Daily Republican., 1890-04-11

Nun Ouly III. w iCl Vuk Otn0A C$4A0-
cratic county reformers have given
out with . flourlah Of trumpels thai
the county tax rate 10 to be reduced
from fifty down TO forty cents on the
one hundred dollars, possibly 10 q
lower figure the coming year. This
will be credited TO Democratic county
reform and economy. and will bs in.
dustriously used in the present cam
pRign % an argument for retaining the
Democratic Levy Court In power.
Democratic speakers will 60 before the
people and VIII say: Look here, what
8 Democratic Levy Court did for you.
You paid fifty cent tax rate last year.
,his year you only pay forty. Where
you paid five dollars last year you only
pay four dollars this year; where you
paid ten dollars last year, you only
paw eight this year. Would you turn
such q body Of public servants out oil
officer
This all sounds very well, but only
those of very easy going reform prin-
clples will be satisfied with ii. The
only saving to the county will be less
the cost OF running the insane depart
ment of the almshouse, $4,000. and
less the appropriation for a new bridge
some 81, 600 more, total of $72, COO.
This item alone would enable the
Levy Court to reduce the tax rate &c
forty cents. But 10 this real economy7
The saving OF SIT. 900 from the insane
asylum was enforced from the condi-
lion OF affairs. Ofcourse when. there
10 no asylum TO support, no money
will be paid to support 1t, and also II
NO bridge is to be built no money will
be required to build one. This Is not
real economy. Where the Levy
Court could have used real practical
economy they have not done 80.
They refused to save So, 600 by declin-
lag 10 pay the sheriff enormous Doodle
bills for feeding prisoners. They
refused to save S., 600 more to the
county, by demanding the Wilmington
tax collectors to return taxes instead D
delinquents. They could have savet
$4,000 more by declining TO built
bridges through the county where
bridges were but little needed. 1t is
true as Mr.. Wier said the county IL
splendidly equipped in bridges. II a
piiukc 10 Duilh III olc huhbiCh tAe
adjoining hundred must have MI
equivalent to equalize the salaries o.
the Levy Courtmen, as they get tire,
dollars day and mileage Tor oversee
ing the work done.
1t would NOT do to permit Christians
hundred to build two thousand dollar
bridge without building bridge OIL
doing a similar amount of work il
other hundreds, to give each Levy
Courtman somewhere near an equa
ratio OF duties in experimenting work
that the salaries might be kept up. l
Ii by this experimenting the building
of bridges and causewsys that mem
beers OF the Levy Court are enabled I,
draw such large salaries. We hear o
no reform in this respect The peopl,
should not be deceived by this Demo
cratic blow of county reform. Tn
reform should have been commenced
year sooner, when no election VIZ
pending in the near future. The tas
payers OF the county will be gratei,
for the reduction on their taxes, Eeve
theless they do not owe it toany SINGER
desire for economic reform, more tha
10 o desire on the part oil the Lev
Court TO pose before the yoters of Il
county as reiormers at the next Gle,
tion. The voters, however, will I'll
derstaud the difference between re
Ieiorm and sham reform.