The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-02-03

Purge tho Lists.
The Republican Levy Court of New
Castle County entered upon its second
and the last year OF its existence yes,
terday. By the provisions of the Five
Commissioner Act it will go out OF
power the first Tuesday of next Janu-
airy. and the Five Commissioners to be
elected next November will take their
places and perform their duties. The
Levy Court during the last year has
done the best it possibly could and it
must be admitted has done remarka-
bly, well under adverse circumstances.
II had become new thing to have a
Republican Levy Court in New Castle
County, and when tho six Republican
members took their seats last Febru-
airy, they were, to use ahomely phrase
like cats in strange garnet" They
knew nothing of the minute machinery
of the assessments, delinquent lists
and such like. ...
They ali came from the rural hun
dreds where honesty in politics, as in
everything else, was the rule, and dis.
honesty the exception. They thought
that the same rule applied to the city
and there is where they were mistaken.
They had no idea of tremendously
padded assessment lists and fraudulent
delinquent returns. They have learn
ed differently now. They have been
met the whole year with frauds of the
deepest political dye, in fact the whole
year has been struggle against
fraud. They know about padded as.
easements now, and delinquent lists
bristling with dishonesty and fraud.
II 1t took one year to learn, the
court has one year 40 act according to
the knowledge and experience gained,
The year is before the court and 50
Lists by the Five Commissioner Act
have been relegated to past and we
regret to say to dark political age.
The present Levy Court has nothing
to do with them. Let them go. they
ruled the county by fraud from the
day q Democratic Legislature gave
them life in 1873. let the fostering
frauds be buried out OF sight.
But the Levy Court Is face to face
with the assessment lists. with them
they still have to deal. Thers is rea.
son to believe that some OF the lists in
this city have again bAen padded with
Illegal assessments and their pages
bristle with fictitious names, These
the Levy Court has the full power to
deal with. The Idea has generally been
entertained that as the assessments
came into the hands OF the Levy Court
they had to leave the Court. so far as
the entering of names was concerned.
The iniquitous law of 1873 directly
forbade the Levy Court to strike q
name from the lists that the ASSESSORS
placed there. This law was changed
in 1881, when L. &. Bradford, Esq, was
In the Legislature, by the insertion Of
the word legally before assessed, and
this little word has changed tho law t.
such an extent that the Levy Court car
bhAAh' tAOtlt Vic 3AHt . itAAllES IDl ltLul
ly" assessed. The duty of the Levy
Court Is plain. 1t is well known thai
the assessment lists, In two district
at least In this city are padded with the
names OF people who do mott i've in tins
districts, and also with alleged nam c.
of people who do not live anywhere $,
far as known.
These names have all been Illegal.
assessed, and the duty of the Lew
Court is to strike them from the list
II Assessor WAann has Illegally as
sessed anybody, strike off the name
thus assessed. II Assessors O'Har
and Conway have Illegal assessment
let the Levy Court purge the lists. |
Is high time this thing OF fraudulen
assessments was stopped. As this as
sessnIent Is the first under the Fiy
Commissioner act let it be an homes
one and let the new arrangement hay
fair, honest start. There is fine d
800 for an assessor assessing a ma
In his district not residing in 1t. w
do not ask that this law shall be Oh
forced against the assessors. but W
do ask that there shall be no NOR
such wlllful violations Of law.
As the assessors must SEQ the ba
perdicament in which they arc place,
the best thing they ean do is to aDsi.
the assessment revising com mittet
to purge the lists of all Illegal Assess
ments. IL might as well be distinct
understood that the whole bottul
has fallen out of the old ricket,
fraudulent assessment machine, an
the assessors might as well ,nrn
and assist in putting In new bottom
- Al title reading up OF the law on III
subject will convince the ussesso
that they will place themselves in
dangerous predicament II they oppo
the purging OF their lists OF illegal a
sessments.