The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-03-31
TUESDAY. MARCH 81. 1891.


Tuesday OF May for the people to vote
whether or not constitutional con-
ventlon shall be called only needs the
concurrence OF the Senate fixing that
date for the election to become law.
There is doubt OF that concurrence as
soon as Senator Williams resumes his
scat In the Senate. As the time fixed
for the election is only seven weeks of
tho people should begin to prepare for
it. that Is to SEQ that they have their
tax receipts ready and that their neigh.
bors also have theirs and are brought
oat TO vote. According to the peculiar
construction OF our constitution that
requires the vote cast at that election
to exceed q majority Of tho highest
I vote cast al any Of the three preceding
State elections, 1t will take this year
lz0oo votes to call State convention.
\ At the election three years ago the vote
fell some 400 or 500 votes short of such
o majority as the constitution required,
and consequently no convention was
called.
This should not be the case this time.
There are moro voters qualified TO
vete now than at any other period,
nnd this consideration should weigh
much in favor OF holding the election
tho coming May instead of W, ting a
year as was at first proposed by the
Senate bill. Tho election coming at a
time when the farmers will be busy
planting their corn, and when there
will he an entire absence of the usual
excitement attending city election
on the first Saturday of June or
State election the second Tuesday OF
November, there will DO the greater
occasion for effort to poll the largest
possible vote. 1t does not lpok now
hs II there will be any opposition to
calling convention, and while this Is
O. cause for congratulation, little OPP
position would no doubt bring out u
large vote. Contrary TO other elections
whore majority of the vote cast
e,ects, in this election there might be
i.199 votes cast all on one side in fav-
or OF a convention, but still il would
put it past the turning point and elect,
but until that point is reached every
vote east is offset by one that is not
EAST at all.
This makes an election OF this kind
Somewhat deceptive and difficult to
understand. In all other elections
party lines are drawn, and when a voter
goes to the polls he sess his foe. The
party he votes against stands sbefore
hin in battle array. lie knows who
be Is fighting against, but in this con
Bitutional convention election, the foe
j. silent and hidden. Nothing is
known of him until he rises up after
the election from his ambush and
claims to be counted though lie did
not vote. Queer election, but we can
not get clean of it. The constitution
provides for it and there is no help,
For every vote put in the ballot box a
vote not put in offsets it until the tur
ming limit Of 1900 votes II
reached and then and not till then are
we safe for a constitutional convention
It seems like fighting the wind. but II
Is not doing SO, we are really fighting {
real solid heavy weight OF II, 500 silent
Inactive votes, tho more traacheroul
and dangerous that they are slant ant
Inactive.
Now let every voter understand tn,
question. There must be II, GOO vote
polled. One less and Constitutions
Reform will fail. This 1900 vot
hgure Is the objective point. ReacI
khat and constitutional Convention
will be called. Fortunately in thi
slection there will be no division b,
political lines, Democrats and Reput
hcans who go the polls and vote at a.
vote for Constitutional Convention
Those who do not vote at all, vote a
Bluarely against Constitutional Cor
vention as II they went to the poll
and voted mo" Now then In tn
constitutional Convention election le
every voter of every shade of polite
prepare to vote and be determined t
overcome this mountain Off 500 vote
that looms up before them.
PENNSYLVANIA instead of having 1
Governor Pattison, the mugwump G
Bs2-1ssS. has full fledged viralen
partisan Governor of 1s9O-1S94. Tn
Presidential bee-bazzlng under hi
bonnet has changed the current OF hi
mind, and he sees that the path to tn
Presidential chair for him lies throug
strait-laced Democracy. Before Go,
srnor Beavers term expired, the of
fers OF State Librarian, superintendent
Of Public Instruction and Factory Il
epector became vacant, and the Go,