Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1890-01-27
MONDAY. JANUARY "a, 1900.


When Chief Justice Comegys rem
dered his decision In the mandamus
case he followed 1t with declaration
that the court would meet again before
the collectors made their returns OF de-
linquents to the Levy Court the first OF
March, and that II would be ready to
afft I'd any relief within the power
of the court If the collectors did
not do their duty In giving the tax
payers fair opportunity 10 pay their
tuxea. These ere not the exact words
made use OF by the court, but they
contain the substance.
We do not know whether the court
will be called uncn any more for aid in
this matter, but II II is not It will not
be because aid 10 not needed. The
collectors have given no better oppor-
tunities for poll taxpayers to pay taxes
than they gave before the mandamus
decision wss rendered. II there Is any
difference II is against the taxpayers.
The thumb screw Of distranchisemcn
has apparently been turned on little
tighter, and the taxpayers have be,
come more disheartened by calling and
not finding the collectors in their office.
Reasonable people thought that as
oil other tax collectors had sat OF night
70 receive taxes, and that, as q gentle
hint had been given by the court the
present collectors would also have sat
d couple of hours in the evening TO re.
ceive taxes, but ii seems that they care
nothing about precedents, or anything
else that will give Republican poll
tax payers a chance 10 qualify To vote.
They stubbornly refuse to appoint any
other hours for the collection OF taxes
than those which they have IN.
nounced, from to II O'Clock q. In.
and from 9 TO 5 p. II. No more I'M
favorable hours could have been Sc
lecied for the large number Of laborers
and mechanics employed in the large
shops of the city. Still If there was
any certainty that they would be in
their office, even during those hours,
more taxpayers could have paid. II
only one mechanic knocked of tor
only half day 10 pay bis taxes, and
Hound upon reaching the tax office that
the collector was down In Virginia, up
In NeYTork or Philadelphia, or over
al Atlantic City, or even out attending
10 other branches of industry, 30 that
he could not pay after losing his half
day, a dozen OF others hearing of II
would make no attempt at oil TO NEE,
the collector.
This Is the way things have been
going all along and they have been
growing perceptbly worse stree they
have construed The late decisions oil
the courts as backing them up in the
course they have pursued.
The Court said very distinctly In lis
decision in the Mandamus Case thai
the collectors must give the taxpayers
fair opportunity 10 pay their taxes
This all sounds very well, but it would
be interesting to know what the Court
would call fair opportunity. Arc
the hours now appointed by the col
leciors. and they not al their Office hal
Of the time, considered iair uppor
tunity? They might be 10 gentlemen
OF leisure and 10 persons who had con
troll d their own time hut not TO th
two thousand INT chauics in the larg
shops. II the collectors would az
point an hour or two even at the deG
hours OF midnight these mechanic
would even then cali and pay the
txrs because there would be Ger
,Ginty OF finding The collectors al
peither they nor their employ woul
tulltr the loss OF time.
v hat the court can or will do whe
II meets in February is not known, b
1T could and would direct these tw
tax collectors in Wilmington to sit fl
couple Of hours In the evening un,
The Levy Court meets in March, tn
would be giving iair oppor,unit,
and without this opportunity and Il
want of it two thousand Republics
poll taxpayers will be returned as d
linquents when the Levy Court meet
We hope that fair presentation OF Il
Case will be made 10 the court " hen
meets that If it Can do anything
prevent the Acknowledgement OF thel
Two thousand poll taxpayers it may |
done.
.