Delaware gazette and state journal., 1897-06-03
was made until o O'Clock this morning.

! Dover. May 31.-The General AS
sembly Of 1897 at s O'Clock last Satur-
day afternoon took a recess until 10
clock Tuesday morning, January llth,
1898. Five o'clock was the actual time
of adjournment, although the clocks in
the Senate chamber and Representa-
tive Hall registered II o'clock. The
resolution calling for adjournment at
12 o'clock was lived up TO by stretching
point and moving the hands Of the
clocks backward several times. The
principal cause Of delay was the passage
of the. bill authorizing the Levy Court
of New Castle county to appoint tax
collectors for the several hundreds. and,
naturally. the Republicans tried to
stave it off as long as possible by talk
4 ing on proposed amendments and the
hill itself. There were several other
bills, however, which were passed
during the hours of grace.
Barring the fight on the tax collector
bill. the closing scenes were pathetic,
and kind parting words were the order
of the day all around.
1t was reported early in the day that
an effort would be made to attach to
some bill u rider repealing the pool
selling laws or giving other privileges
TO advocates of the race track bill, which
was spirited away from the House COM
mittee on corporations, on Friday. A
close watch was kept. however. and no
such rider was detected. Should there
be one, however. and it escaped the
eyes of the watchers, which is ex-
tremely doubtful, by resolution passed
at previous session. the Secretary of
State is empowered to eliminate il from
any bill.
1t was known on Friday that the
New Castle county tax collector bill
would be the big thing of the day, and
the Republican members Of the Senate
were as determined to do all they could
to retard its progress az some Of the
Democrats were TO pass il. The general
impression was that it was the Dempsey
bill, naming the collectors of taxes,
which was introduced aud passed in
the House, under suspension of rules,
on Friday. But such was not the case.
IL the Senate had held session ON
Friday night, as was anticipated, the
bill could have been given first and
| second readings, and could have come
| up for passage in the regular way on
| Saturday. But there was no session of
the Senate ON Friday night, ard in
order to pass the Senate on Saturday,
i it would have been necessary to suspend
the rules twice. But this embarrassing
| process was not necessary, as the bill
for which the Dempsey bill had been
substituted had already been read in
the Senate.
On March 18th Representative Taylor
introduced in the House bill author
izing the Levy Court of New Castle
county to appoint collectors of taxes
Section | of his bill repealed sections
z, 8. o. 22. %. 25 and 2S of chapter 20,
Vol. NIX; Laws Of Delaware, and
amended chapter 562. Vol. KIN, by
striking out section 4 of the act.
Section 9 stipulated that at its next
| meeting and in May each two years
| thereafter, the Levy Court shall ap-
point one collector of taxes for each
hundred outside of Wilmington, and
two collectors Of poll taxes in Whining.
ION. one for the Northern district and
the other for the Southern district
4 The receiver OF taxes shall collect all
taxes. other than poll taxes, assessed in
| Wilmington.
Section 3 provided that the Levy
Court have prepared from the ASSESS
meet lists last made as required by law
| duplicates of the taxes OF each hundred
or collection district, for the use of the
collectors, on or before the LIST day of
July in every year, and shall fix the rate
of county and poor taxes, and issue
their warrant to the said collectors for
the same The Levy Court Commis-
sioneIs shall have prepared for each
hundred or collection district buok of
blank receipts, numbered serially, which
receipt when deliVered upon payment
of taxes shall show the amount of the
assessment, distinguishing real, per-
sonal and poll assessments, and show
ing the rate of county, poor and road
taxes, aud the discount, or additional
| percentage, as the. case may be, on the
| payments; each receipt shall have
| corresponding stub. which shall be
| retained in said book. The Levy Court
shall also have prepared for the use of
the several collectors seals of office, and
it shall be the duty of the collectors to
| put tho impress of their seals upon
each receipt for the payment of a tax.
Section provided that the county
treasurer shall have his Office in Will
mington, and it shall be his duty to
| attend. either in person or by his
| deputy, at his Office every day except
| Sundays and legal holidays from 10
o'clock q. m. until IL O'Clock m., nnd
| from 2 O'Clock y. M. till O'Clock p. M,
and it shall be his duty to attend his
| Office during the evening of one secular
| day of each week from until 10 o'clock
| p. m,
Section provided that in May of
each year the county treasurer and
| collectors shall deliver to the county
comptroller the receipt hooks, which
| shall be examined and preserved by
| him.
Section G provided that the Levy
Court shall issue duplicates to the col
lectors, receiver of taxes and county
treasurer the duplicates to be certified
by the clerk Of the peace.
Section provided for the filling of
vacancies among the collectors by the
Levy Court.
Section provided that the collectors
shall settle with the Levy Court in the
month of May of each year; also that
delinquent list shall not be allowed
until the expiration of five days, thus
giving opportunity for inspection.
Section 0 provided that every col.
ector shall be responsible for the col
lection of taxes in his hundred.
Section IL provided that all taxes
against the owner of real estate shall
operate as lien for three years,
Section 32 provided that persons re
fusing 10 pay poll tax within five days
after second demand may he com
mitted to jail until the money is paid.
1t also provided that 30 cents shall be
maid to the collector for the secnn6 |