Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-01-25

SEVERELY cAUsTIc LETTER FROM An
OPPONENT -wILMISGroN's PROPORTION
or THE TAXES.

OPPONENT WILMINGTON fhofOhlioN |
or THE TAxKs.
Msssrs. Fditors.-As perceive you in
vlte short articles upon current topics,
let US gossip little about the question OF
the hour-the removal Of the Courts.
Some Of yeur orators argue for tie removal
Of the Court House aud buildings appur-
tenant, but that, I fancy, will be ntlle
beyond the reach Of the Kind Of rhetoric
that has yet exploded. Music might
achieve IL; Orpheus, they say, used to do
such things, but have not heard OF his
lately taking up residence In your mi
eropolis, either with or without floating
intention.
But for the the thing intended. Do
your people want 1t The associated Bar
certainly dos, and some, perhaps, of the
unassociated Bench With them, na.ur-
ally, considerations of personal ease and
private interest will somewhat obscure
their usual clear perception of the general
good. The Textbook will wear yet more
cheerful aspect, when the debit side shall
have been entirely expunged. But, In
that blest DAY, will plaintiff and defendent
John Doe and Richard Roe, those lively
actors In that liveliett of all entertain
ments, q bouncing suit at law, will they
rejoice ia their beds over minishing fees
Maybe so, and maybe no And the Board
of Trade, which, as your faithful reporters
seem to show, is being rapidly whitfield
away, aud that uncommon Council, aud
the Young Mems Christian Association,
and the Society for the Propagation Of the
Gospel in foreign parts, and all the rest Of
them, they all are Suffering" Tor II Tx
the boy who didn't need q straw hat, but
was suffering for breaslpin.
But the people, who are TO pay the pip
while they dance TO the Orphean must
alluded to, what have they TO say on,nt
this little business Have they no hu q
dens now bowling down their backs Tue
Water Works and King street and From
street, and the innumerable, often unfOr
seen. increasing needs of rapidly grow
ing city all these piled upon the ordinary
burden they have to bear, itself swelling
like a river in spring time, are these not
enough for them7 We who are clamoring
at Dover for relief from burdens which ye
say are already intoerable, will ye gladly,
at the beck OF very few who feel them
less than ye, stoop your shoulders 10 a
thrice heavier loadl Fifty thousand dol
lars, say the talking gentlemen What
the projectors aud builders of grand opera
houses, and palatial hotels, and Grace
churches, and chapels, adj nlojOrem Wbl'
glorianl, the gentlemen, the sides of whost
swelling imaginations are bursting with
the idea of Christiana harbor which Ii
to be the eastern terminus Of the great
trahs-continental railway from Landen
berg, and which is to float the tallest masti
of the talltst kind of admirals, will they b.
content with that kind of thingi
And what Is to be the gain Fort,
thousand people. exclaim your orators, al
of whom, men, women and children, ant
perhaps infants, on vsfltre sss msres, (oui
Bob, yet uuhung scamp, tells me this it
Chootaw for "unborn bables") have I,
trudge through torrld summer and horri'
winter, several times Il year, 10 Court
Why, vociierates Que of your sous o
thunder, the building associations pay tiy
thousand dollars year for expense o
searches Unhappy associations tina
keep back from your borrowers two third
and more of the principal and charge In
terest upon the whole debt up to the yer
moment When the last monthly instalmen
is paid, aud yet squeal like stuck pig
when the collector modcstly asks for th
, less than one half Of one per cent, which
, in common with all other mortgages, 20
! pay for support Of government. And 20
pay two-thlrds of the taxes and you hav
seven eighths of the business and all thl
! 10 to be saved. Now, sir, the facts don
, agree with the figures. So much tn
: worse, perhaps, for the facts. The censu
, of 30 gives you thirty thousand and SON
j, hundreds. Do you increase at a rate
: near 30 per cent. per annuml Cred
= Jtiddeus Apelld | have at hand the fiual
. cial reports for '6S and ~. In the form
= year you paid about SO per cent. Of Il
Z taxes, and in the latter about ~ per cen
= The former Is, l suppose, a fair average
= what you have been paying up To Il
: change of our tax system In 'b9. No'
a since the assessor reaches a portion
!. your accumulated wealth, your proporti,
= rises a little. Why, cir, If you had BET
- paying all along as the rural popul
a a iionsF have been paying, the Couu
!, Treasury could build half dozen cou
:, houses and not wink.
!" But my gossip will be too much for 70
> If keep on. There are many aspects
=, the question. Perhaps, some other day
4. you like, may scribble more.
"a Meantime, let Us walt. We have, al
u us enough to bear now. And anotl
- qulnquenniam, probably, will greatly IA II
. the relations the different parts OF U
=, county bear 10 each other, and will requ
cca a new adjustment, which we shall then
~ better able to bear. All life and growth
a., not in your beautiful aud busy city. n
"a Castle has awaked from her digniaed
oa pose of centuries. Delaware City, us {
~ looks out upon the sea, and feels
"a breath of the Pennsylvania hi
~ Is even now thrilling with the joy of
ho nascent greatness, and soon will vindic
-, her title to tue name she bears. MIDI
Ia town, seated In the lap of fertility, VIII
"a, trade and manufactures, and mecha
hs arts with liberal culture are joining hal
~ with her splendid husbandry, is rapi
III extending her borders. And Newark, {
VA Odessa, and Christiaua, and Glasgow,
~ Townsend, and Blaekbird, all will 81
az az feel, if they do not now feel, the spirit
,so the new renaissance.
,o And the "rural populations" of
10 county, will grow in sympathy with
~ "urban," and so, Gin the good til
~, ~, coming" we all will he enabled to &c
no in harmony and peace the questions, wh
III now, preclpltately and lnoppOrtur
,vo forced upon ne, threaten to disturb
~ kindly relations of the olden time.
RUsTIOULu
,,e CoRsnIIL, Jan. Gath, 1878.