Daily Republican., 1880-09-27
which 4. the hevy Court Record

wuNow NJ tmO hoVy COuFt AoCOFU
In q general sense record is boof
I'm which q correct and full reports o
the proceedings Of an organization, al
association, a corporation or court is
kept. 10 all Legislative bodies like q
Senate, a house Of Representative, q
Levy court, City Council, Board o.
Education, Board Of Health or Board
of any thing else, record of the pro
sssdings are kept, acted upon and
adopted from day to day in order that
there may be ne errors and that it may
be known exactly what has been done.
Our business is with the records Of the
Levy Court and especially with that
part Of the records during last March.
During that month the big end Of a
thousand persons were assessed. As
the assessment was made the name was
SntsFed on slips of paper by Mr.. aries
W. Vandsvsr, Mr.. 5pringer's deputy
clerk Of the Lazy Court. In reference
to Mr.. Vandever We wish to say that
he was a very obliging, correct and eff.
1eisnt clerk. When the Levy Court ad-
journed for the day which it always
did at A o'clock, Mr.. Vandever entered
the proceedings of the court, including
the names Of all persons assessed upon
what was thought to be the regular
minute book Of the court. Every morn
ing when the Levy Court convened
again these minutes were carefully
read over by the clerk, from book in
which they were entered in full. The
minutes on motion of a member Of the
court were adopted each morning and
thereby as we understand it became
' aite record Of the Levy Court. On this
recs1A was not only the name of each
persoa Z ASA ssed, but a description by
color and al the end of each name fol-
lowed Tho amount in figures of the
Gapitation with which each was ASSESS
cd. The capitatien varied in amount
from $500 up to $4O0. 1t was SUP posed
sShst these minutes were record OF the
oOurt, but nov we Grs informed tn at
this carefully kept record was only the
Rough notes Of the proceedings Of the
court from which record is made up
that was never in the Levy Court and
which was never adopted or acted upon
by the Levy Court. Having had an ep-
portunity of perusing almost daily the
minutes of the Levy Court during the
month Of March and Of seeing how
minutely and carefully they were kept
by Mr.. Vandever, and then afterwards
having had good opportunity afforded
ms Of perasing what is called the record
of the Levy Court, which is supposed
to be copy Of .he minutes, we know
what We are saying, when we say that
What is called tas official record of the
Levy Court is no record at all. 1t is
only part Of record and totally un
reliable for correct information. In the
regularly kept minutes Of the Levy
Court as We have already said the
amount Of capitation was attached to
each name assessed. In what is called
The SO called official record, no capita
zion whatever is found attached to any
newly assessed name. In the minutes
of the court which were adopted every
morning by the court, there was a dis
tinetion of the color Of the person as
sessed; in the 10 called Levy Court re-
cord there Is no distinction whatever in
color. We are not objectiDg to the lat
tor, and only allude to it to show the
utter unreliability of what is called
tho Levy Court record. II a oolored
man was assessed the color OF the man
WAS required by the court to be stated
upon the voucher and it was entered
upon the minutes; John Smith, col
Ward Wilmington, (or HIM.