Daily Republican., 1886-01-07


BADLY Administered.
A correspondent In su evening paper,
In reviewing the testimonial letter OF
the twenty-tour Republicans Of our
city, TO Allen Thorndike Rioe for his
manly and truthful exposure of the
Delaware assessment laws In the North
A nerican Review, admits that all that
40 left OF the charges In that article
with any substance OF truth 10 that the
laws are badly administered by the
party In power.
The writer, however, In making this
admission admits all that Is charged
against the Law. There never were
any serious ohargee before this law was
passed in 1873 that the assessment laws
were badly administered, simply be-
cause the laws then compelled col
loctors TO collect the taxes due from
all who were taxed. The same Law
nov would compel them to collect the
taxes, black or white, rich and poor,
and II any were too poor to pay taxes
after having been importuned person
ally by the collector ct least twice, they
w0kU MAkONOA tA0 CoAlOCbOA ~ ACAAh-
quents. II this we're the practice now
there would be no complaint
The correspondent should have gone
farther and aid the law was besmirched
with dishonesty In being passed at a
time when the Republicans could and
would mott probably have car.
ried the State, and in making it easy
for collectors and assessors 10 badly sd.
m mister the law. Was IL not for this
purpose that q Discrimination was
made betW Q IN those who were simply
assessed for poll tax and those who
besides shat were asse ssed for their real
estate and personal property. Why Ia
1t that collectors are not permitted to
drop from their duplicates the owners
Of personal property and real estate
whon they do not Voluntarily obey a
published notice 20 come forward and
pay their taxes at certain time and
place?
why Is 1t that collectors are emf oined
70 drop lrom their duplicates the names
of all persons who are only Asse ,ed !tr q
poll tax, II they do not come forward
and pay their taxes ct certain speci
ded time and place II there was nc
purpose In this why was discrimina
ton made in the law? Could the Ia y
be interpreted In any other way than
that collectors need not pay any stten
simply pay poll tax ? How true ii
1t "tnat tue Laws are badly admins
tered by the party in power" as is ad
mttted by the correspondent referred
to, and how true iE is that the laws art
administered just as 1t was intended
they should no by the party in power
It never dawued upon the Democratic
intellect that the majority Of poll tai
payers were Republicans until afteI
the eolored citizens we're eniranchised
with the right To vote.
Then is WAS that these beautiful q WI
that work as glibly as creased gltllp
tine, were thought Of and ooncc Q ed
making disfran CHI sement OF one part,
easy by the party In power and max
ing tax collectors oil taxes the scape
goats OF Acknowledgement
Yes 1t is true that the laws are In
partial. With a fair and honest al
ministra.8on Of them it is possible Il
every Republican in the State to vot
but whoever expects fair and impa
tial administration OF the laws wht
she Administrators,ar s appointed wi
the mplied understanding that tn,
will be upheld and projected by the e
erclse OF a Discrimination that disfral
ohises only Republicans who do n
voluntarily come forward and pay the
poll taxes. The argument that the r
publicans are permitted under the Ia
70 poll as per cent. Of the vote OF 3
State amounts to nothing for fairnei
10 long as six or seven per cent. OF thC
vote Is disfranchised. The laws az tn
now operate make the collectors of /
dominant party the arbiters Of the vo
Of the State. Every collector in t
State being a Democrat, and o.rryi
out the implied instructions OF the ID
can very conveniently arrange the VI
beforehand which the Republicans 8
TO cast II all vote who are not disirs
chised. Il Is entirely safe to perm
them to cast 40 per cent. of the vote
the State, while there IL no great dis
lection in the Democratic ranks.
the campaign Just approaching the p
oentage will no doubt be very mu
less, rs large number OF Democr
are very much dissatisfied with th
own rule. When there is no dlsaff
tion in Democratic ranks, the collect
would be justified in permitting 4s
cent. Of the Republican vote to be C
but It would hardly be safe to peri
the vote to go higher than this fgu
but never is it expected or intent
that the Republicans vote 50 per &c
OF tie vote OF the State. The collect
are expected to arrange this mat
They have 1t In their power to distr
chise as many Republicans as
needed TO insure Democratic suct
while at the same time they have
power not to distranchise q sin
Demo rat. There is where the iDj
tice q d iniquity Of the present ass
ment laws come in ut.
Su ID Discrimination, such Unjust
such partiality, were not known In
old sessment laws, and never u
md r the present laws was such a
tvarg power committed to q tax col
tW.
M0@,o FiremeD, Brave ROIIcem
The city OF Wilmington oertai
has . better fire department now t
1t has ever had before. When we
"now" We mean the word to embl