Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-12-31
THE STA TIE FINA NCES-TLfE TEN
CENT TAN ON IRA VEL.

This State is in debt how much we can
not exactly say. The amount of funded in
dcbtedncss, however, ranges from million
TO million and quarter. Six per cent.
bonds are issued for this, which now sell at
about ninety, though buyers, even at that
rate, are not plenty. This debt was incurred,
during the war, by the act of Legislature
largely Democratic. In order to pay the
interest upon ii, they levied an unusual
and extraordinary tax upon railroad and
steamboat companies, carrying persons, sin,
through, upon, or over, the State, of Ten
cents on each passenger. This produced an
annual revenue of from eighty to ninety
thousand dollars, which, according to the
provisions of the Act lcvying the tax, SHOULD
have been applied first to the payment of the
interest, and then to the reduction of the
nrincinal Of the debt
From the outset, however. at least one nf
me paIties onsassd In carrying passengers
sin, through, upon, or over" the State,
namely the Reybold steamboat owners, de-
clined to pay ten cents for each of their pas
sengers, being legally advised that the law
| was unconstitutional, IS it interfered with
commerce between the States. Upon this
refusal to pay, they ought, according to the
tax law itself, to have been sued by the
State, for their delinquency. But they never
were sued, Inquiry was sought to be made
in the Legislature, why not, but the Demo-
cratic majority stitled the inquiry, and per-
mitted no explanations to be given The
only reason we can assign for this action
was that the State Treasurer and the Legis-
lature were fully convinced that the law
would not bear q test in the Courts.
Since then, the IIancox Steamboat line,
and the steamers of the P.W. & B. Railroad
Company have omitted to pay for their pas
sengers. Still later, being in October last,
the p. w. Il b. Railroad Co. declined to
pay further for its railroad passengers, who
passed over, out of, or into the State, ex.
pressing only willingness to pay for thost
transported merely within the State Thi
failure to pay very seriously embarrasse
the State, or more correctly the select circl,
of office holders, their cousins, brothers
brothers-in-law, sons, and sons-in-law, VIII,
control our State affairs. They have no
now, funds whcrewith to pay the interes
on our debt, nor, worse still, their Owl
salaries. In response, therefore, to the mott
fication of the Company that they declined
to pay the tax, the State Treasurer and tin
newspaper organ Of the Dover officials, hav
stunned our ears with great amount O
laundering words, threatening dire punish
ment 10 the Railroad Company. We d.
not blame them for being excited. To los
your official salary-paid in gold-is 10
Delaware-or any other State fiiccholdcr
reasonable cause for grief. But we declin
, to be drawn into what is mainly their per
| sonal squabble, and what cannot be more
. under any circumstances, than an issue c
. law, to be tested in the Courts. Our Stat
. obligations arc sacred and must be paid; tn
0 interest on them must be paid, sometime
I But we question very much if an cntir
D change Of State management is not impcrs
a lively required before payment of either wi
+; ever be reasonably certain. Surely chang
1 of management is needed to secure any d,
p" gree of financial ability.
!, In the case against the Railroad Compa
h ny, the issue is purely one of law. If IL
}, tax is unconstitutional and invalid, as til
: Company believe, why Of course nobody C,
d poets them to pay it. If they did, the
X would be greater fools than we suppo!
/ them to be. They arc threatened with ne
+. competing lines for passenger transports
n ton, "Air Line" projects and what not, m
D. they arc obliged to put their fares at Il
lowest profitable figure. If ten cents is a,
=. ded for each passenger, it is just that mut
n load to carry,in competing with other road
o. They, therefore, want to know, before the
0. pay further, whether they arc bound to pa
ut at all. Ifnot, the three hundred thousar
II, dollars, and over, already paid, may
of asked to he refunded.
e, We have thus dwelt upon some of d
IT. points in this case. 1t will absurd the int
n ter, to large degree, and we shall be 81
he to sec them arrange it properly and satisfa
IS, torily. Let them prosecute the Railro
y" Company for its failure to pay. If the Il
in be decided valid one, let them continue
Is collect it, if not, if it is unconstitution;
x then there is an end of that, and some 9th
n, means of revenue must be desire. For ,
pit do not, and we believe the people Of Del
of ware do not, intend that our public debt sh
In I he provided for, by means of unlawful Ia
ri ton. Whatever is just,is one thing whs
ds ever is unjust and illegal Is lndefensible,
.e matter who attempts 1t.