Smyrna times., 1891-07-29
For the Smyrna Times.
About the Politics of Wilmington.

ADOubt snC AoAAOANS Va W .
To THE ED1ToR:
In the SMYRNA TIMES of last Wed
nesday the22nd instant, you appear
TO reflect rather severely in you: ed
itorial on nthefWilmingtOn tax receipt
disnute upOn the persons who were
concerned il the original transaction.
You say The only intelligible thing
TO the outside reader being that poll
tics in Wilmington has been for some
wears a mass of fcOrruptlon-a stencil III
the nostrils of the virtuOus people of
the State"
The only necessary answer to this is
that Wilmington has been in the
clutches of the tax collectors for years,
the bond being partially broken for
the first time in 1888 when Mr.. Austin
Harrington was elected mayor. II
NAV be added, however, that Whining
ton has not been enjoying local self
government in any sense during all
these wears, and each session OF the
Legislature more chains are rIVeted
upon the hands of these people. But,
Notwithstanding the unfortunate po-
sition in which Wilmington, Is placed
| by circumstances beyond its control, 1t
may be edifying to all those ''virtuOus
| people of the State" whose nOstrils are
| being offended, to learn that in all the
| political manipulatiOns of the city
! there is neither buying nor selling of
VOtes-that lowest and most debasing
of all political manipulation.
AS to the matter of buying tax re-
ceipts, l wish to ask the editor of the
TIMES wherein does the wrong consistF
Not a tax was paid except for men
who are actually assessed, who were
assessed in 1889 by three county asses
sOrs, two of whom are Democrats, and
who paid their taxes for 1889 to two
Democratic collectors and voted in
November 1890, and whose names
were ordered to be put upon the tax
duplicates of Wilmington hOnOred for
1889 and again for 1890 by sOlidly
Democratic levy court. These men
live here, and with the possible excep-
ton of score or so are to-day in the
flesh, walking about this city. Among
them are lawyers, doctors, clergymen,
newspapermen, clerks, mechanics and
laborers.
Is it a crime to buy receipts in bulk |?
Is there no good Republican or good
7 Democrat at Smyrna who would come
: forward and attest to his having paid
, for taxes in the same way to a Duck
} Creek Hundred collector ? Has this
, thing not been done hundreds of times
/ in Kent county during the last twenty
t years? and wherein is the moral tur-
5 pitude? Wherein is it wrong to pay
f your neighbOr's poll tax? Is it wrong
!, to pay such tax for ten neighbors ?
a or for fifty neighbOrs? or for 100 I?
r or for 1850? expect fair and hon
7 est answer to this question.
Q Again the TIMES quotes from the
y Newark Ledger a paragraph similar in
e tone to its own. The Ledger wants
e New Castle county to have its elections
d independent of the hOt-bed of political
Y corruption" The editors of the
y Ledger are Democrats and live in
e White Clay Creek Hundred. Mr.
If William Fox Smalley is also a Demo
y crat and also lives in that hundred
It He is very intelligent man and j:
II looked upon as a high toned, honor
t able gentleman. And yet there are
t, now in this city, the remnant of a big
d bundle, tax receipts signed in blank
r. by Mr.. Smalley, who was the las
It Democratic collector of county take.
e in his hundred Now, / submit tha
the LedgeT OughG TO sweep before II
e own pig pen before it makes faces a.
d Wilmington. The tax receipts sold Il
A the Republican First District Commit
1t tee by collectors Dougherty and McKe
er of this city, were all filled out with tn,
lie names of living, breathing Republi
o cans. The receipts issued by MI
ID Smalley merely contained his nam
D. and the impress of his stamp and wer
a. intended to be used here last Novem
e. ber by rural Democratic repeaters.
g In conclusion let me assure the read
re ers of the TIMES that the political al
le mOsphere of this city is clearing uI
re The city is already in very decent an
n: very competent hands, and we sha
I'd keep it there.
r. Very respectfully,
ne FRED. f. BACH.
to Wilmington. DEL, July 27, 1891.