits and dement's of this struggle; tn
testimony being SO voluminous anc
conflicting. 1t looks bad for the Demo
cratic managers in the main, and W
have said so. But, on the other hand
there are some things which 90 far /
show fraud and trickery on tn
other side. If, as it may tur
out, the Republicans have tried /
vote into office by marked ballots, tech
nical miscounts, and other fraudulen
devices some of the very candidate
whom Democratic 'canvassing board
have at least strained the law to cour
outfit, in other words, it should b
shown that there has been so much {
lawlessness on both sides that no ba
ance can be struck between thenl-the
at least the cause of equity and iustic
will be best served by the ascendency {
the party which has recently demon
strated that it has majority of 5000
in the state and that, under fair systel
of apportionment and under fair Gle,
ton would unquestionably have carrie
both branches of the legislature by
safe majority.