Smyrna times., 1894-10-24
The Evening Journal on Ring Rule in
Delaware.

The EUening Journal, of Wilmington,
repudiates Samuel Bancroft, Jr., for
Congress, but supports all the rest of
the Democratic ticket On Thursday,
under the head of Down with Ring
Rulers" it had the following pointed
editorial, which we give as one of the
topics of State news of special interest:
The Democratic party of New Castle
county does not owe its precarious
condition of to-day to the Republican
propaganda led by Senator Higgins
and Chairman Bach. There has been
no political change of heart. The
dwindling Democratic majority is due
to Democrats, disgusted with the ring
politics which prevail in the Demo-
cratic party of the city of Wilmington,
they refuse to act under such leadership.
This party discomfort has been grow
ing year by year until now it is about
to engulf those who Occasioned it.
The self.respecting Democrats are
tired of the mercenary and unscrupu-
lous ring which has been enriching
itself at the expense of the people. 1t
is composed of men who are in politics
as a business; men whose zeal is in
famed not by patriotism and love of
the people but by love of self and pelf.
They have perpetuated their power
by manipulating the assessment books;
by sacrificing the financial interests of
the county to subserve their political
ends; by converting the county tax
Office into a political machine, to be
used not merely for partisan purposes,
| but strengthen a faction which has be-
come odious to the people; by forcing
partisan legislation through our Gen
eral Assembly, outrageous in character
when done for the purpose of preserv-
ing a party's power, but doubly so
when factional interests are the pri-
mary ones in view; they have at
tempted to legislate out of Office Re
/ publicans who were elected by the
people, thereby striking at the tap root
of the great underlying principle of our
government, and would have accom-
plished their purpose, but for the
honorable frmness displayed by Sena-
tor James Williams, of Kent county,
who held the balance of power in the
State Senate and who called upon them
to halt in their march and to respect
the expressed will of the people who
had repudiated them; they have re-
gained power by abolishing the old
Levy Court, which they had lost by
their political dishonesty ,gerrymander-
ing the county and replacing the tax
collectors with receiver of taxes who
had been chosen by the ring before the
bill creating the Office had been passed.
They have crowned their attrOcious
actions by forcing a man like Samuel
Bancroft, Jr., upon the party in direct
opposition to the party's will, expect
ing to find in him a willing tool to far
ther their political schemes by means
of his money.
But for partisan legislation and dis
graceful deals these men would have
been hurled from power years ago
Should the Republican party be forum
ate enough to secure the State Senate
as we'll as the House of Representatives
they will at once remove those legisla
tive props which have served to bolster
up the ring, and it will fall in con
fusion.
,. The ring is responsible for the present
condition of affairs in New Castle
county, and until those unscrupulous
Wilmington politicians who compose il
are turned down by the people there
will be no marked change for the bet
ter; The party, if it wants public con
fidence and respect, must purge itsel
of such impurities. 1t can well affOrC
to suffer defeat to be rid of such hungry
parasites whose actions have mad,
| them the raDrOach of the State