The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-08
TIE BIG RUSH STILL ON.
Taxpayers With Little Lists Of Six Who
Crowd Capt. MCCOWan'S Office.

While scrappinE and soufiing for
Places They Broke the Glass on Capt.
McGowan's Desk and Several Cuspi-
dors-The Rush Yesterday Consider
ably Greater Than 1t Was the Day Be-
fore-Taxpayers Who Don't Want to
! Get in the Jam Can Send Their Taxes
by Mail, and Under the Decision of
the Commission win Be Allowed to
Register.
There was greater rush on at the tax
! collectors office in the court house yes
terday than there was the day before
When the doors opened at O'Clock there
was a bowling mob on hand. and the two
contending factions had their represen-
tatives there to rush in all the votes they
could on their respective sides.
When Capt. MCGOWAN arrived to open
mp and begin business for the day he found
about 800 waiting just outside his door,
and all as close to 1t as they could jam the
others who were in front of them. It
was impossible for him to get through
the mob and into his Office in time to open
at o'clock, and there was nothing else
for him to do but get a step ladder and go
in through the window. which he did.
Mr.. William Harden of the county treas
urer's Office at one time during the day,
wanted to get into the tax collectors Of
fee to get some money which Capt. Nc
Gowan stated he had for Mr.. Russell. He
had to take the same means of entrance
as that employed by Capt. MCGOWAN, and
went in through the window.
At one time the turmoil and disturbance
at the door became so great that those
inside the Office were on the point of call
ing the police to keep the peace. and if
necessary to carry off the belligerants
The crowd quieted down. however, after
a little and the threatened outbreak was
avoided When the door was opened about
seventy-four of those outside rushed into
the Office and the door was then closed,
it being intended to wait on these, supply
them with receipts and then let in an
other crowd. The other crowd however,
did not get in, for the door was not opened
again. Each of those who were in the
Office had a little list of six poll-tax pay
ers and instead of being O'Clock II was
about o'clock before the tax collector
and his clerks had finished with these.
Each list had six names on it, as that
Is as large a list as Capt. MCGOWAN will
take from any one individual.
Even after they got into the office there
was considerable scrambling among those
seventy-fve tax payers The glass over
capt, McGowan's desk was broken and
two or three cuspidores around the office
were smashed in pieces. The floor was
literally covered with tobacco Juice. and
the crowd left it rather the worse for
wear
An old negro about seventy-fve years
of age had found his way into the office
with the crowd, and wanted to pay taxes
on I'VE acres of land in the southern part
of the county. He was asked how he had
managed to get in with so large a crowd
of younger men.
They jes' trowed me in. boss" he re-
piled, and after he saw that he had ex-
cited some sympathy he wanted to raise
a loan.
1t is likely that the rush will be kept
up to-day and pretty much all of next
week. Both factions are working hard
for their candidates, and it is a race to
see who can get the largest number of
taxes paid. There is no assurance that
the voter whose tax is thus paid will vote
for the faction which pays it, as the vot-
ing will be done under the Australian bal
lot law, and there is no means of know
ing whether or not the goods are de-
livered.
Capt. MCGOWAN has about 300 letters
from tax payers. which he has placed in
his safe and will open them as soon as
he can get a breathing spell It may be
well to call attention to the fact that citi-
zens who pay more taxes than the poll
tax may send a check for their taxes to
Capt MCGOWAN, either by hand or by
mail, and Will then be in position, under
the decision of the electoral commission
published in to-day's Morning News to
demand that they be registered. Capt
McGowan will not receive a check for
simply a poll tax, but where the check
covers poll tax and other taxes he will
receive the check and send a receipt as of
the date when the check reaches him. A
good many business men have been de-
TERED from paying their taxes on account
of the crowd. and this plan suggests a
way of their paying and avoiding the
crowd, too.