The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-03-07


The Republican Executive Commit
tee of New Castle County met in the
Young Mems Republican Club room
on Saturday afternoon and transacted
routine business. United States Senn-
tor Higgins being present, was called
on for a speech and made the follow
ing remarks:
"MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN:-I
am very glad TO see you and to have
this opportunity OF meeting you
ugain.
at is a matter OF great congratula-
tion to the people of this city and of
the two lower counties to know of the
very strong and healthy condition of
the Republican party in the country
districts of New Castle county repre-
sented by you here to day.
Il have always felt great pride In
this section of the state 1t is the one
! came from, where my closest ties
and affections are. and / feel that it
can always he called upon by the Re-
publican party and the country when
It has fair chance to express its opin-
ion.
THE acute interest OF the state has
recently centercd in this city. Here
was developed, upon the meeting OF
the Levy Court by the return of the
Democratic assessors from the two
lower Districts of this city, frauds, or
contemplated frauds, of almost un-
PARALLEL magnitude. The assessors
lists showed thousands Of names OF
people that were fictitious. No men
could he found to meet or correspond
to those names. In addition there
was, either through carelessness or
through purpose, the double assess-
ment of great many persons. In ad-
- 4
in those districts who did not reside
in them, an olfense specifically punish.
ed by the statute by fine and indict-
ment.
These matters were brought to the
attention OF the Levy Court and of
course il had to deul with them-deal
with them under its responsibility,
under its duty and under the advice OF
counsel. II did not anticipate and it
could not have anticipated that any
responsible citizen OF this city and
state would have undertaken to make
himself responsible for these frauds.
Who had suggested them in the first
Instance is not known and can only be
lett to conjecture.
I'VE know the assessors who turned
the lists in, but they hardly anticipated
tho hardlhood by. which these frauds
would be ratified by any responsible
men coming forward to try to mako
them good. But that has been done
and the Levy Court has been held up
by the restraining order issued by the
chancellor and that restraining order
has Leen made into q permanent IN
junction against their striking those
names off.
mo taxes can be collected from
these people who did not, In fact, live
here. Nobody could be hurt by such
names being stricken olf-no citizen
thereby dsfraLchised. The only pur-
pose that handing in such lists could
serve would be to Increase the pay OF
the assessors and clerk of the peace in
transclibing such names and laying
ground for the issuing OF tax receipts
to be used by the people who had no
bona tide residence here and so could
not vote in their own names.
Search through the whole range of
possible motives and no other object
than that was to be com passed by put
ting those names on that list and no
other object was to be accomplished
by their being stricken off by the Levy
Court than simply to prevent that
fraud and so to make our election that
is to come. an accurate presentation
of the opinion of the people of this
county and city, as we'll us to make
the basis Of taxation real, and not iic-
titious.
II am not here to criticize in any de-
gree the decision of OF the chancellor.
always bow to tho judgment OF the
court. / believe 1t is a great princl
pie that equires us to hold tho ad-
ministration OF the law i'll respect. L
can only express my very sincere re.
gret that such construction should
have been put upon this statute as to
hold that the Levy Court mad power to
drop from the list names not legally
appearing thereon only in cases where
those people who were assessed illeg-
ally were SO assessed Illegally be-
causc they had been returned as de-
linquents under the old law in that be-
halt a law SO unfair, SO unjust, so
iniquitous, that ii has prevented for
years the taking OF the realan honest
sense OF the people of this State, and
upon which we have at last The ad-
mission OF tho Democratic party by
their prompt repeal Of it, when. by
the votes in Sussex and New Castle
Counties In the election of 1889 and
1890 they were the ones who were to
feel the results OF it.
'fhe construction put upon the
statute 10y the court was that the Levy
Court had the power and WAS bound in
duty to strike from the assessOis list
the name of any person who had been
dropped as Il delinquent within twelve
months preceding tile time when they
had 50 struck it OF; but any other than
that legally cannot, in the opinion of
tho chancellor he reached, and We ac-
cept the law. What, then. Is the result
OF the proceeding and Of the Judgment
of the court? In the first place H. is
not going to allow any of those men
TO vote under this fraud, fo1 this rea-
son, that we can stop them all under
the registration act
''Ahan men come up 10 register, IL
they are net bnnaiide citizens and have
not resided within the time prescribed
by tie constitution, we can stop them
on the registration; and while the task
is tliaicuii In the city of Wilmington
II is not beyond our power to stop
them.
"lou gentlemen from the country
and tie people of this state can rest in
absolute assurance that the steps will
be taken to stop any such fraud.
"Bat tho ether thing that has been
gained by this proceeding has been to
develop aud show up the contemplated
fraud, aud to fix upon the responsible
leaders oil tie democratic party therc-
sponslbilty for this scheme They
have taken it upon their own shoulders
and there IN the opinion of the honest