Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-05-21

ing and almost Immediately moved that
the bill be taken up for consideration, a
superserviceable motion on his part CON
sidering that it was Representative Days
bill and that gentleman was in his seat at
the time, The speaker, however, recog-
nized Mr.. Richards, who got in business
that kept the House busy for the next five
minutes. Then Mr.. Day called the bill
up and it was defeated by the following
vote, less than two-thirds in the affirma-
tive:
Ayes--Attix, Cranston, Day, Hickman.
Hutson, Jackson, Smith, Walton-8.
Noes-Chipman, Marvel, Richards Tin
dali.
Present and not voting-E. ]. Morris, R.
r. Norris Speaker Slrman--3.
Absent on business in committee rooms
@,Eisenbrey, Elkinton, Higgins, Ridgely,
Thomas--5.
Mr.. West, who in committee had agreed
to favorable report on the bill, left the
room while the roll was being called.
OF those voting in the negative Messrs.
Marvel and Tindall explained to Mr..
Walton that they did so because they did
not understand the merits of the bill. They
simply did not know that it contemplated
the restoration to taxation of an institu-
tion that would neyer.have been exempted
had the members OF the last Legislature,
presuming they did vote this exemption,
comprehended what they were voting for.
Mr.. Walton spoke of making an effort
to get the adverse vote reconsidered.
PROTECTION AGAINST UsURPATIoE.
The House bill to enable the governor to
protect citizens Of Wilmington from
deputy marshals summarized above, was
introduced shortly before noon, hurried
through its three readings and passed by a
straight party vote of IA to 4. The con-
stables are to be restricted to Wilmington;
to be appointed only at general elections;
and their duties are to protect the election
officers, preserve order, prevent fraudulent
voting or fraulent conduct on the part of
any election officers, and prevent sum
mary and unauthorized arrests by deputy
marshals. No persons shall be arrested,
without process, at the polls, except for
offences committed in the presence of the
constables or election officers. In case of
resistance in the performance of their
duties, the constables are empowered to
call to their assistance the bystanders or
the posse comitatus of Wilmington.
EXTENDING THE TIME.
II lacked but three minutes Of noon by
correct time, though the lobby clock only
marked 11.33, when the Senate joint reso-
luton extending the hour of final adjourn
ment to tomorrow noon came before the
House for concurrence. There was a mass
of inchoate legislation pending; hours of
work for the enrolling clerks even the al
acted on and, had the set hour been adj
hered to the Legislators must have waited
till 1898 to draw their pay; yet, notwith-
standing all these considerations, there
were six members who voted to quit right
then and there But there were 13 who
voted the other way, and the resolution
was concurred in.
BALLOT REFORM AT LAST.
The substitute for the Wolcott Ballot
bill passed the Senate this morning and
was concurred in by the House, as an
amendment. This bill was prepared by
A, z, Robinson and J, l.. Wolcott, Esqs.,
in collaboration and was based on the ex-
isting Indiana law. 1t was considered by
the gentlemen named and others with
whom they conferred more safe and pru-
dent to take a system which had been
tested and found satisfactory than to adj
here to the original bill, which being
new departure must be largely expert
mental. Added to this there were features
in the registration acts with which the
ballot law should be brought as nearly
into harmony as possible Then there
was one weakness in the Wolcott bill-the
stamp used by the clerk of peace, which,
thongh, guarded BY him, could obviously
be duplicated by the manufacturer when
my attention was directed to this" said
Mr.. Wolcott, II felt it advisable to aban-
don the bilI.'
The substitute bill was read by Mr.. Rob
inson to gathering of the members after
adjournment last night, Republicans as
well as Democrats being present. 1t was
put through the Senate this morning by
straight party vote of to 4; Mr. Filling
objecting, on behalf of the Republican
senators, that there had not been time to
consider it. Being sent right over to the
House it was read amid the indescribable
confusion prevailing, nobody being able
to catch two consecutive sentences. The
vote was then taken on concurrence in it,
as a Senate amendment, few members
paying attention thereto and only two or
three voting in the affirmative and one in
the negative.
This afternoon Mr.. Higgins moved to
reconsider this vote, reciting the circum-
stances under which it was taken, and
declaring that the bill had had absolutely
no consideration in the House and that
not single member understood it. 1t
dealt with the most important business of
the session, and he would rather stay here
another week than risk any laundering in
this hasty way
Mr.. Hntson, in reply, said, among other
things: u am sure there is nothing wrong
in this bill to prevent one or another from
voting. can warrant this, although do
not know all there is in it.n He further
said that in his opinion, the bill that
would absolutely prohibit bribery (the
Myers Voting Machine bilD had been
killed early in the session. and that the
Democratic party is responsible for killing
that bill
Mr.. Eisenbrey would like to have the |
vote reconsidered if the bill could be
studied after being brought up again. But,
as this would be impossible III the limited |
time and under prevailing conditions, he |
would vote to leave the bill where it is.
The motion to reconsider was lost by |
the following vote
Ayes-Cranston, Day, Elkinton, Higgins, |
Morris, Il. j., Smith, Thomas, Walton-8. |
Noes-Attix, Eisenbrey, Hutson. Jack |
son, Marvel, Morris, r. r., Richards, Tin
dal, Speaker Sirman-9.
ABSTRACT OF THE BILL.
Following is summary of the proyis-
ions of the bill. The inspectors shall pro-
vide voting rooms and place booths
therein one booth for each l50 voters; the
booths to be so constructed that the in
spectors may see whether they are occu-
pied, and if so, by how many persons. No
outsider, except applicants to vote, shall
be allowed within 80 feet of the entrance
to the room. The space in which the cleo
ton officers sit is to be rallied off. Each
political party, by certificate and acknow-
ledgement before notary, to make its
known to the clerk of the
peace. Provision is made for supplement-
ary nominations to fill vacancies. If
occurs after the ballots have been
printed, voters may use stickers bearing
the name of the substituted candidate;
the only case in which stickers
may be used. There is to be roped pas
s1ge, four feet wide and 30 long, through
which the voters enter. Near the entrance
to the room, challengers from each party
are to be placed, close enough to commu-
nicate readily with the election officers.
Blanket ballots are to be used, with the
nominees of each party collected by