Smyrna times., 1891-07-22

THE storm of political vituperation
over the sale by Collectors DOugherty
and Mckee, of Wilmington of 1000
tax receipts in bulk to the republicans
has about spent itself as far as the dis
cussiOn goes, but it has by no means
shown the immaculateness of the par
Elephants in the deal. The act of
DOugherty and Mckee which was held
in execratiOn by their fellow democrats,
led to charges that Pat Neary and
John T. Dickey, two other leaders had
likewise made similar offers for per-
sonal gain caused a retOrt on Mr..
Bache, a republican manager, that he
had accepted 5000 for writing up Hick-
man, one of the 'frOosters" that the
EUery EUenin0 was trying to down in
its own party because of unfitness.
Bach starts that it was Edwards, his
partner, the present publisher of the
EUening Journal who got the 5000, and
thus there are charges and counter
charges, the only ineligible thing to
the outside reader being that politics
in Wilmington has been for some years
a mass of corruption-a stencil in the
nOstrils of the virtuOus people of the
State. 1t is a revelation of what
can and what has been done in
the manipulation of our election
laws, and how the purposes of the hon.
est, unsuspecting voter may be sub
verted. It is we'll that the mask be
lifted now and then so the people can
take look at the situation.
The EUery EUening in discussing the
purchase by Postmaster Stewart and
others of 1000 tax receipts from Dough-
erty and Mckee says:
How could these two men, as collec-
tors, lawfully join in one receipt
Their duplicate lists were separate
Their bonds were separate. Their
sureties were not the same.
But this receipt" does not purport
to be signed officially; and no seal,
such as is imperatively prescribed by
law, is attached to it. 1t describes no
tax, whether capitatiOn or real estate
or school or poor; in neither form nor
substau.- - q an honest tax receipt.
10 sl.os luo u4Re of no taxable and
affords no clue to make proper debit
or credit against any county Off :ial to
be entered. The parties who paid .av
money are not named and did not dare.
to be named.
This condition in politics is "a natural
result Of the methods that have beeu
in vogue in our state. The Duly Re-
publican in discussing the s,t.AtiOn
says
The political methods of the past
few years are receiving a complete air
ing before the public and above all is
the gratifying thought that no harm
can come of it. That our whole sys-
tenn of franchise should have become
Vitiated and corrupt is not surprising
under the circumstances. The assess
ment laws and the laws providing for
the collection of taxes passed in 1873
commenced the corrupt era and it
has been kept up ever since Those
laws never were luboh0cu 10 promote
honesty in politics, and their intentions
have been fully carried out by the one
party in power ever since they were
passed. There has never been an hon.
est assessment and an honest collection
OF taxes in all that time. The laws
we're passed for political purpose, to
aid the party in power in the future at
all hazards. Laws with such inten-
tions cannot fail to engender and fos-
ter dishonesty and at the end, their
iniquity must inevitably come by and
by.
In the case Of these partisan dishon-
est laws they have done their work
effectuaIly through a long series Of
eighteen years, but their end has come
at last, and at their closing up should
be attended with political commissions
which are the greatest kind of political
surprise is not strange. The collectors
Of taxes have been the political auto
Gratis Of the state.
Such q syslep was a yeritable train
ing school political corruption.
Nobody had W respect for a law that
that made it d sible for such a state
Of affairs to ex8 and total disregard |
Of che laws seem to have become q
political virtue. Every tax collector
nnder these late laws from Archie