Evening journal., 1897-12-04
THE OLD AND THE NEW.

OF the state, no matter what their
shade of political BELIEF, are anxious TO
have a practical demonstration Of the
workings of the new primary election
law for New Castle county, which was
passed by the General Assembly last
May, and which is to be found embod
led in chapter 1913 Of part II of volume
20 of the laws OF this state.
The law which this one superseded
was passed by the General Assembly
in 1885 and was fathered by Charles II.
McWhorter, at that time a member OF
the State Senate and quite active in it's
deliberations. Its provisions were fair
ly good, and for the first few primary
elections It was observed and its provi-
sions generally carried out to the salts
faction and benefit OF the voters. But
after that 1t began to be disregarded
and slowly, but surely became a dead
letter. or. at the best, merely a thin
veil for the most lawless acts at nOmi-
nation elections.
The trouble was generally caused by
the mode of selecting the primary cleo
ton officers. They were selected In
Wilmington by one delegate from each
ward at the same time that the three
members Of the county committee were
selected, that being the last Saturday
in May, and so close to the election for
sheriff and coroner, which was held ON
the second Saturday In June, that the
..of -. ..l,Io q
coroner made a fight for the election Of
the delegates, and they were generally
selected in the interest of some partlcu
lar candidates for those two offices.
They, in turn, selected the officers for
the primary elections in their interest,
and the result was that they did not
select the proper persons to hold cleo
tions. In other words, the primary
elections We're held for the benefit of
some two particular men, regardless OF
the general party interest. As a conse-
quence. OF this there was a steary
growth of de.bauchery fraud, crimina-
tion and recrimination, which resulted
in widespread suspicion and distrust,
which is ruinous to political organiza-
tion, no matter how rong it may be.
1t created great dissatisfaction among
candidates and their friends, and fire.
quently resulted in large numbers of
persons who had participated in the
primaries refusing to abide by the re-
suit, because they were morally sure
that they had Eeen beaten by short
cuts which should not be used among
brethren of the same political faith
No aspirant for office wishes TO make
an active canvass for an office and
then owe his defeatsto Ehe dishonesty
Ind ni3chihations' Of the election Off
GERS who happen to be friendly to and
controlled by his opponent With a
fair ballot and an honest count assured
a candidate for nomination is IN honor
bound TO support the successful nomi-
nee. but the inner consciousness that
he has been beaten by foul means
aroVses within him an almost uncon-
tpopable desire to get even with the
man Who used fraud to defeat him.
II was to do away with such unnat-
ural conditions, fraught with so much
danger to the party organization and tc
the public welfare. that the present law
was gotten up and passed. and it is
not likely that il will be materially
amended by the General Assembly al
its approaching session. When tn,
Dill was first taken to Dover there wer,
objections to 1t, scme OF which wer,
well-founded, but all parties were dis
posed to sacrifice something for th'
common good, and the law as il stands
is the result Of such mutual c0nces
sions.
This new law will have its frs
practical test next year when tn
parties are lining up and selecting thel
candidates for the approaching genera
election. It's workings and effects wi
be watched with marked interest.
In the first place, the nomination
are 10 be held after the registration
and no man can vote at the. prmar
election of his party unless he is res
istered as a qualified or partially quail
fed voter. The law provides that tf
registrars shall, in addition to- n
other books required. prepare two az
ditional books TO be used at primal
elections, which books they shall d
liver to the sheriff for the hundre'
outside OF the city of Wilmington, an
to the Department of Elections for II
in the city Of Wilmington. These boOl
shall be kept by these custod.ans uni
The time set for the holding Of the pr
mary elections Whichever party shs
be first to make application to u
sheriff and set a day for holding j
election shall receive the books, al
that the other, party shall wait its tn
ON a subsequent day fixed by it's COZ
mite or ether governing authority. II
next important provision is that I
election officers for the hundreds OIL
side OF Wilmington shall consist OF I
inspector who was nominated by