Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/279

DELAY/ ARE COUNTY. 255 and assistance. And dishonest and designing politicians, who could pierce the future, just far enough to see that this excite- ment, if properly managed, would become a popular doctrine with the great body of those living under such tenures, eagerly ' - seized hold of it, and with brazen lungs trumpeted it to all around, --not forgetting to laud their own patriotism in thus coming forth in the support of right, and determined, like many others called honest and pure, to ride into office and gather the spoils. To all these classes anti-rentism has been as it were a magic word, and under it, they have attempted to repudiate solemn con- tracts, and defraud the landlords of their honest dues. We are well aware that this position will be denied ; but in support of it we refer to facts, now well established, and familiar to all cognizant of the machinery and contrivances of anti-rentism. As a general thing, all the tenants have claimed the protection of associations, have paid a specified tax per acre for such pro- tection, and under the instructions of such associations have refused to pay the yearly rent. That they have so done, is proved from acknowledgments in familiar conversations, and from their own confessions made before legal tribunals, under the sanctity of an oath. With such objects in view, many counties have rallied under the same standard, and seem determined that it shall be triumphant, even at the expense of law and order. And as the flag of equal rights is thrown to the breeze, and mis- guided and frenzied men are gathering around it, and design- ing demagogues are driving them on, a duty is placed upon us to inform ourselves of the grievances, under which they imagine they are suff"ering, and to understand the means adopted for their removal, so that we may be enabled to judge and act correctly, like honest men and honest citizens. The complaints of tenants are various, but they generally take some or all the following forms — either that the claim of those who who assume to be lords of the manor, is unfounded