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

The affidavit of County Tax Collector
George w. Mckee, TO the effect that he
did not receive the money for the tax
ables whose names the Republican
members of the Levy Court are now
trying to restore TO the tax lists, after
theyTyere returned as errors, created
great sensation in the local Republican
camp. The members of the political
firm Of Bach, Mahaffy, Stewart g. Co.,
at once got up In arms They resented
the affidavit as deliberate denial of
certain business transactions they al
seged that they had consummated with
collector Mckee and his colleague, Col
ector Dougherty, who, they also assert,
pok money from them in payment Of
srtain taxables and then coolly re-
urned these -taxables as delinquents in
darch last. And so, on learning that
Collector Mckee had sworn that these
.axables had not paid him their taxes,
nor had any one paid for them, it was
decided TO reveal certain transactions, in
order to show that Mckee had sworn to
what was not true. The result was the
making public of the following signifi-
cant document:
January 8, 1891.
Received from. fifteen hun
dred dollars on account of taxes for the
year 1890. GEO. w. MCKEE.
JOHN ]. DouGHERTY.
M'KEE HAS NOTHING TO SAY.
Since the publication of this paper,
collector Mckee has been several times
asked what he had to say about IT,, but
has uniformly declined to say anything.
A reporter of THE GAZETTE saw him
Monday morning, and, in answer to the
regulation inquiry, received the unvary-
ing reply, 81 have nothing TO say" He
was assured that this paper would print
whatever he might wish to say, ver-
I batim and in correct manner, but still
he would not talk. 81 have nothing TO
say about the matter" he reiterated, 81
prefer to await further developments. :"
"What further developments do you
expect"
Il don't know. I will wait and see.
My time will come"
DEALS WITH COLLECTORS.
1t has long been an "open secret :"
among Democrats that Republican
deal was made with the county tax col
lectors of this city last fall, by which
enough tax receipts were furnished,
in bulk to enable the Republicans TO
carry New Castle county last Novem-
Der and to win at the city election in
June. This deal was made principally
in tax receipts of the Northern districts,
and the late j. A. Beers was the agent
who made arrangements with Collector
Dougherty. There is strong presump-
4 ton that these receipts were delivered
in blank and the names afterward filled
in by the Republican committee. A
prominent and responsible Democrat
told THE GAZETTE reporter on Monday
morning that he saw Dougherty's son
hand Mr.. Beers package containing
$50 tax receipts in blank. II is also
known that another prominent Demo
crat saw a lot of upper district tax re-
ceipts in the safe at Mr.. Beers hotel,
and on inquiring Of Collector Dough-
erty about the circumstance was In
formed that they had merely been
placed there for safe keeping.
II was by the use of these receipts,
no matter how obtained, that the Re-
publicans hastily qualified hundreds of
negro voters at the November election,
the "Whitechapel" district alone fur
nishing more voters than could possibly
find living space in that delectable
locality.
AN EVEN MORE DIsREPUTABLE DEAL.
This deal of last November, by which
tax receipts were obtained in wholesale
numhers-and at wholesale rates, too, it
is also uspected--turned out so well
that 1t was decided TO continue the bust
ness arrangement and turn it TO profit
for the election of 1892 Then, it is al
legged, the deal was made in which the
$1,000 receipt figured. Postmaster
Stewart admits that he made the bar
gain and his statement is as follows
In December the collectors came to me
and stated that they were short and wanted
TO Iaise the money to settle with the county
before March. They agreed 10 furnish a
list of all persons who had not paid their
taxes and from these the Republicans were
to separate the Democrats. For every Re-
publican on the list so made out the col
lectors were TO make out tax receipts and
these receipts were to be paid for at their
face value. The First District committee
accepted the offer. Copies of the lists were
furnished by the collectors and the work
was done systematically, Everything was
done honestly.
After the lists were received from the
collectors the ward committees were put to
work and the Democrats were separated
from the Republicans. The Republican
lists were then turned over to the collectors
and the racointa were issued The gt1fo nf
$500 was paid to the collectors before a
receipt had been received. The balance of
the payments were made as the receipts
were delivered.
The receipts were received IN instruments
were marked with the ward in which the
poll taxables lived and also the amount of
tax represented by the receipts, These
envelopes are still in my possession.
hA ~