Smyrna times., 1903-04-29
WHY THE KENT COUNTY TAX
RATE WAS RAISED?

leans, has jvst raised the tax rate TO t
80 cents upon the 800, an increase OF 7
334 per cent-from As to go. Our es- I
teemed contemporary the ECerY EVen- {
ina. saws that this is the result OF par |
tlsan rule, the extravaganza OF paru-
san Republicans. The Evening Jour
nal, the echo of Eveyy EUening, on
the day following the above news,
which, by the way was printed IN the
Every EVening, printed a letter from
Dover, which had all the ear marks
of having been manufactured IN the
.'home" Office, reiterating the charge
that the Republican administration OF
Kent county was extravagant.
Let us look at the facts The ke-
publicans of Kent are entering upon
their second term of control OF the
Levy Court, that is, they have con-
trolled that body for the last two years
and this year since January 9th. The
Democratic organs assert that they |
found a balance of $4,000 in bank III
January 1901. Yes, and they found |
also a balance of about $4,000 worth
of unpaid or floating debts. In other
words. the Democrats who went out OF
Office in January 1901, left debts to the
amount of 5000 This is in accord
with our own experience in this
county.
Secondly, the Democrats of Kent
collected $4,000 under the Adams
tax law. The courts of the State later
ordered that that tax be refunded.
| This was some of Mr.. John f. Sauls-
bury's brilliant craftsmanship, in
spired no doubt by the Hon. William
lJ. Bryan The Republican Levy
Court of Kent considered this matter
within the year md decided, like hon
est and responsible men, that the
money should be paid back at once, as
the courts had ordered, although they
would have to borrow it. They bor-
rowed and paid back. Here, then, Is
an extraordinary sum of $4,000 to be
paid this year. No wonder the tax
rate had to be put ur.
Thirdly, the Legislature of 1899 or
} dered that new indices should be
made for some of the county offices
3 and left it to the Superior Court OF the
: county to fix the cost of the same. The
8 court fixed the cost at $4,000. The he
: publican Levy Court elected in 1906
l paid this $4,000 Unexpectedly to Dem
ocratic county officials. Since then II
+ has been discovered that through
Y Democratic negligence the records
It we mean the books, of the office o
}, the Register of Wills had been allowe
is to 60 to wreck, the bindings havin
IS rotted. The Levy Court is now I'm
d peratively called upon to spend to re
rs place these bindings that should hav
D. been kept up during the last twent
) years.
ar Moreover considerable sum Is
be expended in an addition to I'll
es county office building and the intr'
n duction of steam heat from the adjoil
ly ing county Jail, which is now supple
it with a steam producing apparatu
u This innovation will do away with Il
in primitive coal stoves that now impel
ng the Kent county records every nigl
in of the winter. The change will sa
cir the present expenditure for coal, sin
res the Jail steam apparatus provld
enough heat for both buildings. The
lay improvements will cost at least $l5I
I'll but it is good policy to make them a
ere the Levy Court of Kent is at last of
ay. composition that recognizes such
try policy.
.ly; Fourthly, some money was collect
and from embezzling Democratic COLI
ost tors, who were still in Office and un'
or bond when the Republicans came il
pm power. To be sure the money IL
collected helped to ''swell' the coul
'ub' treasury, but in the end the float
the debts above all collections react
pom $4,000 or more.
n of Filthy, there was not a bridge
.hOub -bACAC 10 AACb a OAAN6O
That Kent county now worthy of
n to name. The Kent commissioners
ere. building two bridges now. They
ems. rebuilding a bridge north of Dove
age the State Road, and they are about
tion put stone structure over the Mis-
ans, lion river in the town of Milford. I
and are not building Democratic brid
of either. These bridges are being p
chill ned and constructed to last for
very next century.
lany These are the reasons why the
pro- rate was sent from As to 60 cC
Re- This is the Republican way and l
ner. They are in power, they are
Ition sponsible. they are not afraid of
resi- responsibility and they are giving