Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-01-10

W..re q kefOrm n h oeded.
II tho Delaware Legislature Is really |
anxious to go into the reform business,
it could not commence ut better point |
than to remodel the assessment laws
and the laws regulating the collection
q taxes by county collectors. The
IIovy Courts of the respective counties
meet In less than two months and one
Of their duties will BE- TO allow for er-
pogs and A the tax rate for the coming
year. This tax rate will be high or
low just as the county needs money, ana
the amount the county needs will de-
pend upon how closely the county taxes
have been collected.
We are safe in saying that three
thousand dollars will be returned as
errors by the collectors in New Castle
County alone, and If the old system Is
folio wed these errors will be allowed by
Che Levy Court, though no effort
whatever has been made by the
collectors TO collect the money. The
parties who owe the money have not
nor will not be asked to pay what they
owe. The most of them are willing to
pay IL and would pay it If properly
asked to do so, but such thing as
tax-collector coming around in these
DAYS to ask them TO pay their taxes
would To a novelty indeed. IN years
gone by no tax collector was allowed
for errors he had not attempted To COL
lect. aud when he had done his best he
was ouly allowed errors for deceased
persons and persons who had removed
ont OF the State. But the case is differ
ent now. 1t was found years ago when
colored men were granted the right OF
suffrage that unless something was
done to cheat Republicans out OF theiI
votes, the Democratic party would pass
out Of power in the State. Then FOL
lowed the present assessment and TAX
collection laws whieh placed the whol'
matter in the hands Of the assessor'
and collectors Of the county. The hrs
have great latitude allo we'd in making
the assessment, and the latter was viz
tually euj1in"d 10 collect no taxes IRON
Repu oluan voiers unless they were pos
ses.4d IT re ~ estate. raere is wher
the asse-sm-nt trouble commenced.
DemocIa. assessors understand ex
actly what he spirit ui the law require
of them, " nl'e il !, mad" easy Tor tnel
10 con form a 50 technically 10 the leite
of the Law. Chi- results IN hundreds {
persons ia .a,h Huudr-,i being omitte
from the as.. ssuenls Rut the law
a sword with two sharp r'Les. Sh1ui
n Republican assessor, or DenOcratl
aas,.ssur either, for that mater, lnsis
on assessing everybody rult'ed to b
ass. STD, be Democratic Hector ha
the pbNrr 10 regul lte th' n.''fer
Assessors may Asses, N II take
collectors 10 coller. Assessors ma
hunt up aid as-es~ tNcf. lnan they ca
find or hear tell OF, ia ne coliect'
simply ticks the names vi'l has psn
pencil, and returns tnr.l w he Lev
Court, where they orr stricken fro
the assessment NJ l. question.
this syssein two or thlrr thousand V
tiers OF New Castle >. uuty, aud a pr
portiona = numUcr II The COUNT
are Annually disrranchi- Il from exc
cising the full rights OF citizenship.
This l. "A political phase 81 the mi
ter. hut he question hos htsdes
nancial pldse, who affects every re
es,a'e tax Mayer in he staff. /
taxes hat .hould he rad by these =
franchistd voters hayr 10 he paid
someDoiy. The eounfy must Ia
money to repair its roads md h-idg
SUPPORT is courts alInsaouse and h
pitals. The three thousand dolla
then, not paid by those who shot
and would pay II asked TO do so b"
then to Or paid by the property own
of the county, and that Is why
county debt and the county tax r
are both Increasing at the same TIL
With su h fiuanciering IL Will only b
question of time when the county
Nav Cos le will he financially ba
rupt AS his sy stem has beeu carr
on iCr anout twelve or ihlrie-n ytai
il now about time new system
adJpe'. In these days Of promi
Democratic reform, unauimou
Democratic Legislature could not
ter commence the work of reform q
by pro 1iding for an honest assessnl
ap'l collection of taxes.
Three or four thousand dollars lo
year in taxes not collected may
s,-,m like very large amount to-
county like New Castle to lose, but
fifteen years it amounts to forty
thous and dollars, which no one
dispute il considerable amount.
debt OF New Castle County is now
hundred Thousand dollars. Can il
made larger without EN- barrassing
tax payers of The county tn
aquestion for the people, the !
Court aud the Legislature to ans
How will they answer it