Daily Republican., 1878-10-31
An Unfair Law.

We are not opposed to the present
assessment and elsction laws because
they are administered by Democrats,
but we would bs equally opposed to,
them II they were administered by Re-
publicans. Enacted for partisan pur-
pose they would be a. dangerous and
wicked in the hands Of one party as In
th. hands of another. The whole Of
the laws relating to that subject are
wrong 80 long as they are allowed to
he used for partisan purposes. The
evil will never cease until the law is
changed and the power taken out Of
the hands Of unscrupulous and schem-
ing political collectors who have so
much power to disfranchise whom they
will. Tn. law should br made
with All eye to facilitate and aid in the
collection OF taxes, rather than Ia create
loop holes to scrsen the guilty. Our
Democratic friends proclaim not only
through their literary organs, but from
the rostrum by their public speakers,
that they are the friends Of the poor
man, but when they say this they cef-
tainlv must mean only Democratic pour
men, and they are only the friends Of
that class so long as they remain Demo-
Gratis. Their friendship for the Repub-
Iican poor men is shown bv disfran-
chisng them if they do not voluntarily
come forward and pay their State and
County taxes, and as soon az a poor
man ceases to be Democrat, then
friendship for him also ceases by that
party. The collectors Of City taxes
pursue an entirely different policy and
they are eminently successful, though
with considerable trouble and some
vexation. They leave no stone un.
turned in trying to collect every cent
due the city from Democrat and Repub.
lcan alike, and this is what should be
done by the County collectors. Through
long series Of years the Office Of
County tax collector has been gradu
ally moulding itself into a political
machine which is now used more than
any other agency in controlling the
elective franchise, and whatever party
is in the ascendsncy has in its power
by numerous manipulations and ways
known only to unscrupnlous politicians
to disfranchise those who only pay
poll tax in the opposite party. 1t was
not until 1873 that the Demo-
Gratis Of Delaware became bold enough
to pass the present iniquitious assess
ment laws which have been used by
unprincipled county collectors in the
disfranchsemen Of about one fourth Of
the voters of the Republican party in
the State. We do not know tn at the
case would be much better whatever
party is in power,so far as the collection
of taxes is concerned under the law.
We hardly think it possible that mani
pulations would be carried on to the
same extent, but there can be no doubt
that if the Republicans were to come
into power the collectors appointed by
them might feel like retaliating in the
same spirit. All this however would
be wrong and yet we can expect no i'm
provement by either party 50 long as
the law which sanctions the wrongs
and injustice collector may perpetrate
is left npon the statute books. None
know the injustice of such laws better
than the Democrats and to them the
people look for the modification of such
laws, when the cup of their revenge is
full, for fancied wrongs which they
imagine they have received from the
Republicans.