Smyrna times., 1877-04-11


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THE TIMES is published every Wednesday after
noon by JOSEPH II. HOFFECKER, Editor and PrOprie-
tor, at Smyrna Delaware.
TERMS S-SUBscRIPTIoN-On year 500 in advance, or
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discontinued until all paid-only at the
option of the Publisher.
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made to quarterly, semi-annual and yearly adverti
The LEVY COURT AND THE COLORED SCHOOL
TAX.-Mr. Register, President of the Levy
Court, seems to think that that delectable
body is in his keeping, and he takes it
to his keeps as "hen gathereth her
chickens under her wing" Nothing rubs
the skin off him like criticism of this
Court. He evidently thinks it victim of
injured innocence. Other public officers
and public bodies can be hauled over the
Goals, but our Levy Court is above criticism,
if we may judge from the sensitiveness of
the worthy President of the body. Any
thing of this kind, in his estimation, is
prompted by spirit of cussedness" "a
disposition of mind and heart to dishonor
the Court. To intimate that the organiza-
tion which he holds under his protecting
@gis has refused to carry out bridge laws;
has prevented the assessment laws from
doing too much for the Republicans; has
tried to shirk the dog tax law, or has COM
mitted any other blunder, like other flesh
and organized bodies of humanity are liable
to do is too much for our conscientious
friend. He grows nervous and rushes to
the ink bottle, and spreads his indignation
on paper.
What we said about the colored peoples
school tax was this "The county has
been derelict in its duty towards portion
of its taxpayers, through sheer negligence.
For two years the matter has been treated
with an inexcusable indifference" In say
ing this we meant to place the responsibility
where we think it belongs-upon the
county government. Yet Mr.. Register
comes at us with letter published else
where) saddling his Court with all the res
possibility. In so doing we think he
has gone out after goodly share of trouble
that did not belong to his Court.
We insist that this law should not have
remained imperative for two years after its
enactment, and let the fault be where it
may it is gricvous one to the poor-espe-
ciaily poor and helpless-class it was in
tended to benefit. Mr.. Register, in trying
to screen the Levy Court, may shift the
responsibility on whom he pleases, yet the
wrong will exist all the same. The collec-
tors say they collected the tax; the ex-
Treasurer of the county says he paid over
the funds as soon as he got them in hand
to pay with, and now the President of the
Levy Court prints a letter showing that
that body has done "what seemed its part
to do''-has done more and better by the
tax than the law provides, and yet in spite
of all this lovelines, two years and over
have passed by and the law is still virtually
unfulflled in letter and spirit Only two
Hundreds out of the nine in the county
have made returns. We are glad to state
however, that the current has at last beer
turned in the right direction, and hereafter
we hope that none of our citizens will bC
compelled by the county to pay hard-earneC
money without receiving an equivalen
therefor. All the county officers that We
know are too honorable to do such thing
as this in their individual capacity, and i'll
but fair that they should engineer tn,
county business as justly as they conduc
their own. Such has not been the case
however, in this matter. The negro tax
payers have been wrongfully treated, AM
some public official or officials are RESPONSE
BILE for that which is wrong. We are as ignc
rant as the rest of the public about Lev
Court proceedings; they are never published
or very rarely, but Mr.. Registers explana
tion does not explain away the injustic
that has been done. If he lifts the entir
burden from the Levy Court it must res
somewhere else. He and his friends ca
put it where they please, but they cannc
hide it. About one point there is no quei
tion, viz: that whatever obstacles hav
been in the way, they would have all bee
obviated in little while if the interests
the Democratic party had been wrappe
up in the law. 1t wouldn't have taken tw
years, nor anything ike il 10 have carrie
the act into ciirct. 1t must he remembere
that no one has ever charged cFiminI
intent III this u. .'.. iut merely inexcus
ble iEdif... all and surel
that is bad enough, and there ought nev,
to have been any grounds for even tha
Nobody knows better than Mr. Regist'
that our Levy Court has been ia the hab
heretofore of shirking the laws that
hadn't much shine for, or at least fearful
neglecting them, sometimes in spite of h
earnest efforts.
But we hope now that, though late, Il
law has been put in proper trim to VOL
all right if so we shall be content.
A s0ciDfv has been formed which N