Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-17
GROUNDLESS COMPLAINTS.
Charges Against a County Officer
That Are Not True.

Deputy Receiver of Taxes George j.
FinciS Disposes OF Them in Turn--some
"Interceptcd" nIuii--success of the New
System.
In the Morning Meas of Saturday,
was a long string of complaints about
the manner in which Deputy Receiver
of Taxes George J.. Finck had been
performing his official duties. lie was
charged with refusing to accept the
poll taxes of Republicans, particularly
of colored men, and with being unac-
commodating to Republicans generally.
Mr.. Finck reviewed these charges and
to u reporter of TIE GAZETTE denied
them, seriatim.
The first charge was that at Mermaid,
on October It'll, Mr.. Finck declined the
taxes of n number of coloied men. Mr..
Finck says that every colored man who
applied that day and was properly as
sessed, received his receipt. ~ defy
Them" he said, "to produce one who
was refused, no matter what Lemuel
Graves may say to the contrary"
With respect to the charge of con-
tinued refusal to accept colored mems
taxes, at Marshallton the next day, Mr..
Finck said that while he had no poll
tax receipts with him, he accepted the
tax of every colored taxable who APP
piled and sent them their receipts after
wards by mail. Any statement that he
refused to accept their taxes, he says, is
false.
With respect to his visit to Newark,
on October 18th, Mr.. Finck says that
was the last day on which discount
was allowed on tax payments, and
therefore, when the time for him to de-
part drew near he announced that he
would give preference to property
taxables. Levy Court Commissioner
Paul Gillis was present with three or
four negroes, and while Mr.. Finck was
making out property tax receipts for a
man named Luton, Mr.. Gillis laid a
banknote upon the table and demanded
that he take the colored mems taxes out
of it. Mr.. Finck declined to attend to
the matter until the property taxes were
received, whereupon Gillis and the
negroes departed.
10 the charge that he sat less than
five hours at Kirkwood, on October
18th, Mr.. Finck says he was there con-
tinuously from 1l.45 a. m. to $50 p. m.
He was there again on October 24th,
and the charge that this second visit
was not properly advertised is denied
by Mr.. Finck.
To the complaint of Abel Hanna, of
Mill Creek hundred, who says he was
put oil for two days when he wanted TO
pay his fathers property tax, Mr.. Finck
makes this answer: Hanna came to the
office in this city to ascertain the amount
of his fathers tax and was given the infor-
| nation. lie had not the money with him
and said he would return towards even
ing, and afterwards asked if he could
pay in the morning, the next day, Octo-
Der 3lst, being the last day for allowing
rebate. He was told that he could and
called at 7.45 the next morning, just as
Mr.. Finck was preparing to go to Black.
bird. His money was received and the
receipt given him. Mr.. Hanna was there
fore accommodated instead of being re.
fused. AS to his complaint of not being
| permitted to pay his poll tax, Mr.. FincB
knows nothing about this.
Two complaints are mentioned oil
Samuel Seward of this city and William
| X. Brooks of Pencader hundred, who
went to the Wilmington Office to pay
their taxes on October 31st, but coulc
not do so. Mr.. Finck says he was col
lecting taxes in Blackbird hundred Oh
that day.
A curious complaint, rather hard tt
understand, was the following:
| AT Middletown all colored mems tax
receipts were sent to Alexander Max.
we'll, hotel keeper. They were inter
cepted by Republican and were giver
to Martin B. Burris.
Mr.. Finck says he sat at Maxwell's
hotel, while collecting taxes in Middle
town, and did not have any poll tax re-
ceipts with him. When the colored
men applied he took their money
credited them on the books, and told
them he would mail all the receipts tc
Mr.. Maxwell, from whom they could
| get than. He mailed the receipts tc
Mr.. Maxwell, and how any Republican
could have intercepted" them and
given them to Martin B. Burris he can
not understood. He thinks it looks as
though Mr.. Maxwell's mail had been
tempered with.
The last complaint is that of James A
Oliver of this city, whose son applied
for his poll tax receipt, but was moi
| given one, the name not being on the
duplicates. Mr.. Finck says Mr.. Oliver
is not assessed, according to the books in
the tax office, and he knows nothing
about him.
Mr.. Finck says the new system of col.
Letting county taxes has worked admir-.
ably, nearly $150,000 having been col.
lected already, despite the Levy Court:
delay in turning the books over to the
receiver. On account of this delay Re.
ceiver Dickey sat at his office until II
and IL o'clock at night, during all the
month of August, in order to accommo
date the taxpayers. Mr.. Finck deties
the Republican complainants in the
Ne'cs to produce single man, properly
assessed, whose application to pay his
| fay Vng rafused