The daily gazette., 1880-01-01
assessing the TOters.
THE SIMPLE PLAN, WHICH UNCLE Fam
PROPOSES To INVEsTIaATE.

THE SIMPLE PLAN, WHICH UNCLE FAM
PROPOSES TO INVESTIGATE.
It is not wholly clear to those, whose
Official duties associate them with the
appointment OF the supervisors of regis
tration. when the appointment of those
scrstinizers Of assessInent lists should
take place. Mr.. Valentine, the chief su-
pervisor thinks that they should be ap-
pointed either 10 days previous to the
sitting Of the assessors for correction, ,Or
ten days previous to the time when the
lists are submitted to the Levy Court.
There Is nothing unusual about the
mode OF assessment" remarked MT.
George q. Ward, assessor of the North
ern district t OF the city to GAZETTE ie-
porter, who had applied to him for a
statement. Mr.. Ward then, willingly
consented to talk about the matter. He
said:
"Abou. five or six weeks ago, / gave
notice in the palers that would SIT at
Mr.. Carpenters office o. Market street
below Seventh for the purpose of max.
ing assessments during certain hours of
each evening, and since then / have
Deen at that place receiving names.
Some evenings not even one man would
come to be put on the list. The work of
making mp the assessment list is very
simple. located myself in Mr.. Car
penter's Office In order to be better able
to judge as to who should be put on and
who should not, as there are certain
things there to guide me that / would
not have elsewhere. A great deal of
care is taken not to put any names on
the list who are already there, and In
order to do this the assessment list of
the previous year which Is In the posses
sion OF the tax collector Is consulted; II
the name OF the applicant is contained
in that list 1t is not pat on.
1T may be, however, that some names
are put on that should not be there, but
II such is she case, IL is done uniDten-
uonally. This may arise from the fact
that some OF those persons who have
been returned by the tax collectors to
the Levy Court as delinquents are put
on. But, this It Is impossible to avoid,
as she assessor has no earthly means OF
knowing who have been thus returned
or who have not. This mistake Is, of
course, corrected by the Levy Court. 1t
Is also posi- BILE that some other mistakes
have been made.
"Well, lists Of the names that have
been taken are made out by January 10,
ana On that day they are posted In the
dinerent wards; they there remain until
the last Saturday in January. The as
SCISSOR, according To previous noIice 10
the various newspapers then sits in some
central place In the district, for one day,
or more, If necessary, for the purpose of
adding any omitted names, or making
corrections. You will see that nothing
IL secretly done, and that with all this
public notice the people must be well ac-
quainted with what is going on. Having
thus made public the assessment lists
and given the people fair chance o
have their names put on, the return is
made to the Levy Court at It's first
meeting in February The lists are then
examined for errors, and after tho mem.
bers of the Levy Court are satisfied that
they are correct, the Clerk of the Peace
makes duplicate lists and again hangs
them up In the different districts. BY
this the people are given a second op
portunity to ki Ow whether they have
been assessed, and another opportunity
Is offered them to be put on in case they
nave not applied. And the oppor-
tunity is granted by the Levy Court
themselves, to whom the person can ap~
ply In person, and have his name added
upon producing vouchers that he is
citizen. The assessment is completed on
the last day of March. The charge that
the assessors show political preference
Is untrue; there Is no discrimination in
favor OF any one party, and all who ap,
ply In person are put on, un less it is
shown that they they are already upon
the list. The fee of the assessors is ten
Gents Dame; at least that is what was
given last year."
IL can be readily seen that from the |
open and simple way in which the as
'essment is conducted that the presence |
)f the Supervisor will be, 1t least, ap-
Droaching superfiuity. Mr.. Ward re-
used last year, to put long lists of names
ipoD the assessment Lists, (which the Re-
lublicans desired TO hand in, and thus
'scape from having their veters make
personal application. Some think the
'biect in having the Supervisors ap-
pointed Is to have these long lists OF
lames put on when the assessor sits for