Smyrna times., 1896-12-16


Carl Smith of Seaford, Arley B. Ma
gee and Peter G. Gruwell of Dover are
candidates for the position of State Lii
brarian. Mr.. Gruwell is the present
incumbent and his term will expire in
April.
Farmers institutes will be held in
New Castle county as follows: Odessa.
December Is; Bear Station, December
16; Talleyville, December II; Glasgow.
December 1S; Union. December 10:
HockesSin, January 13 and IA; Stanton
January % and 26. The annual meet
ing will be held in Newark in Feb
ruary.
REPUBLICANS CONTEST SUSSEX. The
Union Republican candidates on the
Sussex County Legislative ticket
served notice on the Democrats Friday
that they would contest their right to
seats in the Legislature. According
TO the official returns the Democrats
received an average plurality of 272.
The Union Republicans did not make
known their grounds for contest, but
these are supposed to be fraud and the
appointment of Regular Republicans
as voters assistants in the county. 1t
is claimed by the Union Republicans
that 400 alleged defective Republican
ballots were thrown out in the county.
This new contest leaves only part of
the New Castle county delegation un-
contested
FORCE BILL OR SOMETHING WANTED.
The introduction by Representative
Gibson, a Republican member of Con-
gress from Tennessee, of a bill in the
House of Representatives to prevent
and punish frauds in the elections of
Congressman provides punishment for
all acts of registrars that tend to de-
feat fair registration or deprive a voter
of the benefits of registration. This
would bring the inspectors of elections
IN Delaware to their senses and proba-
bly, punish them for their misdeeds.
There is little. if any, use of making law
for their punishment before our courts
as they are now constituted and many
hope that the new constitution will
give the people a chance to elect the
Judges who sit in judgement over
them.
DISASTER AT A FUNERAL Just as
the preacher had solemnly said, {" l am
the Resurrection and the Life" at the
funeral of j. Frank Williams, promi-
nent citizen of Seaford, Monday after
noon the floor of the room of the house
gave way with crash, and the whole
funeral party together with the corpse
and casket, were dropped distance of
eight feet into the cellar. The caSket,
which was standing open on the rests
tilted endwise, the glass broke, and in
the descent the corpse flew out, strik-
ing one of the mOnrners on the head.
Men and women, corpse and casket,
IN one confused heap on the floor of
the cellar.
Women screamed, and several fain-
ted. An undertaken finally placed the
the remains in another casket, and they
were taken without further ceremony
to Blake's Cemetery, where interment
was made. Mr.. Williams was popular,
and the house where the services were
crowded. The timbers of the floor
was afterwards found to be rotten.
The SAME OLD CHESTNUT. is it any
wonder that Congressman should have
their attention in particular called to
our State, when such so called election
as that which took place on November
Bird, are winked at by our courts? The
Superior Court met in Dover on Sat
urday and unanimously decided that
writ of error in mandamus case
acted as a stay of proceedings and that
nothing further could be done in Kent
county mandamus case until there was
a decision of the higher Court on the
appeal taken in the case. The Court
also decided that ProthonOtary Hutson
was not in contempt of court in refus-
ing to serve the writ when demand
was made on him for it, by the Union
Republicans. 1t was at ex- chancellor
Walcott's advice that Mr.. Hutson re-
fused to serve the writ. Judge Grubb
after the final decision of the Court
was announced read a lengthy opinion
uphOlding the view of the case taken
by the ex- x-ChancellOr.
Mr.. Walter Hayes, the attorney for
the Union Republicans in the manda-
mus case said:
"Well | understand that under the
laws of this State and their interpreta-
ton by the courts, the petitioners have
no adequate legal remedy for the great
wrongs which we contend have been
inflicted on them"
Judge Grubb, the only dissenting
y uuSe III Ine WnOle proceedings mus
far, took exception to Mr.. Hayes re-
marks and said the aggrieved still had
redress in the Court. The Chief JUS
tice that personally he regretted that
the whole matter could not be brought
to a speedy close, but the Courts were
the interpreters of the law sand not the
makers of them. Under the Constitu-
tiOn the writ of error acted as a supers-
4 1 l. L L
point.
The Republicans of Delaware, feel
as usual, they have no political or legal
rights under the Constitution that the
Courts are bound to respect.