Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-06-11
Saturday, June 18th, 1859.
TAXES.
A PLAIN TALK ON A PLAIN SUBJECT

= PLAIN TALK ON PLAIN SUBJECT.
If ever there were people on this earth,
who bear their buthens patiently, they are
the people Of Wilmington. Tax upon taxes
have been. heaped up--the city debt has been
increased until it has become such, that every
payer feels it burthensome. The scriptures
say sthat there went out decree under
Herod, that all the world should be taxed. -
Whether that decree has been travelling ever
since, and only arrived here, is matter for
historians to settle, but there is one thing
certain, that the authorities of this city are
out Heroding Herod with vengeance. We
are willing TO bear the burtbens necessary to
carry on the affairs of our city, as any man in
the community, but we do not look on this
matter as a question oftaxation--it is a ques-
tion OF plumber. Taxes are to be considered
necessary imposts laid to defray the expenses
of a community when the authorities admin
later its affairs economically, andshoud never
be laid heavy enough to become odious TO the
people. 1t should he laid in quantity, sufi-
Client TO bear MI the expenses of the city. but
these expenses should never be such as 10
warrant extraordinary taxation, This gene
ration has no business to pay the debts of
half dozen generations to come.
Another thing IL fast running into the bust
moss Of the city. That is allowing the assessor
to assess property too high. We speak on
this subject wa are talking about from the
book. Whe1 the assessor values ans
nronarty for tnorat tbnn II will call ors nr
more than what has been paid Tor il, injus-
tioe has been done to the property holder,
and Il is only legal way Of getting hold of a
mans pocket book. We don't know whether
the City Council has authorized the present
assessor to value property for more thtn il is
worth, or not; or whether some property Is
TO be valued high and some low. is matter
for themselves to decide, but WE do know
that II Ia done, and it Is high time that the
matter was attended io--that the people
should know t. Where Is the use Of Il poor
man iaborIng and toiing away his lifetime
10 get possession of little home, wherein he
may feel secure In his declining years, II he
have to pay as much as til" interest o! The
money, the property cost 10 thu city in taxes
and other municipal expenses. The man who
Il improvideut and buys u, lanl, fares hast
with the tax collector. There il no encour
agement for industry to accumulate property
In the bounds of tho city. 1t is an eternal
grab-game for his money. The poor man
may coin his bones and muscles to gather to-
gc.her little property, only TO find the tax
collector ut his door, to carry away the pro-
eseds of his toll. Austrian usurpatiou can
DO no more 10 empoverish the towns Of Italy,
that tho Council of Wilmington IL doing tot
} empovsrish our beautiful ltte city.
This article is not written in party spirit
for we think, so far as our city is concerned, "a
majority of the democrats arc no letler than
the opposition. We think that economy and
honesty should characterize the actions Of
what should be our city fatherS--not city ~
rants. II the Council was abolished for ten
years, we would become thriving people---we
would out-strip our debts, and BIO able to COM
mence anew on u sure basis. Voters reflect
upon the proposition of applying 20 the next
Legislature, to abolish the City Council a a
nuisance altogether.