Daily Republican., 1884-08-20


County Tax \ and Democracy.
That Delaware is not claimed by the
Republicans as doubtful State in the
present campaign is because OF the in
famous assessment laws of the State
passed by partisan Democratic Legis- |
lature, after being first sanctioned by
Senator Bayard at Washington, the
law having been sent to him for his in
spection. With full assessment and
full vote, Delaware would cast her cleo
toral vote for j. G. Blaine Just as surely
as Pennsylvania will. Delaware has
been kept under Democratic control at
fearful expense to the tax payers of
the State, as franchise is made depend
ent upon the payment of a county tax.
In some States of the Union the fran.
chise has been severed from tax qualif-
cations and it is based upon the taxes
exacted as a prerequisite for voting
In Delaware the tax qualification has
always been the rule nor would there be
objection specially TO that rule if taxes
were impartially levied and impartially
collected.
As the law now stands the tax col
lector yields the political destinies of
She State. He can en-franchi5e or dis
enfranchise voters at will, by collecting
taxes from poll taxables or refusing to-
collect them just as he sees proper. Be-
fore the law was altered to give the tax
cole ctor the power to disenfran-
chise Republicans, that official was
required to call upon every taxpayer to
make him pay his taxes, and if one call
was not sufficient he was required to
call again and again, and every possible
means had to be exhausted before the
Levy Court would receive delinquent
return.
But it was found that if that system
of tax collections were kept up the
Democracy would not be kept in power
as there were more Republican than
Democratic voters in the State. The
present assessment laws were the out
growth of these circumstances. They
We're carefully planned and arranged
what was not known by Dover law
makers, Mr.. Bayard supplied from
Mayora3ington.
clining it 2llectors had to be relieved of
'AAiiOAJ VIM, Nhhy "a gaining upon
profession, agerson who was assessed only
this movement The present law relieves
pears prooao,e, he same time relieves seve-
~ aPply .ocat oRepublicaus in the State
Gaoro;a JUS duty of voting But
)usands are relieved from
he counties of the State
Fstai % feel the financial pres
While the ira and real estate owners
car in Pittsburg, more than any other
passengers, was scause real estate has Ia
street on Friday, tn, exnenses If countv
Of the brake and + the nresert rr oas
iumned from the car thousand dollars
ously ininred .lected from the poll
By the fall osJw Castle County if the
Co.'S. gls,rs would call upon them to col
iect the taxes. This, however, they do
not do, as the law under which they
work does not require them to do SO.
With the Democracy it is more import
ant that the county should be short
several thousand dollars in taxes than
that thousand more Republicans
should be permitted to vote These
four thousand dollars in delinauents
one year is tackled to the real estat,
owners next year, and thus the taxes
are gradually forced up The conse
quences are that New Castle County i
gradually accommodating an enormou.
debt, for which interest has to be paid
-Four thousand dollars more year coulC
easily be collected in taxes from Repub
hcan voters alone, by very small eff
fort, but then this would give these Re
publicans votes, and they would com,
ar nj In t...
would never do. The Republican.
must be kept out of power, even if it in
ours an expense of four thousand dol
lars year TO keep them under. Tn
Democratic theory is that the county il
rich and that the farmers and real es
tate owners are able and willing to pay
the taxes for the sake of keeping til,
Democrats in power.
Mean while, farmers are wondering
why their taxes are increasing. If the,
will examine closely into the matter
they will know why. Let them loo
around them and count up how man,
men have no votes, because they hav
not even been asked to pay their taxes
For every man that is not assessed an
pays no taxes, the county suffers to tina
made to pay, somebody else has to pay
and from whom can it be more easil
collected than from those owning res
estate
-Four thousand dollars in delinquent
in one year is a large amount in exit
taxes for the farmers and real estal
owners of New Castle County to pa
for the sake of keeping the Democrat
party in power. In fifteen years thi
would amount to sixty thousand do
lars, and that is the amount the Truste,
of the Poor have had TO borrow, an
which will cost the county three tho,
sand dollars interest year. Thes
three thousand dollars interest will |
added to the taxes next year, and so til
work of raising the debt goes on.
AS long as the people who pay IL
tlxes do not care, the Democratic of
GAS and would be officials who run IL
county do not care. So long as the la
ter enjoy the emoluments of office,
long as they can hold office by the di
Establishment of few thousand Repu
leans, and so long as the tax payers
the county do not seem to care abo
the Increase in take, why need tn,
care PerhaP S the people will call
halt after awhile. but when?
CLEVELAND may have been I
former while he was Sheriff of Ell
County, New York, put he kept
sharp lookout for NJ. l, as the follo'
ing charges VIII show