Daily Republican., 1890-06-04
Tho Tax Rate.

The Levy Court Yesterday settled
upon forty cent rate of taxation to
the one hundred dollar valuation.
This Ia ten cents less than previous
rates for some years past, but Il will
hardly be felt when tax paying time
comes The better Judgment Of the
members was against reduction but
something had 10 be done TO plAcate
the public mind that had become
Yeetive under sense OF useless extra
vagance BY the Levy Court. The
taxpayers will hardly appreciate the
ten cent sop thrown to them while tho
Levy Court members make out to pay
themselves, some Of them nearly .
thousand dollars year for strained
mileage and per diem attendance al
Court. There was no effort made to
reduce this extravaganza. Less than
five years ago the Court cost the tax
payers one fourth less, but little by
little the expenses have been run up to
over eight thousand dollars per annum.
II is true, as Squire Wier says, the
county is magniiicentiy trldged, and
they at least are partial offset to the
expense, but there Is exactly. where
the salary question comes In 1t.
Without building these bridges and
causeways the Levy Courtmen's sala.
ries could not have been run up 10 the
present fgares. A bridge is ordered
to be built In Brsndywine hundred.
A committee must view the premises,
and they must come from . distant
part OF the county to give the affair an
cir Of disinterestednese. The commit
tee must have three dollars a day and
six cents mileage. and the member Of
the court from Brandy wine hundred
must have his three dollars day and
mileage for every day be visits the
bridge while it is In course OF con.
structioa, and this generally amounts
10 every day. The Brsndywine mem.
Der having soit snap OF II, the mem
Der from Blackbird must either have q
bridge built or causeway constructed.
He wants his salary, too, run up to at
least as much rs the Brandy wine hun.
dr,d memb'r. So with the members
from Appoquinimink, 81 Georges, ,k--d
Lion, Mill Creek and all the oiher hun.
-dreds. 1t Is not .ir for one mem ber
to have a good Thing Without others
having an equal good thing.
Some little stream must be hunted
up and bridged to equalize the salaries
OF the members Of the Levy Court and
one is generally found. This year
with wonderful exactness no bridges
are TO be built not even In Whining
ion. The excessive salary cry reached
the ears Of the Levy Court and il was
needed. From Brandy wine 10 Black
bird no bridges will be constructed
and as necessity there will have to
be reduction OF the salaries of men,
bers.
While there are good bridges and
causcways over the county, the county
roads are just the opposite. Poor roads
and good bridges meet tho eye every
where. There are no salaries In good
roads tor the Levy Court. The hun
dred road commissioners attend 10 that
and the farmers are careful that their
salaries shall not be very high, though
we often hear oil complaint In that d.
reciion too.
All these constitute arguments in
favor of change in county govern
ment. The Levy Court before the
members got 10 running the salary
racket was not SO Objectionable.
A gentleman from Chester county
came into tie Levy Court room yes,er-
day on business with an outsider
Looking a. ound he asked W what this
crown OF men were here for. Upon
being told that it was the Levy Cour
of New Castle county, which CORE
sponded to the County Commissioner
OF Chester county, he seemed aston
ished and said: why we do all ,hi
work up in Chester county with thre
County Commissioners and CLERK
the whole expense being about ioy
thousand dollars. That is wha,
wanted in New Castle county. III
Is what the people want and thie
what the people intend TO have.