Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-01-21
OUR ASSESSMENT LAWS.
A LETTER FROM A sTABWAR7
REPUBBIC.AN 4



ITS Local Leaders.
-
Editor Gasette d. Jou1Nqi As much has
been written and said about our obnoxious
assessment laws, may be permitted 70
give the opinion and views of one who
has had some experience in and with
them?
My memory takes me back to the time
of "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too;" the good
old days of pure Democracy and pure
Whiggery; the days and times when the
best men Of both parties took an active
part in the politics. of the state and
nation, when the management of the
affairs of the political parties of these
good old times was not entrusted to fresh
importations of men who knew nothing
of our state or its affairs, as is too much
the case of late years. But men tried and
true, from the great Clayton down, in
Guiding General and Alexis I DUPONT,
John A. Duncan, ziba Ferris, Joseph
Bringhurst, Elisha Huxley and hosts OF
others equally well-known.
These men, true to the great principle
of '.protection to American manufact-
ures," 30 managed the affairs of the
Wing party, as to keep this State in the
line of that party, and opposed to free
trade and kindred Democratic princi-
Piles.
OF course times have changed and we
find now many Democrats as ardently
tariff men as may be found among the
Republicans. But the question is about
our infamous assessment laws. To think
that this little patch of State is held up
to the people of this great country, as re-
Gently having done something unheard of
before in any portion of this broad,
liberty loving land. OF having in and
by virtue of the power held by Mr..
Secretary Bayard, passed execrable laws,
which not only disfranchised thousands
of voters, but have thereby made them
selves conspicuously obnoxious to the
more intelligent people of these United
States, and particularly 30 TO the readers
of the North american Regteo.
Messrs. Editors am Stalwart Repub-
lican-in fact stalwart of the Stalwarts,
Grant man for the third term, and am
not ashamed to own il.
An opponent of James G.. Blaine, and
never took any pains to conceal it. An
open enemy of free trnde Democracy, but
q more bitter enemy of the men who
have brought the Republican party of
this city, county aud State completely
under the domination of the Democratic
party. And how?
say, not by our infamous ASSESS
ment laws, not by unfair advantages
taken of our party, but by the vain am
bition of few men, without the ability,
who, since e'yenr 1866, have sought to
control il.
Now lot us look ut the facts. Precisely
the same law prevails to-day that did in
1910, requiring every voter to have been
assessed six months before the election
md TO have paid o county tax within two
years with, 1 believe, this difference, that
until within II few years the tax collectors
were compelled To try to make n col
lection, while now they are required to
receive the taxes in their public office.
Then IL voter failed 10 pay his tax he
was returned rs an error, but could go
upon the assessment next year, while now
he by law is compelled to remain off one
year. These are about the only differ
ences, believe.
Now, to facts. In 1866 Mr.. Howard
NJ. Jenkins, following in the wake of
friend Shipley, who acting upon the i'm
pulse of vision, migrated to Delaware
last century, and quietly located in our
pleasant town because it was O goodly
land to dwell in, while Mr.. Jenkins
located here, il seems to us, for the pur-
pose of debating to and controlling the
Republican party of this city, county and
State, and possibly having visions of q
great future politically. The outcome of
his visit was the Daily Commercial, since
s... A. "a
time, under the original assessment law,
requiring six months assessment and a
tax paid within two years, this city was
solidly Republican, and Republican
councilman was sent from every ward in
the city. Not Democrat held n seat in
this august body. At the same time New
Castle county was solidly Republican, not
a single Democrat being member of the
levy court.
Soon this ambitious editor, without
Judgment, commenced an attack uponth6
party men and measures. Even the late
Judge Bradford, and clearer minded
man in politics. never adorned the party
had his articles so mutilated, by this keen
but ambitious editor, that he absolutely
refused for time, TO write line for hit
paper.
The influence of the paper was felt, be
cause our people, not suspecting the am
bilious motives of Jenkins, were quietl,
led TO the opinion that independence il
politics was after all the true thing, and
from year TO year this pestiferous edito
was poisoning their minds, until in 1874
when the late DIR. Jump was the Republi
lcan candidate for governor, this gentle
man and his friends tquietly lay dow
upon him, and overwhelming defeat wa
the result. The same policy has beel
pursued by them ever since, until now
has become so fixed habit will
them that if their man is no
put on the ticket Democratic success
is the result; and yet these ase the yer,
men who are now bowling about the in
famous assessment laws, in the vain hop
that they may get by some process, to m
unknown, the aid of the Federal govern
ment in repeating the law. do not re
member to have seen il in print, an
therefore to show your readers just hoy
the Democratic party nre almost Away
successful in this city and county, an
why the Republicans are almost alway
defeated, we will go back to the fall q
1877, and the spring Of 1878. In 1877
nearly every Republican in the city an
county WINS put upon the assessment lis
and entered upon the duplicates of th
tax collectors, and could have paid thei
tax, if they had seen proper to do 30, {
the party could have paid the taxes fc
them, if they had been properly orgal
ized.
Let us see what happened in the eaIl
spring of 1878, when the party, and
mean by that, the leaders, concluded
would be better not to go into our fgh
and abandon the field to the Greenbacker
The error list for the city of Wilmingtc
alone in the spring of 1878 was over3, ,0(
voters, two.thirds of whom were Repu
licans. Whose was the fault; the il
famous laws, or tho lie-down policy
the great Republican leaders2 This ci
only gave n majority of 6l0 to May,
Almond in September of that year, wi
this great odds against the party, al
perhaps il Mr.. Patterson, or some lie
active Republican than Captain Gallagh
had been the candidate, the majori
might not have been so large.
10 show how the Republican vote fl
of, l will cite bnt three or four ward
Take the Fifth ward, the Republican n
iority for mayor was about 45, while /
Councilmnnic candidate had but abo
90 10 80. In the Sixth ward, the can,
date for mayor only had about 80 10
while the Councilman was still loss.
the Seventh ward, the Republican can
date for mayor had but 1852 majority.
September, 1879, the Democrats elect
the member from the Fifth ward, a
came within 16 votes of electing
member from the Sixth, while
Rodney in the Seventh had, think, |
135 majority, while the Democratic CT