Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-01-06
raxs,ien ana & egistra.ion.


State, and this amount is levie'
and collected from the people livinl
therein. In the first place the law pro
vides that all real estate and certain
species Of personal property shall b
taxed. This falls upon all who owl
property, whether male or female
white or black, native, naturalized OF
alien. These are all placed upon the
assessment, and pro ratio share of tax
is levied upon each with which to carry
on the county governments. Did the
law stop here, then real estate and per-
sonal property would be made to pay
all the expenses OF the government,
and the assessment could not, In a
proper sense, be called registration Of
voters. But the law does not stop here.
The number Of people in Delaware who
own real estate and personal property
1Aaulo W tdAAtlUu 10 nm6Al CUupdl Gu
with those who do not-the proportion
being not more than one-third. II the
law provided that only this one-third
Of the people-those who pay taxes on
real estate and personal property liable
to taxation should vote, then in that
case the assessment could not be con-
strued into registration Of the voters
of the State. But the law does not stop
right there, neither does it remain 81
lent on the case. 1t goes q little farther
in order that every man who is endow-
cd with the elective franchise shalt pay
his proportion Of the expenses naces-
sary to carry on the county aud State
governments. In order to do this it pro-
vides that all non-oWners of prop
Orty shall be assessed = poll-tax,
without the payment of which poll tax
they could not exercise the right given
them to vote at the various elections in
the State. The levying Of this poll tax
does not apply to non property holders
only but 10 all wLo have already been
assessed in their real estate and GER
sonal property. 1t is this poll tax that
confers the real right to vote and while
it confers upon all that right it at the
SEINE time coDpeis all to pay something
towards the State and county govern
msnts. In this sense the assessment of
all the citizens qualified to vote by the
constitution Of the State is to all in
tents and purposes registration of
voters as there is no other mode by
which person can qualify for voting
except by first being assessed.
That the plan in Delaware for quail.
flying for voting is cumbrous, awkward
and expensive cannot he denied, but
it is nevertheless a plan of registration
for voting just as much as the more
simple and better plan existing in
Pennsylvania, where registration and
payment of a poll tax thirty days be-
fore the election is required. In Della
ware the registration or assessment is
six months before the election, ard the
payment of State and county tax at
any time up to or on the day Of the
election. In Pennsylvania. this act is
called registration of voters but in
Delaw are it Is called an assessment, but
in both cases the prerequisite to voting
IL the payment of tax without which
no person in either State can vote. But
it is not our purpose or desire SO much
to show that an assessment in Delaware
is really and in fact a rsgistra-
ton Of voters as to call attention to
the great need of a revision of the
assessment and the need of Supervisors
Of registration to see that it is done
properly. Complaints of excessive and
high taxes are coming up from all parts
Of the State; why are these complaints
made? The cause is that one third Of
the people of the State are politically
DISTINGUISHED, some of them voluntarily {
and others purposely and designedly
by partisan State and county officers.
With one-third DISTINGUISHED it stands {
TO reason that those who are assessed
have to pay the taxes of the one-third !
not assessed. There is where the cause
of complaint comes in at, and we are
glad the people who are grooming be-
meath the burthens Of heavy tax are
at least beginning to feel the injustice
OF it in their pockets, and when once
the pocket IS touched the people will be
susceptible of being reached by reason
and argument. So systematic has been
the disfranchiSemen to which the peo-
ple have submitted 30 long by partisan
assessors and collectors that there are at
least to-day in Delaware 10000 out Of
the 30, 900 voters in the State who do
not vote and who pay no taxes-indeed
thew are never asked TO pay taxes, be-
cause the law does not make it obliga-
tory upon collector to call upon any
other than real estate owners for taxes.
Upon an average these 10, 600 virtually
disfrapcbised citizens If assessed would
dollar q nieca OF In all