Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-02-12
THE LEVY COURTS
TOO CUMBERSOME, ExPEN-
slvE AND PARTISAN.
County Commissioners Wanted Lam
caster County, Pa, and New Castle
County, Del, Compared.
Statistics.

The Levy Court of New Castle county
is row in session doing the county bust
ness. This court cost the county last
year y ,O37. 55 simply for per diem and
mileage. The population of the county
is about 5000, OF which Go,t0O is VII
mington.
Three county commissioners set at diff
ferent times during the year in the city of
Lancaster TO transact the business of that
county. Their salaries are 81, 900 Q year
each, without mileage, total cost S3, 600.
Differ nee in favor OF Lancaster county,
50, O37 SO. The population of Lancastr r
county is about $50, 600. The same COM
parisons may be made with Berks, Ches-
ter, York, Montgomery, Bucks or any of
the large counties of PennsS lvaDia,
though thsy d fier in population, but none
named have less than 100, 900 popula-
tIon.
These comparisons are made to-show
what costly, cumtersome, unwieldly
machine the Levy Court of New Castle
county is, and more liable to be less effec-
tive than three county commissioners.
The mparisons m ~ be carried farther
In faver of tine pennsylvania system.
County commissioners are less partisan,
from the fact that they have no patron
age at their Disposal. The people them
selves in Lancaster county, anu all the
other counties OF PennsylvaLia, dispense
the patronage themselves. They say by
their votes who shall be assessors, collect
ore, justices of the peace, con tables and
all officers great and small. There are
no such scenes before the County Com
missioners as were enacted before the
Levy Court here last Friday. The people
fix all that with their v4tes.
Another argument Ia favor of County
mt fcafn q hat
are only three of them they are not all of
The eams party. A Republican county
like Lancaster or Chester has two Re
publicaps and one Democratic commits
sioner, and q Democratic county like
Berks or York has two Democratic and
one Republican commissioner. When
three are to be elected the voters vote for
only two. This always leaves one for the
mieority.
Nobody will hardly dare say that the
public business In the counties OF Penn
sylvsnia is not as efficiently and as hon
tsly transacted as ia New Castle County,
to be all OF one party, and on account of
its patronage intensely partisan.
Delaware needs constitutional con-
ventioa, If for no other purpose than to
get clear Of it, cumbersome Levy Courts.
The present Levy Court of New Castle
County Is as efficient and honest as any
of its predecessors, but It is too expen-
sive. Three county commissioners can
levy taxes as equitably and just as eleven
men, and the county treasurer can collect
the taxes for one-hAlf the money now
paid to the twelve county tax collectors
of the county. II the county treasurer's
deputies were paid commission on the
taxes they collect they would be very apt
to collect from Renuhlicana and namn
Gratis alike. The taxes would then be
collected more because the county needed
money than because the Democratic OIL
any other party needed votes.
In the Legislative session of 1887, Mr..
Medill, OF Pencader, offered bill proYii.
Ing Tor County Commissioners instead oi
Levy Courts, but 1t received but little
consideration by the Legislature
Another bill, 1t is said, is TO be intro
duced In the presen Legislature, 1t 10 to
be hoped with better succ.se.