Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-02-05
IN URsDAY. FEBRUARY s,Isss.
sasli We Pay - We Go.


penses Of the city when the Water Com
mission bill Gas passed, and the in
creased taxation consequentupon 1t, have
more than been verified. We told the
people then that such radical pArti-
. ran change interjected into the govern
ment of our city could not but result In
increased debt and taxation, and behold
the result. The Water Commission has
not been in operation year until we
and the City Council sending commit
tee of TO Dover to ask the Legislature
10 authorize the borrowing of one hun
ared Thousand dollars, TO help the city
through only for ono single year. The
tax levy has been the largest ever
made rs the taxpayers well know, and
though there have been few more i'm
provements made upon the streets there
. have been no extraordinary expenses
over other years.
We wonder when we look around
where the money of the people has
gone. Nobody has run on with the
city funds, nobody has been even
charged with msifeasance, nobody with
dishonesty, simply little extravagance
in s1lAll way, and yet We find our-
abs4 laboring under a fiJating debt
that hampers and cripples us and which
it is said will take one hundred thou
sand dollars to meet. Were IL no: the
causes are properly underwood We
might we'll ask where the money that
vas raised by taxes and by revenues
has gone
We have before us In plain view tho
causes which have led To this state OF
affairs. Enthroned in power at the
City Hall sits court, put there in
direct opposition TO the will Of the peo-
pie. 1t is not very expensive it is true,
but IL has changed old established laws
and ussges and introduced q new sys-
tenn that the people did not want and
only few Democrat, politicians had
the cheek to ask for. The Mayor aud
the police force are not Ia sympathy
with th;s new Pc wer and the people ~
general rule are notin sympathy with
It.
The consequence is that Indifference
is created amongst the people. They
see that no matter how the people may
decide at local election il amounts 10
nothing while there is power at
Dover that by a word annuls the voice
of the people by setting up their party
rs king. This indifference leads TO
diminished revenues in many ways
Taxpayers pay their taxes mechani-
cally and grudgingly. Hundreds who are
taxed refuse TO pay at all AID the spirit
of the times are such that force used in
the collection of taxes will not be toler
ated. In consequence of this there are
thousands of men non-owners OF pro
perty who pay no taxes whatever. Such
taxes At the best are paid but grudg
ingly by the persons taxed, and wher
there is so much discomfort and oppost
ton TO partisan legislation from Dover
the number Of non-property folders tina
pay their taxes is remarkably small.
Then again we have enthroned a
Sixth and King streets another powe
that brushes out the will Of the people
power already referred TO in this ar
ticle, the Water Commission. Nobod,
wanted IL specially but one man, an,
that man wanted Water Commission
to give himself the chief office in il
True, other agencies were orough. I
these agencies were inspired from tn
head centre of the movement.
The people had just de ided that tn
water depar ,ment OF our city should &
into new hands, but tue Legislatur
being appealed to, decided not exactl
in the language of William II. Wander
bilt, " Tue people be ID" but il
the same spirit by creating the Wate
Commission, shaping it in such man
ner that the man the people had di-
carded at the polls should be at tn
head of it, The Water Commissio
was created and set up. 1t cost til
city q 600 in lawyers fees, some 81 90
more in additional salaries and tn
city, instead of deriving a revenu
from the Water Department, is con
pelled to pay $40, 600 annually to til
commission. Besides all this, here
revenu e Of 500. 900 diverted from il
usual channel and turned of into neN
courses. This causes friction 10 tn
city government, aud worse than thai
it causes discomfort and distrust. TIL
people cannot be blamed for thinkiD
that department stolen bodily All
brazenly from them cannot be carrie
on homes ly. The growing discouter
Is increased, and the number OF ia
delinquents is increased
These and other causes have rolled u
our II Jating debt. We do not beliey
the present or the former Cry Counc
is censurable for the creation OF tn
debt. IL has largely been brougi
about by the Legislature forever da
bling in our local affairs for partisa
purposes, the people apparently havit
become callous and careless, as if r
solved TO bow the neck TO the newt
BILE, and let the Legislature get us OF
OF the diff entity it has been 50 large
instrumental in getting Us into.
But the debt is created, what is he
10 be done ? Here a partisan dividii
line is drawn. The twelve Democra
in the City Council say fund it, viii
the eleven Republicans in the san
body say NO, pay it off with the accr
ing taxes and revenues of next yea
and the next after that. Mr.. Pickt
and Mr.. Conrad, in plain and luc
statements, presented on Tuesday eve
ing, showed how 1t could be done
the people of Wilmington, irrespect
of party, think funding is the be
course to pursue, all they will have
do is to do nothing, but if they thir
differently, ard that the city should
put on pay as you go" basis, t
sooner they move in the matter the b
ter.
Proc rastibatfOn.
The disposition OF the generality
men is to put off work Of almost eve
kind a. long az lh.N pos.iblv can.