The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-06-03
Paui wards Case.


The case OF Paul Ward. charged
with Illegal registration in tho First
district OF the Eleventh ward, and which
was dismissed from the Municipal
Cours yesterday morning. was
All exceedingly plain one as he
had no right to register, the proper
proofs he ng the assessment and the
de inquent returns. The assessment
OF 1859 shows Enthusiastically that Paul
Ward was regularly assessed for that
year. aud the delinquent return to the
+ CT 'rk OF the Peace for that same year
Tor the non-payment of the taxes for
That year. Gn the contrary, on the du-
piicato tax book Paul Ward Is cred
lied with having paid his taxes for
1880, and he did SO before the delln-
quent return was made. Mr.. Roberts
was fully justified in making his
charges against MIR. Ward of illegal
registration. He went to the only
authorized public documents that
could be got at, in fact the only ones
that exist, and there he found that Mr..
Ward was disfranchised for the nom
paym ment of taxes for 1889, and could
not possibly be qualified to be regis.
tired in 1891.
That the tax duplicate, which the
collectors have always held TO be pri-
yate property, shows differently is no
proof positive that he is a qualified
voter, though 1t throws such doubt
upon the subject that justice would
possibly be better subserved by per-
mitting him to vote thnn by prevent
ing him from doing SO. The question
Is where is The proper status Of voter
TO be found? delinquent returns are
not to be depended upon and the tax
duplicates of collectors are shut to the
public nobody knows who is a quail
fed voter or who is not. The sam 9
collector that returned Mr.. Ward as
delinquent for non-payment OF taxes
for 1889, credited him with having paid
those same taxes on his tax duplicates.
One or the other record is entirely un-
reliable, or is not the fact that two DIFF
ferent leturns are made, evidence that
both are unreliable? Where then is the
public to look for proper and correct
Information? The delinquent list has
always been recognized as the proper
~ guide for evidence as to voters right
to vote At every State election, copies
of the delinquent lists are made out
by the Clerk Of the Peace and delivered
TO all the election inspectors to guide
them in the reception of votes.
Thus David Woolman, of the First
ward, was prevented from voting
at the last State election. He
had a proper receipt for property
taxes paid, but because his name was
on the delinquent poll tax list, he was
refused his vote by an inspector him
SELF on the delinquent list Of the Tenth
ward, for the same year and had no
right to vote in the First ward. il
Judgment had been rendered against
him as it had been against Mr.. Wool
man. There is one thing very evident
In the case of Paul Ward, and that is
that II he paid his taxes for 1889 the
county of New Castle never got tht
money, because he was returned as O
delinquent and the Levy Court releas-
I'd the collector by giving proper
sredits. 1t is very evident that ther'
has been something very loose i'll tht
whole system OF collecting taxes ant
returning deIlnduents. and the peopl
kiiioa,sila rejoice that The system is abou
undergoing araa,.eal change whiehiti
hoped will be in the tnterests of re
form, though it must he c0nsesset
that there is danger OF jumping out q
the frying pan into the fire under til
poll tieal maDipulations that arc goin
on.
r. THE managers OF the Columbian
Chicago Exposition are already pui