Smyrna times., 1890-04-02
Farmers Meeting Saturday.

THE QUESTION OF COUNTY EXPENSES |
CONSIDERED.
A tair-slZed meeting of the Farmers |
Institute was held in the Opera House |
in this town Saturday afternoon, ]. !
Alexander Fulton, Esq, of Dover, pre-
siding.
Alexander G. Cummins made an ad- |
dress favOring reform and retrencb-
ment in the administration of county
affairs. Mr.. Cummins said the ex-
| penses of Kent county had doubled
within the past nine years andIthey are
four times what they were thirty years
ago.
Ex-President of the Levy Court
Charles II. Register made a short ad-
dress. Mr. Register was a member of
the court for eight years. He was
also member of the Legislature from
! Duck Creek hundred. Mr.. Register
spoke of the amounts spent bv each
hundred in road improvements and
claimed that Duck Creek hundred did
not get her share. He said that when
he was member of the court in 1873 a
calculation had been made by which
the county would pay the debt in ten
years, but instead of that the succeed
!
until 1t Is now 10000.
Mr.. Register had avOcated several
reforms, but it was a difficult matter to
succeed where these proposed reforms
would affect politicians. The court of
which he was member had at one
time appealed to the Legislature, but
they never got hearing. The court
wanted to do away, with a few of the
minor county officers, but the Legisla-
ture would not have it that way.
He then gave an illustration of some
of the ways in which land was assessed.
In 1868 the farm of William Hutchins.
in Jones' Neck, was assessed at $25 an
acre, and the land of Thomas Dpunev,
near Dover, was assessed at @7h DER
acre. In 1879 Hutchins' property was
assessed at $40 and Denny's at $50.
At the next assessment Dennys WAS
assessed at $50 per acre and Hntchins'
at $S6. The speaker gave similar illus
tratlOns OF properties in Duck Creek
hundred. But should any citizen ask
for relief or remedy many would call
the citizen crank or say that he had
no knowledge. Mr.. Register would
not say the Levy Court was corrupt.
He would say upon his own knowledge
that there was no fraud and every man
who had right to go on the assess
ment list was put on. The court did,
however, spend money when there
was no necessity for it.
Mr.. Cummins made a strong speech
! in favor of economy. He urged the
farmers to stand together. The tax
!; rate he thought ought to be reduced TO
35 cents on the 800. All the money
not necessarily spent belongs to the
3 people. The sheriff should onlv be
allowed 20 cents day for the feeding Of
- prisoners. The farmers should see
+, that proper men are nominated for
Office and that those men carry ont the
views of the farmers. He c0mmende
y the Levy Court for having reduced the
amount allowed for the feedina of nris.
: oners from 80 to 30 cents.
7 Mr.. Fulton did not think any greater
change could be made on the bresen,
> sheriff, but whoever was elected sheriff
! in the future would have fair WARNING
'' that the farmers would ask that me-
allowance be reduced.
He was willing that every one should
be paid fair price for their labor Tbe
! farmers should ask for notl inc hni
J, what is right, and submit to nothinO
= that is wrong. He spoke of the large
;. amount paid for fixing the indexes
= Since these questions of reform bave
been brought to the attention of In,
Levy Court there will not be so many
extravagances in the future. The snI
OF S2S, 900 was paid on the roads eaoI
year. This was too much. This Wa.
poor management. This is not a marty
question, The Levy Court containeS
some excellent men and some wbC
were not so good. W.
On motion Of Mr.. Cummins the raso
lutions adopted by the Institute wbicl
met at Dover were endorsed. faybrins
29 cents per day for the feeding =
prisoners and an allowances of ne, q
v. cent for the collection of taxes. FT'
a resolution was adopted thanking
Ihe Levy Court for having reduced M
sheritf's allowance,