Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-03-06
SOME TAX aKFORMs.


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Pan for Far Assessments.
Editor Eve,y Ecentng: The sui ct VI
taxation Ia one that stf4ots every citlz IL
Of the State. Taxation is oueruui at the
best. Most people look upon the n.un.s
paid as taxes as go much money thiowu
away. To make taxation bearsble it
should be made TO bear an all alike
according to their circumstances. The
poor man should not be made to pay
more than his just quota toward the ex-
penses OF the State and county govern
ments. The farmer, manufacturer,
mechanic, trsdesmap, capitalist and
working man all should pay in just pro-
portion to the amount Of wealth they
possess or represent.
| There ia no reason that | can see why
farmer should pay tax on an old horse
that would lot FELL for probably $50, IN
| ply beosuse he must keep that horse 10
give motive power for his threshiI
machine, mis- corn shelter, his root outt.
or his churp, any more than the manu-
facturer or mechanic should pay tax
upon his steam engine which forms the
motive power by which he manages to COL
duct his business; and yet the latter may
cost $40 900 and ia under our pr, sent laws
manufacturer or machinist may have
| $50, GOO worth OF machinery in his place
OF business and all is exempt from TAXA.
ton, while If the farmer invests his
money in addition to what ia
| horses, cattle, &C., he must pay tax upon
| every one OF the animals named. Do
they not form part of the stock of the
ta tf drn hfia
| Just the same as the manufacturer and
lnachinist does with his machinery The
trsdesman may have his $4,000 or
500, 900 invested in stock necessary to
run his store or the capitalist may sit
down with his 100000; collect from the
wealth producers his tax upon them of,
say $6, 900 each year he never need
turn his hand to produce single thing
useful, and at the same time has his CAPT.
tai protected by the government and not
paying one cent Of tax towards Its support.
Are such things righ.f II not right,
why are they allowed to continue to
existf The working man is made to pay
a relative amount, according to his sup
posed income, along with the farmer on
his land and live stock. Then, by what
light do the persons above named, who,
have shown, do rot pay any tax, claim
to be exempt from the payment OF their
Just share Of the taxes necessary for the
'upiort OF the State government There
are other sources Of complaint of
ADJUST assessment OF tsxes, even
upon that species OF property
that is subject to taxation under
our existing laws AS Sd example, there
has been an adjustment and new assess
ment of tue taxable property in the city
of Wilmington by which l have been
told that about million OF dollars add.
tional will be- added to the bases OF taxa
ton or county taxes. Are there not
more OF just such inequalities in our
assessments, still undiscovered Are
the assessments of all the hundreds made
equal With our present method of
the making OF assessments by
| one man, no matter how good
his judgment may be he lives In a
certain hundred and may have
knowledge of the value OF property as
estimated by the people of the hundred
which he represents, yet that may be-
either higher or lower than those of the
other hundreds, in which case an in
justice must be done to some one OF the
hundreds. Now, II at the tins OF the
general q. sessment we had three asses
sors, elected in each hundred, and let
| one Of them accompanied by two others
elected from different hundreds accom-.
psny him while making the assessment,
would we not be more likely to have
| uniform assessment made
For example, let one of the Br ndywine
hundred assessors go through his hun
dred accompanied by one Of the assessors
each from Mill Creek and Blackbird hun
dreds, and then you would have three
men from different hundreds discussing
the value and no doubt they would arrive
at a tolerably correct value. Then take
Christiana hundred with one each from
Red Lion aud St. Georges hundreds;
Mill Creek hundred with one each from
Brandywine and Appointments hun
dreds; White Clay Creek hundred with one
each from Red Lion and st. Georges hun
dreds Pencader hundred with one each
from New Castle and Appoquinimink
hundreds New Castle hundred with one
each from Pencsder and Blackbir hun
dreds; Red Lion hundred with one each
from White Clay Creek and Christiana
hundreds; St. Georges hundred with one
each from White Clay Creek and Christi
ana hundreds Appoquinimink hundred
with one each from Pencader and New
Castle hundreds Black bird hundred with
one each from Brsndvwine and Mill Creek
hundreds. The probability ia that with
three men making the assessment all to.
gether 1t would be more correctly and
justly done than auy single person
| could do II.
Ii In the making OF the assessments the
three assessors could not agree upon the
value OF property, which would be but
seldom, they could bring the matter OF
dispute before the levy court and 1t could
bs there adjusted. There are many other
M ans that might be adopted to make the
b1rthen OF taxation more equitable than
what II now is. The only reason why 1t
has not been done ia because the people
| who have been bearing the burthep have
not attended to their own business. The
working men and the farmers compose BY
far the large MAJORITY ofthe voting populs
ton and whenever they say the thing shall
be- done they have it in their power to do
it. Yet, II they will not attend to their
own business and let others impose exces
sive taxes upon them without their max
ing an effort to relieve themselves from
it, then all can say is continue on In
the way you have been going aud pay
your taxes without grumbling. No
doubt Obj sction would be made to having
the three assessors elected on account OF
the additional expense. The maxim Of
DR.. franklin would then come in, "Thst
which is worth doing ia worth doing
we'll" WILLIAM DEAN.
Naked I'm the snow.
1