Daily Republican., 1883-11-06

pared with laws in other States for the
same purpose, had been in practice
pretty much during the whole history
of the State and no special complaint
was ever made against them. Had the
charge made been designed to make
voting more comprehensive, easy and
honest, it would have been Landed by
honest men AZ phiauthropic measure.
But 1t was intended for no such pur
pose. How best to ke p Rep blicahs
| from voting was tine spirit that animal
el the drafting Of the new law. When
com pleted and submitted to the Demo
cratic Statesmen from Kent and Sus-
sex Counties in the Legislature, it re-
ceived the endorsement of " very good. >
But TO make assurance doubly sure the
precious document was sent 10 Wash
ingtOn to receive the sanction or sug-
gestive amendments of Senator Bayard
if he had any to offer. 1t was scrutin-
ized by that distinguished gentleman
and a single alteration in dates and in
wording that would disfranchise a
voter returned as a delinquent for two
years was recommended, and with this
change the bill became what will ever
be known as the iniquitous assessment
laws of Delaware. This was all done
before the genial editor OF the Record
carpet. .bagged from Massachusetts to
Delaware and became conspicuous In
the butcher temperance reformation,
which Of course is no discredit to him.
1t is true that in the hands of impartial
assessors and collectors of taxes the
laws bear equally alike upon all, but
when Democratic assessors are elected
and Democratic collectors.are appoint
ed who are imbued with the same par.
tisan spirit that prompted the passage
of the laws as they now stand, they
would disappoint the expectations Of
their bosses if they dared 10 carry out
The law In any other than the sVrictest
partisan spirit. Were it necessary We
could multiply numerous insta noes to
show how beautifully the assessment
and tax collection laws work in favor
of the Democratic party and against
the Republican. 1t is very easy for
real, genuine Democratic collector to be
invisible at such times as suits a hard
toiling Republican that cannot spare
time from his labor to call and pay his
taxes.
1t was 30 easy 10 exempt the collector
from the duty Of calling upon those
who onl y pay poll tax and ask them
to pay their taxes. 1t is 80 easy for a
collector to bunch up the names of all
the Republicans who had never been
asked personally for their taxes aud
who could not find a collector, aud have
them stricken from the assessment lists
Just at the very time when that part OF
the law suggested by Mr. Bayard dis
franchises them for two years. 1t is so
very easy for partisan collector in
stead of striking off the names of Demo.
cratic voters who tail to pay their poll
taxes, to carry them along and receive
the pay all in bunch FROM a political
election fund And there are many
other wayH in which it is very easy in
a perfectly lawful manner for assessors
and collectors to disfranchse voters of
one party and retain those of ano her
party as voters If our friend Uf the
Record perseveres in his apparent po-
litical aspirations as he has commenced,
taking his paper as the witness. he will
soon be led into the hidden intricacies
of the assessment and tax-Co election
laws of Delaware, and then he will.
know that we know something about
them too. We still say those laws are
lniquitOus with full know Wedge of the
meaning Of the wor, and of what we
are saying.
| ----~-- . - - Sr------------
" RYE RDSSE' 5 winning yoi1eu