Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-07-16

resolution the Republican majority of
the court appointed a committee to re-
wise the lists without apprising the Levy
Court as a body Of the evidence upon
which they based their action.
"These receipts were studiously kept
from the inspection of the Democratic
members Of the Levy Court, who only
by accident discovered that they were
in the possession of Republican com.
mittee. Even then, when the Demo-
Gratis had learned of this, they were
never informed of the manner in which
the receipts were procured or any claim
made that they were justly and honestly
obtained until the recent action before
the chancellor has forced the Republic
cans TO show their hand. This clearly
proves to the mind Of any unbiased per-
son that 1t was never intended by the
parties contributing this fund that it
should be turned over to the county in
the shape OF taxes, but that ii was a case
OF bribery in which the collectors were
to retain that money for private use. 1t
Is only after the exposure of the fraud
by the Democrats in bringing the action
before the chancellor that the originators
va bAhN II ahNi dttCihRtoo w buDll
responsibility TO the shoulders of Mckee
and Dougherty and to make them the
scape goats of villainy in which the
Republican committee were equally
guilty participators.
"At the time when the committee
purchased these receipts in bulk the
circumstances surrounding the transac-
ton too clearly indicate that the men,
bers of the committee devised the plot
to hurriedly take advantage of the COL
lectors' financial embarrassment and
place the temptation in their way. The
two collectors were prostituted by
bribery in plot instituted by these
members of the committee who had not
the remotest intention of paying taxes
in good faith to the county.
IF the Republican committee was
honest in its professions, why did not the
members of it expose the whole transac-
ton to the Levy Court in open session
and produce the tax receipts In evidence?
They failed to do this and on the con-
trary proceeded in secrecy and sup
pressed their knowledge Of even the ex-
istence of these receipts until the Mckee
affidavit forced them into daylight.
"All the facts being considered by a
public DESTROYS of knowing the truth,
all fair-minded men must be convinced
that the pretense now set up is the
merest sham. 88a0
"The worthy gentlemen of the COM
mittee may rest assured that the parties
having the prosecution Of this matter in
charge have not yet disclosed the more
important facts in the history of the
plot. Before the end comes, there will
be bigger game than the two collectors
found tluttering in the meshes of the
laws net"
THE RECEIPT FOR $500.
On Monday The GAZETTE reporter
was permitted to carefully examine the
famous receipt for $1,000. The permits
sion was granted by Postmaster Stewart,
who has the receipt in his possession,
with the express stipulation that the
name in which the receipt is made out
should not be divulged. An exact
copy Of the remarkable document is as
follows:
Wilmington, Jan. 8, '91.
teen hundred dollars on &C. of tax receipts
for eighteen hundred ninety.
$500. Gro. W. MCKEE,
JEo. j. DouGHKRrY.
A comparison of the Mckee signature
to the receipt with one of his signatures
to tax receipt held ny the reporter
(Which he saw Mckee sign) left little
doubt about the former being genuine.
The body of the receipt was also in
McKee's writing and the Dougherty re-
ceipt had every appearance of being
genuine.
THOSE EXTRA NAMES.
"Were all the receipts obtained from
Mckee and Dougherty filled out?" in
quired the reporter.
every one was filed out in every
respect" replied Postmaster Stewart.
"The entire transaction was just as
legitimate as any matter in private bust
ness"
"How was the list made up that was
used by the Levy Court when the at
tempt was made to restore the names to
the tax duplicates?'
at was made up from list furnished
us by the collectors as having been taken
from their books. The list was carefully
gone over, and the names of all Repub-
licans checked off, and as the receipts
were received they were compared with
the names so checked off. The list of
names sent to the Levy Court was also
first carefully compared with these re-
ceipts."
"Then, how about those SO names on
the First ward list which do not appear
on the 1890 assessment at all? 2" ~
why, we don't understand that at
all, replied Postmaster Stewart 1.-THE
only explanation l can conceive of is
that the collectors must have given us
names that were not on the assess
ment."
"Were these doubtful names on the
list originally furnished you by the col
lectors2"
"They were, undoubtedly"
"We did not attempt to verify the re-
ceipts with the assessment of 1889 and the
extra assessment of $780," volunteered
f. Eden Bach, who was present, "but
we did compare the names of the Dem
Gratis on this list, to see whether they
were on the assessment Or not"
TAXES PAID IN KENT AND SUSSEX.
A Republican office-holder told the
reporter of THE GAZETTE that the Re-
publicans paid the taxes of their voters
in Kent and Sussex counties, as we'll as
in Wilmington, before it was time for
the return of the error lists. Most of
the taxes, he said, were paid in bulk.
The payments were generally made
while the bill to repeal the error law
was pending before the Legislature, Ii
being held that even if the law should
be repealed, the payment of the taxes
would make the party sure of the votes
of all whose taxes were thus pai6, by
reason of the receipts being good for
two years from date"
GIT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE"
Discussing the probable decision of
II 4 . -