1847.] HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 371 



general election, " those voters in favor of removal shall each 

 vote a written or printed ticket, labelled on the outside, Scat of 

 Justice, and containing the words County property in Upper 

 Proindence, and those opposed to removal, shall each vote a 

 written or printed ticket, labelled on the outside as aforesaid, 

 and containing the word C/iestcr.'' In case a majority voted 

 for "Chester," the Commissioners were required to erect a new 

 jail at the existing seat of justice, while on the other hand, if a 

 majority voted for tlie " County property in Upper Providence," 

 the Commissioners were required '' to definitely fix and deter- 

 mine on the exact location for new public buildings for the ac- 

 commoilation of the County," not more distant "than one-half 

 of a mile from tlie farm attached to the House for tlie support 

 and employment of the poor" of Delaware County, and not more 

 than one-half mile from the state road leading from Philadelphia 

 to Baltimore. 



The question was now fairly at issue, and on terms that the 

 anti-removalists could not object to, for they had proclaimed in 

 their remonstrance to the Legislature their conviction, in case 

 these terms should be adopted, that " two-thirds of the votes of 

 the people" would be found against the proposed new site. 

 They had, however, committed a fatal mistake in allowing a site 

 for the new buildings to be selected so low down in the County, 

 when it was within their power to have had one higher up and 

 more distant from Chester selected. It was this that reconciled 

 the great body of removalists to the proposed site : for while it 

 was not regarded by many of them as the most eligible, its se- 

 lection greatly increased the number of voters who felt that 

 their convenience would be promoted by a change. 



During the summer of 1847 a number of articles appeareil in 

 the public papers on both sides of the question, of various de- 

 grees of merit. The removalists, through their committee of 

 correspondence, went systematically to work and thoroughly or- 

 ganized their party. Perhaps no party in the County had ever 

 before been organized so well. It can do no harm now to state, 

 that long before the election, the committee had become so well 

 acquainted with the sentiments of the people of the County, that 

 they could count with certainty upon a majority in favor of re- 

 moval of at least three hundred. Their efforts towar<ls the close 

 of the contest were not really for success, but to swell the 

 majority which they knew they had, as well before, as after the 

 election was held. 



On the 30th of August, the removalists held a public 

 meeting at the house of Peter Worrall, in Nether Providence. 

 This meeting, which was very large and enthusiastic, adopted 

 an address to the citizens of the County, placing the question of 



