Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-01-28
THE trump" LEGISLATURE.


! Iature passed into history at 3 O'Clock
yesterday afternoon, when both bodies
adjourned sine die
Two sessions were held, that in tho
morning being very brief. The follow
ing manifesto or protest read:
when the constitutional and orderly
succession OF government is prevented
in free State.
when the recognized com mon rights
OF citizens are continually denied to
large numbers of the people.
when qualified voters are disfran.
cfised because Of race and material
conditions.
When laws discriminate against
non property holders. When the State
| Treasury is regularly looted in the
in terest of political party.
When the legislative and executive
authorities of free State are over.
\ thrown.
when Legislators chosen by the
people are evictad from the State
Capitol.
when executive officers are pre-.
vented the exercise of duties imposed
upon them by the people.
When the legislative and executive
powers of free State are usurped and
.execised by corrupt oligharchy and
at the dictation of partisan mob.
When In a State deriving its powers
| OF government from the consent of the
people expressed through the ballot,
| ballots are defaCed and destroyed, and
election returns are falsified by State
officers acting as agents of a corrupt
| political oligharchy; when political
leaders corrupt voters by open and I'M
scrupulous appeals 20 prejudice, pas
sion and avarice; when leaders of the
| people curse the laws and defy the
| courts threatening personal injury and
! milking violent assaults upon peaceful
| citizens assembled TO witness the
| counting of their votes cast at
| general election.
When the most violent, profane and
| obscene LEADERS of partisan mobs, the
! defenders OF mob violence in over
throwing the will of the people in pre-.
! venting the honest and legal tabulation
| of the votes cast at tine most important
| election in the history of the State.
| ami in directing the Justification OF
election certificates, become the
| honqred and chosen leaders of a
political party and through methods
| the most violent ana corrupt are sent
| to represent a free people in the
l
nation.
when through the corrupting in.
fuence OF INSCRIPTIONS partisan
leaders, a free, pure ballot, a fair
count and an honest return of elections
cannot be had.
| when canvassing boards without
either right or cause throw out OF
their tabulation all the votes of all the
election districte of county in which
the majority Of votes have been cast
against the party, majority of whose
adherents control the canvassing board.
when through a long continued and
corrupt administration political party
hHH made the ballot merchantable
| asset OF the voter, and made the price
of ballot the most potent political
argument.
| When the courts of the State can
be influenced by partisan preiudices.
| when the courts can be SUCCESS
fully appealed to in defence of violent
and corrupt political outrage. ..
| when the spirit of Justice can be
eliminated from law protective of the
common right by technical, obscure
and entangling Judicial interpretations.
when political offenders boasting
OF their defiance OF law in the com.
mission of outrageous political wrong
doing are brought before the court to
compel the performance of public
duty not only avoid doing of duty but
go unwhipped of Justice
when in defence of outrages
against fair and equal rights the
courts revoiutioniZe State government
and destroy all the guarantees of
liberal, Just and free government.
when AZ now in Delaware all the
destructive influences of corrupt
politics have conspired to completely
overthrow the will of the people as ex-
pressed at the ballot box; have in
augurated revolutionary government;
have organized an illegal Constitutional
Convention in which are seated men
who were not elected; a Constitutional
Convention which proposed to abolish
trial by Jury, and which will proclaim
and Impose new organic law for the
state, made by delegates who were not
sworn to observe or respect any form of
law or constitution, without submitting
II to the people for ratification have
organized General Assembly, in both
houses OF which are memhers whose
seats are held by fraudulent titles; and
when these revolutionary bodies are in
possession Of the Capitol of the State to
the exclusion OF the citizens who were
rightfully chosen by the people to
represent them in those bodios, it he
comes tue duty of every citizen whose
public spirit is not in it's decadence,
whose energy and courage have not
been paralyApd by the poison OF
political corruption and fraud: to pro
test against such destructive invasons
OF the common and sacred rights of
free citizenship.
when the rightfully elected repre-.
sentatlves OF the people arc evicted by
fraud from the Legislative bodies Ia
which they have been elected, the
eviction does not ahsolve them from the
discharge of the duties imposed upon
them by the people. 1t is Incumbent
upon them to discharge every possible
duty arising out of their election and
to do any and all things commanded of
them 10 the Law and for which they
were commissioned by the votes of their
commitments. IL is their duty to
organize as the law directs and TO prn
coed IN dignified ana orderly way to
perform the duties of their offices to
the limits Of their ability. For this
they arc responsible to the people, and
nothing less eau absolve them from that
responsibility. Being commissioned
TO make and repeal laws the Legislative
and executive conditions are rightfuIly
subjects of their consideration; and ii
in these conditions there are grave
dangers involved. and which lie bevond
the Immediate power of these repre-
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