The sun., 1898-10-17


can remember the epithets and anathe-
mas of the Democratic political vocabu-
larry of twenty years ago, will readily ap-
preciate the statement that the tax law
was legal formulation of calumny. 1t
was Democratic reform law. 1t in
dicted, tried, convicted and punished
Republicans for political offenses with
out Judge or jury-presumed their gen.
eral guilt and punished them by disfran-
chising them. Every subsequent election
law-ballot or registration law-has
been of the same kind. They are all vii
lainous calumnies. Every penalty fixed
for political offices has been SO fixed
with view of restraining Republican
political effort, and for the purpose of
Furnishing those who would not be re-
tanned. One notable fact that has had
public recognition and is now accepted
as part OF the political history of the
state, proves this. The courts and juries
stood between Democratic political Of
tenders. Until the conviction OF the New
Castle county inspectors of the 1896 elec-
ton, there had been no Democrats con-
victed OF political offenses for 25 years;
and the decision of the Kent county
mandamus case is the first of such cases
that has ever been won in Delaware
courts by Republicans.
The laws under which, and by which
these things are possible are caumnies
upon the people against whom
they are directed. They became spoken
and written calumnies against every man
who dared to resist the Democratic po-
litical subjugation to himself and his
neighbors-lhe more earnest he was, the
more successful he promised to be, the
more malicious became the calumnies.
This is a historic fact of which every
prominent Republican in this state is an
exemplar. There are scarcely any OF
them who has reached middle age who
has not been insulted, stoned or shot at
to prevent his speaking, and to drive him
away from Republican meetings. That,
however, was the crude way of doing
: what Democrats have since learned to dc
under cover of the law.
1t requires no wise philosopher, nc
astute statesman or lawyer, to foresee
what these conditions would produce
The whole system was but panderine
to political vice, and there is not a single
civil development of that kind in Della
, ware politics that is not a legitimate out.
come of legally made conditions-w when
state law made it possible for tax col
lectors to furnish receipts for unpac
} taxes to their political friends, and covel
! the transaction up in the process of set
t.ement, it put price upon every mans
vote, and it forced the payment of tha
price, when it ATTEMPTED to perpetuatt
political control by disfranchising the
voters of the opposite party. The pay
ment OF these taxes and the distribution
of the receipts to qualify voters, wa
the only means left by which opposition
could be made effective, unless, as som,
wise stateman has suggested, it be made
with muskets.
) 1t is useless to follow the detail Of thi
villianous development. It's source ha
, been shown and its course plainly out
; lined--it is legally formulated calumny
having every degree of cowardice, ever,
amount of malice, every wickedness o
8 purpose, and every mischief of result. |
eliminated in 1896 in the assassination
of justice, and the overthrow of the stat
. government. In the campaign OF lS0
: the calumnies OF the long and bitter con
test had become centralized. Mr.. Ad
dicks leadership in Delaware polite
t was driving the Democrats to the wal
g and he became the object of their malice
: and of the malice of Republican leader
y whom he had supplanted. But VIII
s recite detail. Everybody remembers il
The vindictiveness of every former cam
t paign seemed to have been accumulate
+ for present use, and was being utilized j
4 every way and at every point. Still
e accumulated. No ordinary vent was suff
t cient for its volume. The Democrat
t schemed and ranted. The Republican
n worked. On election day the Denocra,
/ and their Republican allies were beater
e Then it was that Democratic calumnie
1 eliminated in drunken riot conducte
S after legal forms. The Democrats d;
y clared that the whole Republican vol
1 was fraud and planned to steal til
:. whole state. They succeeded in tW
n counties-Kent and Sussex. 1t was
x steal. The Supreme Court said SO O
8 Tuesday.
t This theft was committed to prevel
# the election of Mr.. Addicks to be Unite
d States Senator from Delaware. 1t pr
!, vented his being seated. That he W;
/ elected was proved by the Superi'
8 Courts decision of the mandamus cas-
The courts delay, however, was fata
s Every villainous purpose of the theft
l. the state was cosnmmated-law WI
# made the tool of avarice, and Office tt
e reward of theft. Every appointmel
# growing out Of the election, out of I'll
!. session of the constitutional conventiC
# and the legislative session, was given
e party to the great fraud, one of the
r became United States Senator. In add
j. tion every Federal appointment in tn
= state, under this administration, hi
s. been affected by the fraud-they hay
d been given either to active allies
n the Democrats or to sympathizers wit
e them.
e The major consequences of this frat
a are startling to contemplate. The sta
l. courts were apparently paralyzed.
a has taken two years to correct (?) tt
l. fraudulent election returns. Why? A
le there's the rub. There is no esca]
1. from this dilemma; and it matters n
le upon which of its horns we hang OF
II conclusions-the result is the sam
&c The civic rights Of citizens may
of outraged in Delaware, its purpose {
m fected, and the doer of the outra
Is escape before the machinery Of the la