Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-10-22
Why Taxes Are Not Paid.

A few days ago William Herbert,
Treasurer Of New Castle County, stood
mp before the Levy Court and told that
body that unless the county taxes were
moro promptly collected he would not
support Of the poor nor would he be
able to pay the expenses Of the oourts
OF over two-hundred thousand dollars
Of taxes levied, only atty thousand dol.
lArs had been collected and paid over to
the County Treasurer week ago, and
the fiscal year 10 already more than
hall gone. Nobody can reasonably OBJ
ject 10 the complaint Of Mr.. Herbert.
To be Treasurer Of . public trust, In.
volving the expenditure Of nearly .
quarter million Of dollars with not suffi-
Gent money In the Treasury to pay the
numerous bills that are continually
coming due, Is no very pleasant posi-
ton TO hold, and We know of no person
who would have complained less than
Mr.. Herbert In the performance OF such
m ouerous duty. Frequen he has
boen compelled to advance money
from his own financial resources TO
meet the demands OF the Trustees Of
the Poor, and for other pressing necss-
slties.
The question Is, why has Mr.. Her.
bert to do this? Simply because the
tax collectors do not collect what is due
from the taxpayers. We would not in
clude all, but 1t 10 . well.known fact
Shat the collectors Of some Hundreds
make no special effort to collect taxes
until about year after they are due.
Especially Is this the case In 8.
G orges Hundred, Hundred 70 VII Oh
Mr.. Herbert has referred frequently
~ being VIGOROUSLY behind with her
taxes.
Another question, then, intrudes It =.
self, why do not the oolleo ors promptly
collect the taxes? This Is easily an
swered. Simply because the office has
become purely political Office, and
nobody 10 appointed tax collectors, but
the most rigid partisAns, men who are
not expected 30 much to collect the
taxes rs not to collect them from the
poll-tax payers Of the opposite party.
In short and In plain terms they are
appointed more for the purpose OF
&@soeWhk AsOPQpAtC8h6 Oub III tudkI VOLbH
By refusing TO collect their taxes, than
for the purpose OF simply collecting
taxes due the county. The people who
Pay the taxes ell know this and hence
those who are compelled 10 pay taxes
are very Indifferent about when they
pay them. They ZEE that the whole
system OF collecting taxes Ia but huge
political machine, the first duty OF
which 10 to disfranchise . sufficient
number Of the Republican party to
keep the Democrats In pc wer, to collect
taxes only from property holders and
TO keep non-propersy holding Demo
Gratis upon the tax duplicates and vote
them without the payment Of any tax.
Men who own property all see this and
have no heart In paying taxes. The
property holders Of st. Georges Hun
dred have seen this for several years,
and every succeeding year they have
become more dilatory about paying
their taxes. They see that the political
machine in that Hundred, while it
equeezes the taxes out Of the property
holders, let's maj ority OF the voting
population OF that Hundred off without
paying any taxes whatever. Demo-
Gratis Of that Hundred know very we'll
that IL every male citizen of tie Hun
dred was honestly assessed and made
TO pay his honest taxes, the Republican
party would have two hundred and
fifty majority instead OF the Democrats
having that much. The taxpayers OF
the Hundred all sse this. They know
there is no honesty in such q system
and her ce 81 entirely Indifferent a bout
paying their lakes. The taxpayers OF
other Hundreds point to ST.. Georges
Hundred and refuse to pay their taxes
too when called upon for them. When
we look the whole matter square In the
face we cannot blame them, neither are
we disposed to isd fault with the tax.
payers OF 81. Georges Hundred. All
over the county they know that the
whole thing is only a political plan by
which party In pc yer can keep Itself
In power. They have no heart In pay.
ing taxes as they would pay q political
contribution and we are not disposed to
fnd fault with them.