Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-10-24

receipts. others, too, called for in
formation in regard to their taxes with
out intending at that time to take their
receipts. The nuuoer OF actual tag re-
ceipE applicants was, as explained, very
small.
The record of the afternoon is as fol-
lows; Both collectors were at their
desks at 2 O'Clock. Five minutes after
wards two cttizsns walked upstairs.
half minute followed when two more
went up, and then another. AZ Q. 10 two
others passed mp the stairway, one being
oolored man. In few minutes two OF
the visitors came down stairs and stopped
in the doorway. One pulled out tax
receipt when it was jointly aud criticslly
examined. With grhtitied shrUg the
owner replaced 1t in his pocket and the
pnlr walked of up street. at 20 Col
iector Mckee appeared, bank book In
hand, and strobe down town. During
his absence another caller approached
and climbed the stairs. BE WAS suor
followed by the reappearance of the col
lector. At 2.28 young lawyer was de-
serted. He evidently had scme mission
Mt the tax office. After trayersing tho
pavement back and forth two or three
times he at length made up his
mind to do something. Walking
up to the entrance ne peered
inquisitively up the dark stairway,
then suddenly turned around and mnde
of uptown at fairly lively gait. Another
citizen walked up at 2 81. He was fol
lowed minute Afterwards by promi-
nent contractor, and then, three minutes
passed, when another citizen slapped up
to the tax Office. Within few seconds
two reporters of another paper climbed
the stairway. They were quickly fol-
lowed by third. The aforementioned
newspaper man made remark or two to
his confreres, looked around for minute,
and then descended to the foot OF the
stairway determining to await his friends
reappearanoe when they had got through
with their business. They rejoined their
companion when the latter casually in
quired of one Of the pair who had Just
descended the stairs what had happened
in the tax Office. GOh," the reply was,
az went to see il my name was on the
books"
"You did-Wns it there ?"
Eyes, I'm assessed"
"You paid your tax then, OF course ?'
''No didn't"
The affirmative reply was so fully ex-
peoted, under the circumstances, by tho
EVERY EVENING reporter, that ne could
with difficulty express himself for q
moment or two for surprise at having
stumbled over an instance, grstuitously
given, OF O citizen who actually had gone
into the tax office to find out whether ne
was assessed and on being told that he
was, in the presence OF The collectors,
aud with full knowledge of the animus
on this subject which the paper he repre-
sents has assumed, voluntarily abstained
from profering his tax. The incident so
completely overwhelmed the writer with
its burthen of glazing inconsistency
of full opportunity for tAx paying
offered, and equally wholesale indifer-
ence to the doctrine preached nd nsuseRm
by the paper he represented that the
EVERY EVENING reporter had barely time
to recover himself when another incident
still more illustrative of the inoonsist.
ency referred to, presented itself. A
well. known hardware merchant OF de-
cided Republican leanings came hurriedly
down stairs from the tax Office and joined
the group of reporters. VITA upliftad
hands he invoked the sympathy of his
listeners for the shameful position he
found himself in. His name was not on
the books. 81 don't blame George (Mr.
McKee) at ALL" he exclaimed. ut is
not his fault, the levy court is TO blame"
The citizen seemed in such sorrowful
plight that the writer naturally offered
his sympathy by ipqniring as to the de-
tails of what had just occurred upstairs.
The following waB gathered from the cit
izen'a lips. He had gone mp to see Mr.
Mckee on private business in regard to
some iron work contract in which the two
were interested. After satisfactorily con-
GLIDING what they had to do the mer-
chant, who appeared in no great hurry
to get away, stayed chatting for few
minutes. Suddenly Collector Mckee,
who had been intently poriag over his
tax volumes, looked up in that quick and
quiet way he has. 'Say, -, why
don't you pay your taxes?' On looking
over the books for the merchants name,
as already told, the collector told him ii
was aot there. 81 had no idea," said the
Republican merchant, quite ingenuously
to the Interested reporter, "whatsver of
paying my tax until he asked me.
wanted to talk on private business"
The above was an instance OF bust.
ness man who gave such little heed to the
duty Of paying tax, that the idea CT doing
no did not even suggest itself to him,
although in tha tax office surrounded by
fellow-citizens performing that obliga-
tion, nor did il occur to him to 20 and dc
likewise until the tax collector himseli
reminded him of the matter. On the one
hand was y citizen, Republican, who
sclf-confessed, does not think OF the mat.
ter. and on the other hand another e:ti,
zen who deliberately approaches the col.
lector'a desk, asaerlains that he is on the
assessment roll, mud then as deliberately
walks out OF the office without paying his
little poll tax With such class of citi-
gems (and the two instances tysuspired
within tho same 10 minutes), 1t would
plainly BIO very difiruit for the collectors
TO make up their tax quota al all.
During the above confab colored
man tEamped upstsirs. He was quickly
followed by George w. Bush. Tue
writer stepped mp also and saw Gr. Bush
exhibiting to the collector what appeared
like list OF names In manuscript. The
reporter then went downstairs again and
rsjoined his compositions. In few min,
utes Mr.. Bush reappeared. AS thst gen
tleman wga stepping ont, the writeI
thought it possible that the represents
tives OF the other psper might, in tbs
light of former statements, naturally fee
some solicitude As to MIR. Buah's proper
treatment upstairs on this occasion; ht
therefore awaited some movement from
them. This WAS not done, and ms Mir
Bush appeared in very good spirits ovei
his visit the writer also abstained from
any inquiries.
At $40 two young oolored men stopped
at the office stairs. One, who seemed IN