Middletown transcript., 1894-01-13

be 30 until 1890. But each party il
was empowered during all that tint
through its party committees to seIec'
| ifs own inspectors. the majority Of in
| spectors being determined BY the success
of the respective parties in the several
districts at the preceding election
The only advantage that the Democrats
gained therefore by this change Of tht
ancient custom was that they vert
| enabled in some districts to appoint
men as inspectors whom they could moi
have elected, and this class Of men.they
found useful, and indeed necessary.
But in 1890 the Republicans elected the
Levy Court in this county and carried
two-thirds Of the districts in this city,
while the Legislature Of the State
remained Democratic. Then it was,
and for reasons that were obvious, that
the elections in this city were placed
under partisan commission. Out Of
174 ispectors the Republicans actually
named only So, while under the old
conditions they would have named 116.
This explains why Delaware went
Democratic in 1892.
SENATOR GRAY's PART.
Next year this commission proposes
| to name all the inspectors and all the
clerks, and to make sure that the pro :
posed fraud shall go undetected Senator
Gray has given notice that he will
move tomorrow morning to do away
with the United States Supervisors.
He appreciates that the United States
Courts of this circuit cannot be tam
pered with in the selection of super
visors and hence he proposes to abolish
the system. This is his part Of the
conspiracy. Governor Reynolds per-
formed his share last week when be
named Pat Neary, the WiIm ington
Croker, as a member of the Elections
Commission in the place Of President
James s. Dobb, resigned. Dobb re-
signed ostensibly to become postmaster
of this city, but in reality to make
room for Neary who has been the real
power behind the commission since its
appointment. Neary is the man who
bribed the dishonest Republican Inspec-
tors in 1892 and he is no doubt the.
author of The whole plot by which this
city is to be brought under the methods
that prevail in New York city and all
the Southern cities.
Neary belongs to that type Of Demo-
cratic leaders who control their party
in all the Northern cities. He entered
politics ten or dozen years ago with
out dollar. After serving term or
two as County Constable and I've terms
as County Tax Collector and four or
five years as 'sboss,' = he is rich and ap-
parently powerful. Only in one respect
has be been different and wiser than
his prototype, Croker. He is not maxi
ing an ostentatious display of his sud-
denly acquired wealth. Through poll
tics he got hold Of a large slice Of the
old Almshonse site in this city and
made big pile in improving it and
building thereon. Recently he secured
q sandbank near this city andfuntil q |
Il
few months ago he had contracts for |
supplying tens Of thousands of dollars
worth of sand to the streeb and Sewer
Commission of this city, whom he
then controlled. Neary was Tax Col
lector in the palmy days of the Bayard
assessment system, which continued |
from 1873 until 1891, and which ex-
acted absolutely no proof or record |
from the Tax Collector for taxes col
lected. There were no stubs to tax
receipts issued in those days, and |
thousands of receipts were issued dur
ing that period to the Democratic poll |
taxables of the State for which never /
a dollar was paid and thousands of /
receipts were issued and paid for, while /
the taxables were returned as errors or
delinquents and the money pocKeted by
the collectors. Neary has q single re-
deening phase in his .life-he was q
good soldier for the Union, but he has
married ever that record by obtaining,
somehow, a pension Of S12 per month
for s'total disability . although be is q
stout, alert, able bodied, hard working I
man.
II must be said, however, In justice |
to Senator Gray. that be is wholly con-
sisteEt in bis opposition to the Federal
Election laws. he never condoned
them, aud ever resented what be |
termed s.this Federal inteiference. i,
Only at the last campaign he and
Ambassador Bayard instructed the
Democratic Inspectors to ignore alb
solutely the Federal Supervisors. They /
declared that they had no authority In |
the election rooms and urged their ig-
norant hearers to treat these Federal
spies aslntruders It The beginning of
The work on the first day of registra-
tion. The inspectora Attempted to
execute these rdinary ana 9iolent
lnstructions but they Ners defeated u I
every inatance but thres b, the 1rms
neas q chlef Supervisor Samuel As
Mc AlliGte1 Nho arreatsd pfonr
pve Jzouh1eso1de Inlpsctor: o. 3t5
MI folIoNlng nd pteYiol5 n M
iec6nd Is of Is e1i6txetiop, Glz