The daily gazette., 1879-08-16
Let the Voters Read
THE REPUBLICANS RECANTA-
TION OF FORMER ASSERTIONS.

TION OF FORMER ASSERTIONS.
From the Delaware Republican.
DIsFRANCHIsED VOTERS.
As the time for the City election is
drawing nigh and the people more or
less are talking about voting they wake
up to realize the fact that they are total
ly disfranchised, especially II they hap
pen to be Republicans. or our own
knowledge we know of quite a large
number that are not on the assessment
and therefore they cannot vote. and an
instance has been related to us of an as
ISOLATION which contained over thirty
members, upon comparing notes q few
evenings ego on the City election and
expressing desire to vote, they found
that fully one halt Of them were disfran-
chised-that Is that their names were
not upon the assessment. We do not
want to chide cur friends for we sincere
ly wish they had right to vote, but we ven-
ture to ask whose fault it is that they
cannot vote? It is true that much is to
be blamed upon the law and Democratic
officials under the law. 1t is true also
that these l&Ws were passed with the ex-
press purpose Of disfranchisIng Republi-
cans but they do not necessarily disfrdn-
chise unless the individual Is really wil-
ling to be disfrdnchised.
There are plenty of Republicans of
moderate means who have never yet
been disfranchissd by having their names
dropped from the assessment for non
payment Of taxes, simply because they
always hunted up the collector aud paid
their taxes.
Such persons never lose their votes be-
cause they always keep themselves inssvo-
ting trim, and when tho time for an cleo
ton comes around they are on hand
ready to vote If they wish to, and to ex-
ercise their privilege of voluntarily stay
ing away from the polls, and not voting
if they see proper to do that. People
,ch0 pay their tares al,oays haze pOtes
and their names rarely euer are left OF
the assessments. after all that has been
said there is no real excuse for uOters be-
ing disfrdnchised. The law though un-
wieldly, crooked, and unaccomm o dating
offers facilities enough for every voter by
very small sacrifice of time and troub-
lie to be assessed, and persons who do
not avail Themselves of the opportunity
be assessed which is offered, certainly
are not anxious to become voters. The
Rassessors hdue al,oays gioen notice
lohere they can be found at certain hours
by any one aoh0 nay haue reason to think
that their names are not upon the books,
besides this they go through the ,card,
bunting up those aoho theg think hdUt
not been assessed. We know that Mr.,
Ward of the Northern District did the
last year and we know that even before
the regular final notice week before the
meeting Of the Levy Court, he had no
tice in the city papers of his location in {
certain Office where he could be found b!
anybody wishing to be assessed, and h
never failed TO assess such person
they had right to be assessed. In dd
dition to this the collectors haze ha'
standing advertisements in the paper
giring notice tohere they could be fOunt
By any person loishing to pay their tdres
With these facilities offered there really
is no good redson ,ohy anybody should
be diyrdnchisdd, but II voters never lool
after their assessments and never think
of hunting up the collector to pay theil
taxes, such persons are always sure te
find themselves disfranchised when the
time for the election comes around
There are now upon the tax duplicates
the names of large number of voter
who have not paid their taxes for the
present year, and in all probability un.
less those persons are free holders they
will not be called upon to pay any tax.
es, and conseqh hently such persons if they
do not hunt up the collectors, and pa,
their taxes their names will also be swep1
from the books and they will also b.
amongst the disfrahchised. The collec
tors are n0ao in their Offices on SiIt
street between Market and King receav
ina the tdres If all acho come and ote
to pay. The collectors Joseph L. Car
penter and g. II. ID. Bedford have desk
contiguous to each other, and no citizeI
can possibly make amistake farther thar
to apply to the wrong man in which cast
he will be referred to the right one. Mr.
Bedford is collector for all that part o
| the city north of Sixth street, and Mr.
Carpenter of all that part of the cit.
south of Sixth street, and with this un
derstanding no one need 60 astlay.