Daily Republican., 1889-06-14

The following letter, Issued by the
Department of Elections yesterday, fully
explains itself:
OFFICE DEPARTMENT OF ELEc-
TIoNs, Wilmington, Del,
June Is, 1859. J
Charles NJ. Curtis, ESQ
DEAR Sir: Having made q thorough
investigation of sundiy cases OF alleged
illegal voting OF the city election held on
Jnne /, 1889, we make the following
stat ment of the facts as they appear by
the following records;
John j. Cox, Ninth ward.-Mr. Haw-
kins says that he (Cox) voted on tax
receipt OF Patrick Neary's paid In 1888.
Mr.. Mahafy says that he (Cox) was re-
turned as an error In March, 1889, for
taxes of 1888.
The original assessment at the Court
House shows that he was assessed In 1888
Collector NeaTys duplicate shows that
John j. Cox's taxes ior 1888 were paid
and accounted for to the Levy Court, and
that he was not returned as an error. In
this connection IL is well to state that the
collectors duplicate constitutes the
| original error list as allowed by the Levy
Court, the names returned as errors be-
ing stricken through with an ink mark
| by authority and direction of the commit
tee OF the Levy Court ut the time of the
| settlement with the collector.
John Carter, Ninth ward-The charge
| made is the same As that against Cox.
The name pf John Carter appears twice
| upon the official records. In the fret In
stance the taxes were paid and he was
| not returned as an error; in the second
instance the name was returned as an
error, this being the only way in which
the collector could be relieved from the
payment 0 tax not collected or which
had been assessed twice.
Patrick Doneily, Ninth ward-The
charge male is the same as against John
Carter, and the records disclose the same
state OF facts re atve to him as they do to
John Carter.
Patrick Dougherty, Ninth ward
Charged with having voted on tax re-
| ceipt for 1898 and not being assessed for
that year. The name does appear ON the
ass, = men for 1883. The space for the
DDS" being full, this name with Others
was carried forward and appears on an
other page of said assessment. The col
| lector's dup icate also shows that the tax
was paid and accounted d for.
MRttson Beale, Ninth ward.-Chareed
with having voted on a tax receipt for
| 1887 and the statement made that lie was
not on the assessment in 1857, was on iu
! 1888 aud WAS r, turned as an error Ia
March, 1850, for the taxes of 1888. TIE
records BhoS that he was not returned as
AL error ID March In 1889 for the taxes Of
1888, but pn The contrary, paid his taxes
| for said year aud received his receipt
Samuel Burton, Ninth ward. The
| charge made ia the same as against John
j. Cox anil the records disclose the same
| state oi facts relative to him as to joan
J. Cox.
You having submitted these as "typl-
| cal" cases we suggest that hereafter a
more careful exsmin alton be made before
complaints a'e lodged with the depart
ment, otherwise innocent persons may be
sui jccted to the annoyance and humilia-
ton OF an arrest.
A. G. WILSON,
A. j. HART,
Department OF Elections
June 13. 1889 Upon an examination
OF the records hereby rtify that the
above statement of facts is correct.
JOHN BIGGs, Attorney General,
June IL, 1882 Upon an examination
| OF the recor Is hereby certify that the
al owe statement of facts is correct.
JoHN p. MCLRAR,
Representing George s. Chpelle.
Alter bting shown this letter Frclerick
E. Bach, chairman OF the Fiet d strict
Republican Committee, said:
The Department OF Elections comes
with report ten days after these names
were submitted TO them. This r, port is
made from Patrick Neary's own books,
Tor his tehelit, and by his help. Iu other
words, Patrick Seary makes report on
his own conduct and says that it was
good. Mr. Neary has acquitted himself.
The outsli &c pubic does not know and
neither dpes the Department OF Elec-
| tions, what Mr.. Nelty did with his du-
plicAtes, which are said to be the original
error list during the last ten days since
these typical cases were submitted MIR.
Neary is not expet ted to convict himself,
but som, Thing else was expected OF the
Depa tmGnt of Elections On the even
ing when the typical cases were pr, sented
to the department ! urged upon Mr..
| Andrew q. Wilson, the president OF the
| department., the necessity of looking into
the error lists at the Court House at
once. Isuggested to him, repeating the
suggestion. that the department take i'm
mediate steps 10 procu certified copies
OF those lists. Mr.. Wilson d d not see
the Importance of all this. lie did not
know, he said, that there was word In
the registration act making it his duty
or giying him the right to look into
those lists.
"He evlnced great respect for the
letter of the law. | sec by this letter
that Mr.. Wilson changed his mind. 1t
Is pity that he did not change It before
the lists were stolen from the office of tie
clerk of The peace.
''lt is Just possible that these men, Of
whom th(re are between six,y and
seventy ih a single municipal district Of
the Ninth ward, had their namrs placed
both on the assessment list and on the
error list for the last two or thrle years.
With democratic ASSESSOR 8. oic end
and Democratic collector at the other,
all things pol.ticsl are possible. These
me- me- may have beet ac;;. sc;;. ca G.; come asse s.
ment list from year to year without pay
ing cent Of tax in order to be ready 10
vote at any time and at more than one
place in the city, while, ON the other
hand, the nam,s OF these same men may
have been returned as errors from year
to year by Collector Neary to save him
from being responsible for the money as
sessed on the receipts OH which they
voIs9. 4sS.os J.. :,
'PToblt lyii our committee furnish the
Department OF Elections with the rest of
the nGmds OF these Democrats, whom we
know to have been qu lllied illegally for
voting at the rtceut election, the depart
ment, BY the help Ct Collector Neary,
would be able IN Il week or ten days to
AXE milar report concerning every
one OF them.
81 wish to make proposition to this
N. ga II