The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-09-24
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER "a, 1891.


nent to the view, and that is that the
two Wilmington collectors have a.:
coo. 10 of collected taxes in their peck
cts which they have not paid over to
the county OF New Castle where it be-
longs
Let us put the points as plainly as |
we can so that anybody can under
stand the issue. How did the money
get in their pockets and why do they
not pay 1t over?
1t got in their pockets in this way:
They were short and needed money.
They knew 1t was no use to ask the
Democrats for the taxes on their
poll taxables, because they were al
ways carried anyhow on the assess
ment generally without paying taxes.
They knew that the Republicans, al
ways made the special objects of dis
reimbursement would pay the taxes
for their poll taxables II they had
chance to do 80, and SO the collectors
resolved to go to the Republicans for
once for tax money.
They went to Postmaster Daniel F.
Stewart, United States, Marshal, II. C.
Mahaffy and F. L. Bach, chairman of
the First district Republican com
mittee and offered to accept from them
the taxes In bulk due from their poll
taxables for which the collectors were
to give full bonafide legal receipts.
The Republican committee gladly
accepted the offer. These poll tax
nbles were Oh the collectors duplicates.
They each owed tho county money.
The collectors asked the committee to
pay that legal debt, too often left un-
paid. They had been wondering in
their own own minds how they would
get those taxes paid anyhow. Here
came the plan from the Democratic
collectors unsolicited by them, volun-
tarily made by the collectors. The
Republicans accepted tho offer. They
would have been foolish had they not
done so.
The Republican lists Of poll taxables
were made out, the collectors assisting
IN doing 80 by giving the committee
lists of all poll taxables in the respec-
tive wards, from which the committee
selected all the Republican poll taxa.
bles.
The collectors then made out taz
receipts duly filled up, dated, signed
and stamped for each and every Re.
publican poll taxable. They delivered
them to the committee In envelopes,
an envelope for each ward, the envel
opes endorsed with the number of re-
ceipts In each, and the amount due Oh
the receipts in each envelope.
The Republican committee paid into
the hands of the collectors the amounts
due in full for taxes without rebate OIL
discount. They got 1850 receipts fol
that number OF Republican poll taxa
bles regularly assessed, and on th,
collectors duplicates. The collector
got for these receipts 5460O.16 due t
tho county.
There the transaction between tn,
Republican Committee and the ia.
collectors ended. The committee hat
the receipts and the collectors had til
money for them. Tbs Republicans
paid OF legal deLt In full, the collee
tors accepted legal debt in full o
behalf of the county, whose agent
they were.
Then the collectors made their rC
turn of delinquents to the Levy Coul
as the law requires In March, an
amongst these delinquents returno
we're the 1850 poll taXables for whor
the Republican Committee had pal
the s4,60o.l6 of taxes they owed tn
county and for which the commute
held the collectors receipts.
The committee of tho Levy Court /
whom the Wilmington delinquent list
were as usual formally referred, witt
cut discovering that an infamou
fraud had been perpetrated passed Il
collectors return, gave the collector
the allowances they claimed, reporte
their action to the Court and the I
port was accepted
In April or May, when it was past Il
hme set by law for adding to or stri
ing from the assessment lists, I'll
Republicans found that shamefi
fraud had been perpetratcd upon Il
court, in returning as Delinquent
1850 taxables whose taxes had bee
eaid.
Under the correct idea that frat
aways yitiatcs and renders null al
.oid contracts and agreements, d
levy Court by the action Of its muiC
ity, ordered that these defrauded 80
hlxabies' names should DO re-enteri
Upon the assessment from which tn
had been unlawfully stricken al
transferred from thence to the t
duplicates OF 1891.
The Democratic leaders resisted Il
on the technical Interpretation tn
the law forbids any change in the {
10 sessment after the month of Marc
In vain did the Republicans eonte
chat fraud could not stand in la
and transactions smirched with fra
were not binding. Tho Democry
went to tho chancellor'sco at DO,
and applied for an injunction to p
vent the placing Of tho names up
the assessment. The Injunction "
granted, the chancellor taking I
same Tiow that tho assessment COZ
aot be changed, even though 1850 d.