Milford chronicle., 1956-09-28
Raymond Lank Story
Will Be Presented To
SUSSEX Voters
CONTINUED from first page)

(Continued from first page)
Gus legislative measures promised
by their candidates in the 1854 cam
paign; in fact, members of the Re
publican minority, in all good
faith. promised their assistance in
effecting passage of many of the
measures promised in the 1854
platforms of the two parties. How
ever, despite the pledge of then
Democrat Party State Chairman
Ebert N. Carvel that his party. de-
spite its sizeable majority in both
houses, would not resort to rip
perism". indications were soon
given that the Democrat Party in
tended to use its newly found pow
er to "trip out" existing, and in
many instances, long standing laws
and commissions, and to deny to
the Governor his legal right to APP
point Commission members. The
death of William J. Thornton,
Democrat representative from Will
mington, in the spring of 1865, and
the subsequent election of Repub-
lIcan James III. Snowden, as bis
Eu1tfCcOls liiitN IAOiIhtJ
wrench"-at least temporarily, in
Democrat planning.
According to Republicans-and,
SO far, the opposition has made
little or no effort to disprove it
the Democrats Immediately began
TO try to offset loss of the House
seat and three-fourth majority by
seeking ways and means of unseat-
ing some one OF the few Republi-
can representatives and replacing
that person with a Democrat. I'm
der law, existing at the time, this
could not be done.
However, after carefully scru-
tinizing the election results in the
states legislative districts, Demo-
crat Party leaders. according TO
Republicans, noted that Raymond
M. Lank, of Sussex's Tenth Repre-
sentative District, had received
large amount of absentee voter
support. much of IL from young
men, who. prior to their entry into
service and departure from their
home district, knew and respected
Mr.. Lank; by contrast, his defeat-
ed Democrat opponent, had little
absentee voter strength, but had
otherwise ran strong in a district
that had, in previous elections,
"see-sawed" back and forth be-
tween the two parties. According
to Republican version, Democrat
leaders, in further study of 1854
Tenth District results, noted that,
if all absentee votes were thrown
out, Mr.. Lank's opponent would be
top man by q very narrow margin.
In order to effect the unseating
of Mr.. Lank, the Democrat leaders
and legislators had to take a bold
step that was possibly without pre-
cedence in the history of Delaware.
Using their full power, the Demo-
Gratis declared unconstitutional Del
aware's Absentee Voter Law, re-
sulting I'm the disqualifying of suf-
ficient voters. most of them service
men, to take away from Raymond
M. Lank the plurality that had earn
ed him House seat
While the Democrat action was
still being tested in court. and cri-
ticized in the press and on the
streets, the Democrat-dominate
House seated Mr.. Lank's previous
election opponent, regaining, by
their action, the three-fourth ma
jority necessary to pass any and
all partisan legislation, good and
bad.
Raymond M. Lank, the man who
was the victim of the Democrat
action, then, for one of the few
times in his public career, became,
as he describes it, fighting mad.
With the encouragement of his
many friends. he decided to again
become a candidate and to take the
'T,ank Story" direct to the people,
feeling that all Delawareans. and
particularly the people of Sussex
County, should be reminded that,
time and again, of how the Demo-
Gratis had declared a law uncon-
stimtional and denied the men, in
the service of their country. the
privilege OF voting for men OF their
choice. In order to take the story
to all Sussex voters, and, at the