The daily gazette., 1879-12-06
Ths Tax Celleetevs and Negro Suf.
fRage

.-..........- -
re Tax Colleeters and Negro Suf.
fraGe ii
Why are not collectors compelled to
all upon all the taxables and at least
lek them once for their taxes?-Repub-
fcdn.
The present law was passed after the
,candalous and infamous Enforcement
avs were enacted by Congress. The
Enforcement laws are so framed that the
collectors felt themselves in danger of
being arrested and prosecuted in the
United States Courts, on the oaths Of
and lying negroes at any time,
and subjected to . trial before juries
of whites and negroes, select
ed and summoned-not drawn-to con-
vict. In fact 1t was doubtful for some
months whether collectors could be got
10 collect the taxes in some of our dis
tricts. Any bad negro could abuse and
even beat collector and then go before
. United States Commissioner and swear
out q warrant for his arrest. There
could be no exception in the law to ne
groes, IL the collector was compelled to
20 to . white mae after his tax he would
be compelled to 60 into the swamps and
alleys after the negro's tax and to OBJ |
viate difficulties the laws were amend
ed as they exist. And they do not re-
quire the collector to make personal ap-
plication for the poll tax. The collec-
tors get percentage and We presume
they find that it does not pay for horse
hire to look after the negro's tax. Be-
fore the law was amended as they exist
the collectors had had several difficulties
and suits in consequence Of endeavors to
collect taxes from negroes. The negroes
now have the same right to 60 and pay
their taxes that white man has. If he
will not do that we don't care to see him
vote. We don't know that things were
not better anyhow before he voted at all;
and we should be just as well pleased If
he did not vote seeing that he has not
the liberty to vote as he pleases and
must vote to please his own race, and the
Radical leaders, or be killed.
But il it turns out that the negroes
avail themselves of this law to refuse to
roe until their taxes are paid for them,
the Democrats are not to blame. If the
collectors were forced to collect negroes
taxes by law the jails In all the counties
would not hold them, and 1t would cost
more to keep them until their taxes were
paid than the State could get out of
them In the shape of taxes. Beside that
the collectors would be set upon as un-
feeling neutrality-suspicious. of poor
negroes; and the war that was com
menced upon Collector Given, of this
city in the U. S. Courts, and thre atened
TO be enforced against some other collec.
tors, would have continued and produced
the most unpleasant results. As tn,
law Is some negroes escape the payment
Of taxes by forfeting their votes, and a
the State is well, and more economical,
governed by the Democrats than
would be by a party made up of hal
negroes and half whites, the conserys
tives all over the Commonwealth agre
to 1t and have mostly cast their vote
with the Democrats to keep it so, an
to avoid seeing the negro thrust into tf
public schools, the jury box, the Office
Of Constable, Magistrate, Town Con
missioner, Police, City Council, Lev
Court Commissioner and Congress. ,
he would be if the avowed princpl,
OF the Republican party as expounde
and advocated by the Republico
were carried out. Now, we do not wi.
to discuss this matter further with O,
neightor. We cited on Thursday Il
the opinion not long since expressed
an influential young Delaware Repub
can orator of the State as to the .sbo
esty" of its officials, and we repeat
here. He said:
"In these days Of pecuiation (alludil
to the Republican officials, because the
were no Democrats in Office in L
national government and no Republica
In the State officers in Delaware,) Del
todre nds first among ciuilized CO
naunities for the rigid honesty of
government. / am conscious that MOI
dime Of the public money has erer b,
dishonestly used"
That is what an active, ardent Rep,
lican says Of our State and the man
in which its affairs have been conduct
And the Republican has not dared to
ny 1t. The reader aoiil please note
fact.
We have said all this before; and
do not wish to annoy the many the
ands of readers of the GAZETTE
over the State with repetltions of
defense Of our gallant little Comm
wealth of which the whole nation f
proud and whose finances every S
might emulate (; and we would gls
bring our remarks to close here W
out further repetition; but it Sc
meet and proper that we should N
one more quotation in order to pI