Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-10-24
TAAESl TAXcS! TAXESiI i
Library Of Congress
MORE ABOUT ..s vvrrrC-
TON OF TAXES.
ho" Taxes Can be Honestly Collected,
and How Poil-Tax Payers are
Prevented From Paying
Thor Taxes.

ooiiec'ors occupy prominent part IL
.ne news oil the day, aud in the minds Of
Tue people nobody should be mlsled
through misrepresentation, and neither
snouiu partisan feeling intervene to ge,
~ Nhc true facts OF the case. The plac.
lng oi reporter at tie door al the foot
OF lhe stairs leading to the tax office aud
notihI every one that goes up aud every
one that comeB down holding aloit or
stullDg into a poeketbook n tax recent,
which they have been enab ed to get ii ON
the collectors, does not give n o irrect
representation oi the difficulties iu the
way oi poll-taz payers. Even IL tue re =
p0rtsr weIe permitted 20 remain inside
OF the tax office and note every peraon
who comes In aud every word that passes
bstweep ciriEen taxpayer and Collector.
he would fail to show the obstacles in tho
way
II there are any ideas In the minds OF
ci izens that the tax collectors BY harsh
means, uDRenilemanly words or by sly
tricks buildoze either colored or white
citizens out OF their votes by refusing
upon every triillng pretext TO receive
their money aud give them receipts, such
ideas should be dismissed. There 10 moth b.
ing OF tho Kind. II Is true the collectors
nave Issued receipts without tho county
the stamp was locked up In the safe and
the key was in the pocket OF the other
olItctor. who was not present.
The Every Evening reporter st the
bottom steps can see nothing wrong. He
was not sent there Tor that purpose, anil
ne would have been perfectly harmless
mao the collectors permitted tim TO re.
main up ttairs. Ills business was to
apologize Tor, not to condemn, the course
OF tho collectors. The latter made n
ericvous mistake by ejeciing hlm from
their Office, as by such action they have
drawn the suspicion OF the public that all
was not light The collectors have made
II mora dii1cult Tor the reporter to apo!o-
gize for them than II they lad not polluted
hts way TO the head OF the stairs.
The writer OF this article has bcen
going In and out OF the collectors office
sometimes more than once day Tor
several days past. lie did not go In with
u chip on his shoulder, daring the collec-
turs 10 knock 1t OF. lie went in to have
u straightforward talk with tile collec
tors aud he got II. lie gave hard knocks
aud he got the Same back again. He
razzled the collectors aud they dazzled
him. Plain talk waB ildulgod ia by
both, and the talk was printed in the
REPUBLICAN,. Neither of the collectors
Will deny the truth In substance OF what
WAS published. When the reporter left
~ wSs with q smile aud a bow, which
was returned by the collectors with an
Invitation to come again.
Now, what that reporter has 10 cay is
just this: Messrs. Mckee aud Dougherty
act In q gentlsDanly man ner 10 all who
como in to pay their taxes. They insult
neither white nor black taxpayers. They
hnRf NV fhair n Ia 4. ~
bills, take IL eir money, give them their
rece pts with "thank you, SIR" and
they depart well pleased with the collec-
tors. A Republican Journalist, who was
there says that much OF them, and the
reporter ut the foot OF the stairs can say
no more nor less.
What then Is wrong with the tax col
lectoIs do you ask? Very much Is wrong.
These collectors are supposed 10 be col
lectors, of taxes from those who owe
taxes, whether the amount be 81 or 800.
Like Justice bllndfolded, 1t should not
be for them to know whether the hand
that pays tribute TO the county 10 white |
or black, or whether the taxpayer is q |
Democrat or Republican. Their busi- |
ness Is TO collect the taxes because the |
county needs the money. When they |
took the oath OF office to faithfully COL |
lect the taxes there their political Rarb |
should have dropped. II is none Of their |
business whether Republican AID Demo-
cratic leaders stir up their followers to
pay taxes, all they have TO do Is to receive
those taxes. There Is too much ground |
for suspicion that TIE collectors violate
these honest, plain requirements. /
Then again, IL Ia the duty of CO lectors
TO make It convenient tor tax payers to
pay their taxes. Their hours are fixed
from to IL a. M, and from to D. m,
the very hours when people are the most |
busy. As soon as the shop whistles
blow at IL O'Clock for tho hands to take
an hour At noon the doors of the tax |
office close. The worklngmen get one
hour for dinner, but the tax collectors |
take two. Wheu the doors OF the tax |
Office open Mt 2 O'Clock In the afternoon
the working people are busy, and when
the doors close ut O'Clock the worlImen |
have still to work an hour longer When |
they get TO their homes, wash of the SCOT |
OF honest toll, get their supper, and 20 |
up or down town from 7.30 10 O'Clock, |
when they could step In and pay their |
taxes, the tax office 10 as dark as mid |
nipht.
Tho collectors are enjoying the society |
OF family and friends instead OF being at |
their office to accommodate the WORKING
men who are Taxpayers. This 10 what |
the people complain Of. All along mar |
ket street the stores are open to accom- |
modate the working people, but no tax
Office is open. Merchants are glad to |
have their customers call In the evening |
and pay their bills, and remain In their |
stores until y or 10 O'Clock, If need be, to |
accommodate them, but per contra the |
tax Office IL closed at 3 O'Clock In the 1
evening to keep the working people from
paying their taxes. The collectors can
not honestly deny this.
Then again, In the hours the collectors
have appointed they cannot be found In
their offices greater part Of the iime.
OF coureo they must go out to collect
real estate taxes, but they leave nobody
In their Office to accommodate people
who call during their absence. Mr..
son will receive money for
real estate taxes for either collector, but
not for poll taxes. Why this dlstinc-
tion?
Andrew j. Harvey, residing at No. 846
Bennett street, works for the jackson u
Sharp Company. He knocked of work
one day last week to 60 and pay his
taxes. He went to the tax lf1ice aud
waited for Collector Dougherty, but the
did not come. He saw Mr..
boy take the real estate tax
from citizen In Collector McKee's dis
trict, and he thought that now sure the ,
boy would take his tax money, but the
boy told him, ave are no. taking poll |
faxes." The writer of this article saw
this and told Mr.. Harvey to stay and
''hold the forp until Mr.. Dougherty |
came. Mr.. Harvey did stay until noon,
and Mr. nOuUharfu mt arin0 ha d.