Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1907-10-25

-ASA 9~9 anu NotlAe were int lowest lQdl
| have known them since 1860. A man
in Greensboro sold a horse for thirty
five dollars. l saw the horse about one
month ago and he is cheap at fifty
dollars, now after he has been used
eleven years. l knew several horses
that were assessed at twenty-five dol
lars, which would sell for one hundred
and twenty-five now. Nearly every
kind of property was very low then.
Taking into consideration the increase
of wealth in every direction, and the
increase in the value of land, horses,
cattle, ETC., if an assessment were made
now it would be double what it was
then, if every thing should be assessed
like it is in Delaware.
The Delaware people make an assess
ment every foU' years, and they assess
all the movable property, all the
horses, cattle, and property of diff
ferent kinds, whether such property
belong to old men, middle aged or
young men, and they aim to assess
the property at fair price, at about
what it is worth. l am not finding
any fault with that. I believe that is
the right way. But there is one thing
about the tax in Delaware. about
which I have heard a good bit of COM
plant l have heard quite a good
many farmers, who live on rented
land, say that there is too much tax
on the movable property according to
the tax on real estate. never rented
any land in Delaware, and don't know
much about that part of it, but there
must be some truth in what every
body says. After the assessor has as
sessed all of the property in sight at
about the average worth, they pile
seventy-five cents or a dollar on every
mans head that is twenty-one years
of age or over, and that helps quite a
lot.
-----' '-~....,- 10 4-.e--
All of the above put together is what
makes the tax rate low in Delaware,
and to keep it low the assessor is on
the watch for three years more TO see
if anybody moves into the county,
and if anybody moves in the assessor
attends to it and assesses his proper
ty. This is all right. I am not find
ing any fault with it, and I am not
finding any fault with piling seventy
five cents or a dollar on every mans
head, either l think it all right for
young men who are twenty-one years
old and for everybody who is able to
work to help pay the taxes. This is
the way that Delaware has got the
reputation for a low tax rate, Now
will tell you how Maryland has got
the name of having a high tax rate
There have been only two or three as
in forty years, and the last
was made eleven years
ago, when land was the lowest I ever
knew and horses the lowest, and al
most everything was very low. Land
will sell for fully twice as much now,
and sometimes it will sell for more
than double, and horses will sell for /
about three times as much as they !
would then. I know of several horses |
within a few miles of here that were
assessed at twenty-five to thirty-hYe /
dollars apiece, which you could not |
buy for less than fifty or sixty, after
The owners had had the use of them |
lor eleven years. Another thing that |
made the assessment lower. The as
SCISSORS were very kind in the way
property was assessed; they generally |
asked the owners what the property |
vas worth. for them to say as to its
ralue. While that was very kind in
he assessors 1t gave the owners a
nance to name a price sometimes
over than need be. There was one
lind of property assessed at that time,
he value of which was hard to get
It, This was store goods. The as
essors asked me to put the value on
ny goods, and did the best I knew
low. I had never invoieed my goods,
nd dis not know how much I had.
told them, df I remember rightly,
hat there was about three thousand
ollars worth, and I was honest in it,
ut I invoiced my goods a few gears
and I had about twice as
iach as I thOsght I hsd. suppose
nat is about the way that most all
the store goods were assessed, at
bout half their value, and there is
mother way the assessment was kept
own. Quite a good many persons
owe into Caroline from other places
ld sometimes they stay several years
fore they are assessed. I have ;
nown quite a number Of cases of \
at kind. To be honest with you, ,
7ill say that about 26 years ago I r.
7ed over in the edge of Delaware. 1 !.
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