The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-09-14
A good piano for 800 at Red Mems
Hall Piano Wareroom.
Lost BY the Chancellor. Decision.


Lost by the ChanceIor's Decision.
'sunless the county officials compel
the collectors TO pay this money over
70 the county, some one Will be dere-
lict In their duty. Ii the persons from
whom the taxes were collected We're
duly and legally assessed, then the col
lectors should be compelled to pay the
taxes collected over to the county. The
law provides for all such cases, and 1t
is surprising that anybody should inti-
mate that the collectors arc not bound
to pay. Ii the taxes were collected
by the collectors IL matters not what
iraud they perpetrated upon the eoun-
ty they are not only morally but legal
~ bound to pay the money over to
tho county,
Thus argues the Dover Delawarean,
Of last week, in referring to the refusal
. OF the two tax-colleeters of Whining
ton, to pay over the $500 10 collected
for the taxes from 1860 poll taxables.
At the same time tho Delawarean
/ strongly endorses the decision Of the
State Chancellor which prevented the
lmes OF these $3.50 poll'taxables from
eelng replaced upon the assessments
fAbAi tlDg huNl DOSh 5bLuSh bC-
fore the Levy Court knew how it had
been imposed upon. The arguments
Of our Dover contemporary are not
consistent with the facts of the cnse.
III the money collected from those poll
taxables should be paid over to the
county treasury, should not the names
OF those from whom it was collected
remain upon the assessments,ol else how
would the accounts balanceP
Suppose the county treasurer was
paid the $4,000 6, should there not be
credit on the assessment books to
show who paid 1t? IfJohn Smith paid
S1.20 OF that S4600.l6 should John
Smith not DO credited with that
amount on the assessment and his
n lme be left untouched and come in
as debtor for next years taxes2
Does the Delawarean not know
that the Levy Court did start to take
measures to make the collectors dis
gorge this money and that IL com
menced at the right end too2 II pass
ed a resolution that the names Of these
$3.50 poll-ta&ables for whom the col
lectors collected this money and yet
returned them as dellnquents should
be replaced upon the assessment
When this couldbe once accomplished
they would then have a legal record
OF who paid taxes and they could be
credited with the same. This would
have shown how much money the col
ieetors had and from whom they col,
iected 1t. Ihon to have proceeded and
collected the money from the collee-
tors would have been an easy and
legitimate step to pursue.
But there was partisan object to be
accomplished. The Democrats saw
Shat the poll-taxables for whom this
st,60o.l6 was paid were Republicans.
Thor names had been fraudently re.
turned as dellnquents and stricken
from the assessments. and they were
determined that they should not go OF
again. One OF the collectors, Geo. W
Mckee, went TO Democratic attorney
and got him to get out an injunction
10 preIent the Levy Court from put
ting the names upon the assessment
The attorney did us requested, and {
Democratic Chancellor granted the in
junction and afterwards nude IL per
manent This action, looks to mos
people as having absolved tile collee
trs nom paying the money in theil
possession over to the County Treas
drer. II anybody was to proceed
against the collectors TO recover TIL
s.,6O0.l6 paid them how would the.
psoceed2 The assessment Is the onl,
record against the collectors and VIVA
does that record show
1t shows that the men for whom thi
$500 10 was paid, that their taxes ar
no. paid at all, Their names were II
turn I'd as dellnquents and stricke
from the assessment, and the Chance
Tor decides that the record is accoft
ting to law Whom the Republicans {
tie Levy Court found that they la
bssn imposed upon by the collector
an led to take wrong step. the
sri3d to reverse their action and a
sempted to replace the names on tn
assessment upon the plea that they ha
been stricken off under fraudulent mi!
representations, the Chancellor deeit
I'd that they could not do that, and thel
the matter stands. There is not til
scratch OF pen upon the count
records to show that the collector
owe one dollar OF this sI,G00.l6 to Il
county. What foolishness 1t Is the
forIthe Delawarean to be calling upu
somebody to proceed and collect tn
money from the collectors when ii
records do not show that they owe al
money, and especially after the Sta
chancellor decided that the recorl
were kept according TO law.
Tn Every Evening publishes the r
solutions passed by the Levy Coul
appointing a committee TO investiga
tle tax collectors fraud and to tai
such steps as will make them disgorl
the $4,000 l6 they have in hand, and
Is calling upon the committee to d