Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-12

Keturning Boards in Delaware.
In 1916, the Republican returning
boards of South Carolina, Florida and
Louisiana reversed the verdict of the
voters of those States as expressed at
the polls, and by this deliberate theft
made Rutherford b. Hayes President
of the United States, when Samuel j.
Tilden had been honestly elected by tho
people. How Democrats and many fair
minded Republicans denounced this
fraud is well remembered TO this day.
The board of canvass of Kent county,
in session at Dover, Thursday, emu
lated the example of these Republican
rascals in tho three Southern States
above naped, and reversed the Repub-
lican majority of the county, as given
by the voters Tuesday week. by throwing
out sufficient returns to make tho
result favorable TO the Democratic
nominees. Their action was an I'M
warrantedable assumption Of authority
and an outrage upon the people of tho
State
1t does not matter that Republican
fraud and corruption at the election in
Kent county gavo apparent justification
for the action of the board of canvass.
These are matters for courts of justice
to deal with, and there would DO no
| trouble in applying the lawful remedy.
The fact remains that the board OF can
vass, with no right but to count the
vote absolutely as il was returned by
tho inspectors, took upon itself to act
as court of inquiry into the conduct
of the election. and to reject returns
of certain districts where frauds and
irregularities are alleged to havo
existed.
1t has been the accepted doctrine for
years, as only recently shown by Every
Evening, that the boards of canvass of
this State arc merely computers and
arithmeticiana, to take the returns
of election rs returned by the various
election boards, tabulste and total them,
and certify to the result. To go beyond
this is TO place our elections In the
hands of canvassing boards, instead of
in the hands of the people. The courts
| should undo the lawless work of the
Kent board, as speedily as possible.
Now that the campaign is over and
Congressional matters will soon engross
the attention OF the people, the next
thing will be to combat the demand
for high tariff legislation that Republi
cans of the rabid persuasion will be
sure to make. "These Republicans
can read, if they will" says the Phila-
delphia Record, in the election returns
that it was not the tariff but the cause
of sound money and publiu credit which
has given MIR. Mckinley q million
majority of the popular vote. But il
they shall persist in rowling the tariff
conflict, in spite of the earnest desire
of the business world for rest, the
Democrats, while deploring such a con-
flict, will not shrink from the issue.
The ultimate conclusion of the contest
would more likely be reduction rather
| than an increase of the existing pro-
tective duties" In fact, it would be
another campaign of education, and in
such campaign the people can be de-
pended upon to cast their deciding
ballots upon the right side, as they did
in 1892, and again IN 1896.
Tho Morning News thinks that a
"seatter Drained little member Of tho
bar" who WAS conspicuous during the
exciting sessions of the board of can.
rass, should have been spanked and
put to bed" There were other out
siders in Attendance upon that session
who should have been taken down
stairs and locked up. In fact, it was
few self-constituted leaders, of both
sides who melted a great deal of the
! confusion and riot