Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-04
POLITICAL DELAWARE IN
THE MLNETEETH CENTURY
Democratic Policy and Procedure During the Exciting
Campaign of I84O-- -How the Delowore Gazette Made
Rabid, Savage Fight, Under Unusually Disturbins
Conditions and Met Defeat With Sn0rlins
Vindictiueness
by Merris Taylor.

became may be inferred from the fol-
lowing extract from an effusion adj /
dressed to the journal in the Gazette /
of Friday, October 16: THE editor OF /
this PAPER under the direction of his /
taskma sters, stoops to the most shame
LEGS abuse and grossest faisehoods |
with regard TO our course during the |
present contest We care not for the |
ccntemptible pup, or any of the whelps
that bark him Into training. Our
course has been that of truth and |
honesty and we defy the whole Brit
ish Whig Abolition faction, alias Tory
BluelIght Hartford Conventlonists. to
point TO one single misstatenent we
have made" And with such out
bursts and with a continual rubbing
in OF charges that General Harrison,
while governor of the Northwestern
Territory, had sanctioned whipping and
selling into slavery of soldiers and
others convicted of misdemeanors,
had advocated restriction of suffrage to
property owners. and was In favor OF
prescribing foreigners, especially those
of the Catholic faith. the Gazette con-
tinued it's savage warfare against the
whig party.
The October election in Pennsyl-
yania which resulted in a Democratic
victory. gave much encouragement
to the valiant lighting editor of the
Gazette, and he could see nothing but
the subsequent reelection of Pre-i.
dent Van Buren,. Additional comfort
came from Democratic victory in
Arkansas. but the result in New
Jersey was different, and the Gazette
could only find comfort In a small re-
duction of the whig ma iority at some
previous election.
Defeat Looming Up.
But about this time evidences be-
gan to appear IN the editorial columns
OF the Gazette that Il was worried
with doubts about the election Of its
| party candidates, in both nation and
State. While il continued TO display
savagery, IL also began to indulge in
what was then called, as Il is today,
"squeaIing" 1t said fraud and vio-
lence were stamping through the
country, intent upon corrupting and
optraging the voters and carrying the
election by foul means. watch the
Wings with the eyes OF Argus" !. it
warned its readers. And agVn:
| Rally. freemen of Delaware. as one
4
he we'll" And with an evident tone OF
despair: "1f you are tired of being
| freemen. give your vote To Harrison
and elect him to the office of President,
then he will make you SLAVES
Hard Fight Against Odds.
Throughout the campaign the active
managers of the Democratic party
seem 10 have made a hard fight and
| llss ndled their forces with much skill
Although the election of Harrison be-
came foregone conclusion before the
dawn of election day in Delaware, the
Democrats of this State stood &c their
guns manfully and did not suffer the
voting losses that were 50 heavy in
other States. But they could not
stem the great tide of resentment at
| the distress and suffering that had
come upon the land during the Van
Buren, administration. and voters in
/ Delaware, as elsewhere. held the ad
ministration responsible and voted ac-
| cordingly. And so the Democratic
! battle in Delaware was hopeless, the
only after consolation being that al
/ though the customary Whig majority
was somewhat enlarged. it did not as
sumo the proportions of an avalanche,
as it did in some other States. Della
ware Democrats at least went down to
defeat with their flag floating defiant
Is TO the breeze.
In the same manner the Delaware
Gazette fought TO the last. IL ad-
vanced the issue of its paper for Tues
day. November 10, election day. by
putting il into general circulation the
evening before, so thai its imEassioned
"last hour" appeals might encourage
| its party followers and penehance win
over some wayerers ansong the op-
position. But the fear Of fraud, evil
IDENTIFY born of appreaensions OF de-
feat. was paramount and found ex-
preston in appropriate black type
| warnings on tIse editorial page,
mingled with exhortations TO the
faithful to do their duty like men.
Let your motto be Liberty or
Death!"
ITO the POLLS"
stand at the Windows"
Guard Against Illegal Voters"
Keep a strict watch on the ballot
boxes all day"
Thus ii screamed its final warnings
and kept up its strenuous efforts al
/ most up to the hour of voting. But all
in vain.
] SnarIed Over the Outcome.
The Gazette accepted defeat in any
thing but a cheerful and resigned
spirit. Its editorial tone in reviewing
the result, after the smoke of battle
had cleared away, was not that of the
gallant soldier who accepts reverses
as gracefully as he enjoys victory. OF
the result in Delaware it said editorial
~ IN its ensuing issue: Although now
smarting under defeat, We feel greater
pride in having honestly performed
our duties TO our country and 10 our
selves and posterity than We should
have done had we triumphed by such
unhallowed means as the Whig faction
have been compelled to resort to-"
And of the result in the country:
we have been defeated, shamefully
defeated, by the most unhallowed
means ever resorted to by any party.
Really. this sounds, even at this late
day. very much like the growing of q
faorehead. But the Gazette took its
olitics very much in earnest, and de-
feat was aggravating. Also in thai
day it meant the loss of a great deal so1
Federal advertising, esh it knew
would pass to its hated political con-
temporary under the next admins.
tration. .Hnc ille lachryma
A
MEETINGS TONIGHT