Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-09-05
81, COO. 4O1.49 (

Al.f ME-
apor, you see that every year the expendi.
I, re and sometimes less than in fbe
'nos'one ding year. and finally, during laat
som Tanythe excess was greater thar II, anv
iuction says year during the entire
months notwithstanding there was a
he report i,3rease in the tax rate in 1897,
M. 1ooo I from 30 cents to GO cents on
- 49, Take particular notice of this.
zen pfinga97 an extraordinary transaction
six monthd which will require full expIa-
later on. l refer to the issue of
-tvO,uUO OF county bonds to fund AN
:. alleged floating debt
One of the most remarkable inoi.
dents OF county management In recent
years, thHt which would seem to be a
suthoient Incentive to our county faith
ers 10 adopt measures OF rigid economy
ana 20 reduce the tax rate, has prompted
tnem 70 more extravagant expendi-
cures, ana an increase OF taxes; SO that
We bear today of extensive and oostlv
Improvements projected and va have
an Increased tax rate, from 60 Giants
last year to 80 cents this year for pen.
eral county purposes.
But let US go back to the aggregate
receipts and expenditures for the mast
SIX years. There was paid into the
treasury u, 600, 40l. ~, an annual aver
. age OF Szob, 1888. 81, a sum largely in ex.
nes5 OF the expenditures in 1895. Now
~ al candor ought not this amount To
pe sufhcient for all legitimate purposes
Some viii say that it Is too much. And
~ IL not lair to say that the sxpepdi-
Lures SHOULD have been at least kent
within this limitS The fact is, as Tia
statement shows, that this was NOT
cone and the six years. period closes
wltn an aggregate excess OF expendi
lures over receipts OF sl39, 098. 81. How
was tnis covered? And here we come
to that extraordinary transaction of
1897. 'aoo'on "
The beginning Of that year were
dark days in the county treasury The
treasury was empty and helpless and II
was struggling with what bankers
would call AN overdraft, secured and
unsecured, of about $50, 600. The Gen.
erhi Assembly was appealed to for relief
and 1t generously authorized temuor-
airy loan of $50, 1000, which il was IN
uerstood would be paid out OF uncol.
tected taxes that would come into the
treasury during the succeeding ls
months. But this was not enough,
within less than 80 days after the first
got was passed another was put through
;he General Assembly providing for a
Joan OF Sl50. 600 on county bonds. ANY
one who will take the trouble to read
the last mentioned act will see that.
while 1t, authorized bonds tu the
amount-of $3.50, 900 to be issued, it pre
scrIbed that the money should be an
piled to the liquidation and payment Of
the floating debt of the county. Well.
there was no such floating debt at that
time. You may take the county state.
ments for the year 1897 and make what
you can out OF the figures and you will
lind IT utterly impossible to discover a
floating debt approaching the amount
OF the authorized bond issue. The
bonds were. however, issued and sold,
and they yielded, in principal premium
and interest, Sl58, 36l. 81, every dollar
OF which has been SCENT, the greater
part OF it in covering ths recurring
annual dsiicit in the current expenses
OF the county.
do you fully understand what this
all means to you who out of your hard
earnings must contribute more and
more eaoh year to keep the machinery
o. your county government running?
1t means that Notwithstanding the
steady increase in the annual tax rate
your property, the property of all the
people OF New Castle county, has been
still more heavily mortgaged. Do you
Know. my friends, what your public