The sun., 1898-10-12

According to the order of the Superior
Court the old election board OF Kent
county will meet today and canvass and
tabulate the returns of the election in
Kent county in 1896 Nearly two years
have elapsed since the Democratic mem
bers of the Kent county board of election
officers perpetrated the most outrageous
political steal on record in this state. 1t
was far worse than the celebrated theft
of state senator in New York, which
attracted attention everywhere and
brought about the defeat OF the Demo
cratic party in that state at the next
election.
The Kent county Gaze is still familiar
to the people of Delaware, and it will
probably go down into history as the last
act of the kind possible under the old
conditions. Under the new conditions
such an attempt to nullify the results Of
an election is not expected to be even at
tempted. Although no particular bene-
fit is to result from this late tabulation of
the returns for two years ago and the
issuing Of certificates in conformity with
the showing thus to be made. it will be a
source Of satisfaction to have it officially
decided and recorded that the eight Dem
ocrats who represented Kent county in
two legislative sessions held their seats
without any right or title further than
such title was given them by their
party associates upon the face OF
certificates of election that were false.
The terms of those eight men, with the
exception of the holding-over senator,
have expired, save in the event of spe-
cial session of the General Assembly be-
ing called between now and the first day
of January next. The eight men who
were defrauded of their rights can OBJ
tain no redress, and probably neither can
the county officers whose term should
have begun in November, 1896, and
which would have expired next month
1t is possible that these men will be given
their offices for one month, but that Will
amount to nothing. They can only have
the satisfaction of knowing that their
titles were made clear; and that it will
always be remembered that they were
cheated out of their rights. The sugges.
tion of suits to recover back salaries may,
however, put new phase on the case.
1t will be simply matter of Justice
lono deferred though it is-when the Off
clal announcement is made, although in
voluntarily, that the Kent county Demo-
Gratis sitting in the board of election Off
GERS two Years ago, committed an offense
OF which the highest court in the state
has taken cognizance. 1t will be a
lar more bitter memory for the Demo
Gratis than it will be for the men who
were kept out of their offices. Morning
Npus
According to the order of the Superior
Court, it is expected that the Kent
county Board of Canvass for the election
OF 1896 will meet in Dover today and
canvass the returns of the election held
in November of that year. At its origi-
nal session, the board threw out several
Republican districts, on the ground of
fraud, and gave certificates of election to
the Democratic nominees who were thus
left with plurality Of the votes
The result OF this action was that the
Constitutional Convention compromised
the dispute so far as it was concerned,
by admitting five Democrats and five
Union Republicans. The Legislature
seated the Senator and seven Represen-
tatives who were given certificates, and
the Levy Court seated the members of
that body returned as elected. The
county Offices were held up pending the
determination of the legal contests, the
incumbents retaining possession of the
places. The count of the full returns by
the board today will result in giving GER
tificates to the Union Republican candi.
dates for these Offices, and probably to
ba Papnt>linnn Inprt nd, La,
but the action of the board cannot apply
to the Constitutional Convention and
the Legislature, which bodies are practi-
cally out OF existence
1t is given out that the Republicans
will attempt to make campaign material
out of the final action of the Board of
Canvass, and circulate in pamphlet form,
as a political document, the vote of the
county as finally computed by the board
and the vote as it stood after the throw
lag ont of several Republican districts.
We do not think, however, that they
will be able to make any political capital
out of the matter. The full vote and the
vote as manipulated by the Board of
Canvass were printed in Every E,eniny
and other papers at the time, and the
people are fully acquainted with the
figures. 1t was shown at the time that
the full vote was 1867 for the Republi-
can electors and 3, l57 for the Democratic
electors, the vote for the Union Repub-
lican nominees on the county ticket be-
ing $50 to 200 less, on account OF the
Regular Republicans having separate
ticket. 1t was also shown that after the
manipulation of the figures by the Board
Of Canvass, the vote was 2,047 for the
Democrats and 1924 for the Republi.
cans.
1t is fact that this revolutionary and
illegal action of the Board of Canvass
was accepted with surprising compla
cency by the great majority of the peo
pie OF this state. Ordinarily, such tao.
tics-such complete reversal Of the re.
suit of an election on the face of the re-
turns by body absolutely without au
shorty to take such action would have
cgused revolution, but the good people
OF Delaware went quietly about theil
ordinary affairs and gave themselves nc
concern over the matter They vel
knew the outrageous frauds that had
been practiced, and the fearful debauch
cry of suffrage that had been perpetrateC
to secure the apparent Union Republican
victory in Kent county, and they an