Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-10-29

On t,,s third day Of IanuA4y. 1901, if I
riecollect rightly, anl chat q the fifteen
hundred dollars paid Mr.. Doughertv
received one thousand dollars and Mr..
Mckee received the remaining five hum
drcd.
on VIII recoliect that at the time of the
initia- payment on the third day of Janu-
ary .. receipt was taken signed by both
Dotigherty and Mckee, which expressed
tnat that money was on account of either
taxes or tax receipts. You will further
recoliect that on the tenth day of March,
if, ,fnol, tne iinal payment was made of some
,hrce Thousand or thirty-one hundred dol
Iars, at which time either all the receipts
were issued, or whatever receipts had not
peen issued before were then issued. The
committee very properly took list No g.
upon the bnsis of which, according to the
testimony the taxes had been paid and
compared that list with the assessment list
ior lS9O and also with the error list for
laJO. Why? Why. in order that 1t might
appear that the persons for whom taxes
mas been paid, as testified to, had been
assessed Tor the payment of taxes for 1890
and in order that it might further appear
tnat those very persons who had been
assessed for the payment of taxes for 1880
and whose taxes had been paid as testified
TO by the witnesses, were returned as de-
Ilnquenis for that year by Mckee or
Dougherty.
You will recollcct further that il was
testified to. that receipts were issued for
each and all OF the names on list No. 8,
and that those receipts were not blank re-
ceipts but were filed up prior to their
Issuance and bore the signature of one or
the other of those tax collectors, and were
duly stamped and you will recolect that it
was testified to, without any contradiction
at all-Alessrs. Mckee and Dougherty both
having hppfl cf1hf.oanuOI how y,.,,f,.
and both having declined TO testify upon
the ground that their testimony might
crimlnate themselves-that dollar for dol
lar was paid for those receipts; that there
was no premium paid and That there was
no abatement or deduction made that il
was payment of SO much money, 100
cents OH the dollar, for taxes represented
by these receipts, which were duly filled
up, signed, stamped and issued
ME-. BRADFORD SATISFIED.
Now. 1confess, gentlemen, that when we
reached That stage OF the case my mind
was satisfied. IL is no more necessary. as a
matter of law aside from the polls to prove
The payment OF tax by the production of
the tax receipt, than it is to prove the pay
ment OF bill for groceries by the produc-
ton OF the receipt-you can prove it by
any evidence. But there evidently was dis
satisfaction on the part of some members
OF this committee us to the evidence that
the money paid was paid in payment of
taxes--a dissatisfaction which was evil
denced conclusively by the omission of the
minority members of this committee to
Join the members of the majority in put
ting i'll an answer to the application for a
mandamus to compel the Levy Court to
satisfy the Judgment against Mckee, before
Mckee and his suretie3 had accounted for
this money, which L. for one, believe is Justly
1ta fra hi tlx.. 4
that 1t is of the utmost importance that
each and every member of this committee
should agree with each and every other
member of this committee in regard to
this matter. / do not think politics has
anything to do with it. 1t Is purely a
question of finances, and in order to re-
move, and solely for the purpose of re-
moval, of any doubt in the mind of any
member of this committee upon the ques-
tion whether or not Mckee and Dougherty
are justly chargeable with an amount Of
money in addition to that for which settle
ment was made i'll March last. think IL
is eminently proper that recourse should
be had in some reasonable way, if it can
be had to the receipts which were given
by Messrs. Mckee and Dougherty; and
this, as | say. in order to remove any lin
gering doubt i'll the mind of any reason
able being as to whether they fraudulently
returned men as delinquents on whose nc
count they had collected taxes for which
they had duly issued receipts signed and
stamped by them.
MIR. BnADFoRD's SUGGESTION.
Now then, the question is, what is a
reasonable course to pursue, | do not
know how the members of the committee
may feel upon the subject, but |, for one,
do not propose to be connected with this
Investigation until the 4th of July next or
u. 4 4
it reasonable to expect that this committee
shall do either impossible things or grossly
unreasonable things or things which
would lead to great delay and unnecessary
expense. 1t Will occur to each and every
one of you, think, just as soon as I siig-
gest it, that is impractcable for us within
any reasonable time TO find and produce
here all the receipts issued for the taxes
which were paid as testified to. 1t would
proiong this investigation unduly-there
can be no doubt in the world about that,
and it would be very expensive proceed
inS before we got through with it.
soIIcITuDE FOR DEMOCRATS.
The question then is, how can we test
the accuracy of the work of the
committee; test the correctness of the
conclusion at which the committee ar
rived in the case of Mckee, at or before
the time the answer was filed in the man
damus ease, in some reasonable way by
the production of tax receipts, il they can
be producedf would suggest that both or
either of the minority members of this
committee select in any way they or he
may see tit,at random or with deliberation,
4 reasonable number of names appearing
on list No. 8, and which you have ascer-
tanned to appear also on the assessment
list as well rs on the error lis6 for 1870,
and then let this committee undertake 10
produce as many Of the receipts, genuine
receipts, corresponding with the names so
selected, as this committee shall be able to
lind In other words, in orderto suggest test
which will be reasonable and practicable.
and which will not consume Unnecessary
time and lead to unnecessary expense, 1 |
would suggest that either my friend Mr..
Hickman, or my friend. Mr. Eliason, or.
if you. please, the clerk of the peace, or
even Mr.. Mckee, or, if you please, Mr..
McKees counsel, any one Of them select SO
names that appear on list No. 3, as verified
aud in making that selection that he, at |
his own pleasure, select the 90 names either |
from any given ward or wards in the
Southern district of the city OF Whining
ton or from the whole of the Southern dis |
trct of Wilmington and hand that list OF |
90 names TO the chairman of this commit |
tee; and then l would suggest that this |
committee forthwith use all diligent effort |
to ascertain how many genuine receipts
to those So names, signed |
and sealed by Mckee, can be produced be- |
fore this committee | think, gentlemen,
il You will pardon me fora moment, YOU |
will sec the advantage of that course.
IN MR.. BRApFoRp's OPINION THE TAX RE |
cEIPTs ARE NOT NEEDED.
The point has been raised and discussed |
not only in the public prints, but it is a |
question which evidently has arisen in the |
minds of the minority of this committee,
that even if money was paid by Mr.. |
Stewart to Messrs. Mckee and Dougherty |
to the amount as testified to it was not i |
payment of taxes. and, the demand has |
henn mnde NOT only nlltside of Ihe com