Daily Republican., 1886-06-08

A taxpayer since 1852 showed n
MS filed tax receipts yesterday, :
prove that he had been q regular tax
pay er, and yet he was disiranchised OF
last Saturday, and cou d not vote
he commenced paying taxes in Della
ware the trsG year he removed into III,
State in 1851, and in all the time sine,
then, he missed paying poll tax thre,
times. Part Of that time he was 9
free holder and paid over $50 of q
county tax. The last time he missed
WAS last year, and hts disfrauchise-
ment followed on Saturday. He was
not unwilling to pay his taxes and
would have have paid them cheerfully
had the collector taken the trouble to
call upon him at his store, within two
squares OF where he lived.
We only refer to this to show the
beautiful working Of Mr.. Bayard's as
sessment laws. This gentleman re-
ferred to rs being disfranchised, was q
well-known Republican. But for this
TACT, he would, no doubt, have been
supplied with tax receipt like others
OF opposite politics, upon which he
could have voted, had he cared 80 little
for his moral character as to do so.
The loss OF this gentleman's vote is the
loss OF 81 3ato the county. This is
no very large amount, it Is true, but
when the number of such persons
thus disfranchised runs up to 900 at
least, in the county, the loss TO the
county In money will be So, 400 for one
year, and for ten years 1t would be
$4,000, considerable amount oil
money for the county to lose.
But what is the object for which
the county must sustain this financial
loss Of 5000 annually? Simply that
the Democratic party may be kept in
power. 1t is very easy for Democratic
collectors to discriminate against
Republicans under the present law.
de has only to call upon a Republican
Tor his poll tax, and il that Republican
fails to come forward Voluntarily and
pay his taxes, he becomes dtstranchised
without further action. 1t is very
easy for collectors to become informed
OF every Democratic voter In their dis.
tricts, and all they have to do is to Is
sue their receipts, put them into the
hands OF faithful henchmen who will
distribute them, the taxes due on them
oeing paid from Democratic fund.
raised and collected from Democratic
ofice-holders. We refer particularly
to this plan to show how easy it ia for
Democratic collectors of taxes under
the law to run the whole county.
They can keep the county Democrat,
In spite OF the protests OF the people.
and were they Republican collectors,
they would have the same power to
keep the coanty under Republican con.
troll.
We are not surprised, therefore, TO |
see so much apathy displayed by the |
Republican party. They know before
they vote that they have no chaucs to |
win, for the more votes they poll, their
opponents, with the assessment law
and ali the machinery Of the elections
In their hands, can go better still. The
taxes they pay are only for the Dur.
pose OF oenetitting their political an.
tagonists.
The result OF such miserable, unfair
farces, called elections, will be to fur
Their debauch the ballot Thousands OF
citizens will refuse to pay any more
poll taxes, and our elections will be-
come like they are in Georgia, Ala-I
bama and South Irolina-only oneI
political party will vote, with the ex-l
oeption Of few on the other side. toll
give the farce semblance of an elec-I
ton.