Evening journal., 1889-03-29
DELINQUENT TAX BILL.
Those Who Do Not Pay Given
Seven Weeks More.
Ex-suPERNTENDENT WILLIAMS

fsfactorily Taxing Telegraph Conn
panies- senator Denahoe Gets APP
preparation for Gettysburg.
etan Correspondence Of EVENING Journal.
DOVER, March 2S.-The most inter.
esting feature of the day was the pass
age by the house Of the Delinquent Tax
bill. introduced on February 13 by Rep.
resentative Hynson. Mr. Hynson called
the bill up towards the end Of the day S
work, and in few remarks advocated its
passage. Representative Biggs opposed
the bill on the ground Of the expense Il
would entail upon the county. The Dill
passed. however. by vote of l3 to 4.
Representative Whiteman voted a de-
cided aye and Representative Eckles
declined to vote The Republicans, as
usual. upon any and all questions that
come before them that SAVIOR in any way
OF q political advantage, voted as unit.
Representative Biggss claim Of expense
was In many respects correct. A com
plete list Of the delinquents published
will be expensive and the publication of
such q list will be in q great measure a
source of much modification to poor per
sons VINO do not pay their taxes, because
they are unable to do so. Then the addi-
tional work imposed upon the clerk Of
the peace without compensation is ridicu-
lous, The first section Of the act provides
4hat Ii shall be the duty Oh the collector
of county taxes ii each nuldred
or collection district In this state 10
make return On the manner now provided
BY iaw) of p list OF the persons IN his
hundred assessed with poll tax only
whose taxes are then unpaid to the Levy
Court Of his county On the first day OF
the February meeting thereof in each
year. The lists are then to be published
for two successive weeks IN the month Of
February I'm each year in the two leading
newspapers leach being representative Of
one of the two political parties) published
in said county Copies of the lists are
also to be placed in the clerk Of the
peace's office and open at all times to the
inspection Of any citizen of the county.
The clerk of the peace is then TO receive
the taxes of all persons who apply until
the third Tuesday IN March of each year.
The act is pernicious and there is every
reason TO believe that it will 90 TO that
last resting place. the Senate and there
die its usual death.
TELEPHONE AND EMPRESS COMPANIES.
This was the day the agents and repre-
sentatives Of the telephone and express
companies were to appear before the
special committee to examine into the
amount of business done in this state by
these gentlemens corporations. r. s.
Farra of the Baltimore and Ohio Com,
pany and s. f. Belts of the Adams Elk.
press Company arrived.on the noon train
for the express companies. They only
had books containing the amount Of bust
ness done in Wilmington with them, and
4his was not what the committee wanted
They desired to ascertain the business
of the companies In the entire state con
sequently nothing come Of the agents
visit, and another meeting viii be made
next week. In the evening William T.
Westbrook and H. Mehaffy Of the
Delaware and Atlantic Telegraph
and Telephone Company come down
to explain their business but
the committee was not here this
time The agents of all the companies
represented declare that the tax named
would tax them out Of existence in the
state. and viii protest against the bill in
its present shape. They expect, however,
to pay tax in some shape, but not to
the amount Of ten thousand year. The
object Of the committee is TO ascertain
the business, aud it Is not unlikely that a
tax rate VIII be fixed that win be proper
tionate to the amount Of business done.
THE TEMPERANCE MEASURE.
--This Is the era o. petitions and the
more one sees Of them. the more one
comes to think of their utter worthless.
ness For instance, to-day your CORES
pondent looked over the petition pre-
sented in favor Of the W. c. I. u. bill
to raise the age Of consent, and upon it
was the name of man in Wilmington,
who has a mistress in Philadelphia. An.
other gentleman who was here when
your correspondent was looking over the
bill said that when he signed 1t, 1t
was represented to him that it was for
an entirely different purpose Two other
names had been erased from the petition
upon the request of the signers. To day
Representative Downham presented an
other petition containing the names of over
eight hundred persons in favor of the
passage Of the kigh license and local Op-
tlon bat, and 1t would be safe to say that
six hundred of the signers have never
seen the bill, and at least two hundred of
the signers are females, who knew moth
ing whatever about what they were sign
ing. The bill did not come up to-day,
owing to the absence Of Messrs. Biggs
and Lingo from last nights meeting An.
other meeting was held this evening to
consider the bill, and it was decided u
report the measure fayorably To-
morrow without fail Messrs.
Biggs and Gray are not infavoi
OF the measure, but agreed to th'
report in order to get the bill before tn,
House. When presented, 1t Will be made
special order for some day next week
probably for next Wednesday.
SCHOOL BOOK ACCOUNT.
superintendent Of schools I. M
Williams was here to-day and met ths
special committee to examine into the
deficiency in the school book accounts
Mr. Williams has been very successful il
his new field of labor at Washington
College. throughout all this school bust
ness there has been no intimation tina
the late superintendent had committed
any dishonest action and il is not be
Iieved that there is anything at thl
the very most beyond ba,
book keeping, if that. TO the COMMITTEES
Mr. Williams stated that Assistant
Superintendent Carpenter kept thu
accounts of the Office and had charge 0
all the finances of the offices and in tn
absence. of Mr.. Carpenter he could no
personally give the committee any de
finite information. He gave, how
ever, a number of explanations of the
apparent shortage Firstly. there was
large amount due the state from schoo
clerks under the system that they OF
tanned prior to 1888. Then there wa
L. ~ a., aa1vu I,