Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1882-03-02
Our Iafsnous Disfl nMohising
Laws.

the mauner in which they collect or
rather do not collect the taxes due
from the great mass Of voters in the
State, who pay no other than a poll tax.
We must confess that we are not
amongst those who would throw all
the blame Of obstructi0g the payment
of poll taxes upon the collectors only,
and we would not be at all surprised
that il tie political fortunes of the
State and co.nties should shift to the
Repub icans, we would find Repuhli-
can tax Collectors about as much dis
posed to give their party partizan ad-
vantage as the Democratic collectors
have been doing for their party. The
present Jaw providing for the collection
of taxes was conceived in party
spirit, and i. is that we have to blame
for the present trouble in collecting
taxes more than any thing else. b.
fore political advantage was taken Of
it, the ate had only the object OF rails
ing revenue 20 bear the expenses of the
County anG State Government in view,
and collectors were required under the
law to use every force, power and IA
cility to collect the taxes, and ii the
persons assessed refused or neglected
to pay their taxes, collectors were EN-
powered 70 have them imprisoned.
They were required to call upon per.
son owing taxes, once, twice and often.
er, and even then Levy Courts often
refused 10 accept the error list of the
collectors and required them to III AXE
still farther efforts to collect what was
due. There are hundreds Of voters who
we'll reco.ecy when tax bills we're left
under their doors by tax collectors, or
were sent to them i'll envelopes, accom-.
panied with a very urgent request to
come and settle, and if the bill ha,i
been sent second time it was accom-
panied with something OF more ur.
gent chara ter than mere request
But those .lInes are changed now. The
great clvl. war ensued and ended with
not only The emancipation, but the en-
Franchise Ment of the colOred people
This brought 5000 and more voters to
the polls, a.. OF them Republicans, out
of gratitude 10 the party, Instrumental
in giving them their freedom and pc
Etical franchise. The Democratic par.
ty was IL power in the State and it had
in some way 10 successfully meet and
resist this avalanche OF new Repubh-
can voters or lose their power in the
State. Those who have lived through
it all from that time to the present,
know the Means made use OF to main
tain their ascendauCy. Tie great white
mans party crusade, 1t will be rem EN-
Dered, followed in 1868, soaring tilnid
Republicans, who up to that time had
stood firm 10 the principle of the par.
5y, into the Democratic ranks in such
large numbers that the result showed
that the Republican party was weak.
ened instead Of strengthened by such a
great influx OF new voters. But some
thing had 70 be done 10 make the Demo
cratic triumph complete. and the Leg
islature OF 1863 took the matter in hand
Archie Gwen, a Democratic collector
tor Wilmington, had been prosecuted |
convicted and heavily fined under the |
reconstruction acts, Tor refusing to col |
Ioct poll taxes from Colored voters A.
that vine collectors were bound to ca | |
upon and see every taxable person ana |
compel them, if Pc sible, to pay their
taxes.
The Legs ,ature already referred to,
found a way out Of the difficulty by |
passing Jaw not making 1t obligatory
for collector to cal in person upon a
taxable for MS tax, This made loop
hole of escape for the Democratic COZ.
lectors and it was the first distranchis.
ing mill put IN operation in Delaware,
Even this Jaw, however, was soon |
found to be not sufficient to meet the |
case, as Republican politicians found d
way to pay the taxes Of the colored 70.
ter5, even if such voters were not per-