Evening journal., 1910-11-07
KENT COUNTY'S
FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
Desperation SeizinG the DEM
OCratS as Election Day
Draws Near.
REPUBLICANS SHOW
CONDITIONS In TRUE LIGHT

Kent County's Financial Ayairs," the
Democratic County Committee of
Kent, through its chairman, William
Salisbury exploited in the Della
warean last week what purported 10
be a true statement of Kent county's
financial condition, but which was ia
reality a juggling of figures, gotten
up especially to hoodwink the TAX
payers of Kent county.
This article is also to be published
in circular form and the county flood
ed with thousands of copies of it,
This in itself shows the desperation
to which the Democrats are driven
For over year the Delaware Repub-
lican has held up before taxpayers
of Kent county the exacr financial
management, or rather mismanage-
ment of this Democratic Levy Court,
and though there are three Demo-
cratic papers right here in Dover, not
one Of them offered or attempted TO
contradict our sertions-I3ECAUS
THEY WERE TRUE.
We said this Democratic majority
OF the Levy Court would BANKRUPT
THE COUNTY AND THEY DID. For
the first time in the county's history
the banks held up orders refusing 10
pay them. and this after the county
treasurer and his Dondsmen had made
themselves personally reliable for
thousands of dollars. In this emefg-
ency this Democratic Levy Court lOOt-
ed the Good Roads Fund until the
county treasurer called a halt. Then
loan of $4,000 was iioated, and that
loan still stands unpaid.
Some time ago in answe" to an
attempt of the Delaware State News
to hoodwink the Taxpayers we pub
llshed the following statement when
still stands as true. The News said
For the benefit Of the doubti.g
dope of doctors of the Republican
campaign, we add to the list of
permanent Improvements made under
a Democratic administration in Kelt
county in EIGHTEEN MONTHS:
six miles of good roads extending
from FELTON, to Frederick
-Four miles of good roads extend
Ing from darlington to Pennington.
New drawbridge at Martins, Sec
ond district.
Elaborate new drawbridge at
Leipsic.
Elaborate exterior improvements !
TO sheiiff's residence.
New permanent fixed bridge over
Lindale's mill stream, Wyoming.
plymouth Bridge permanent iron
bridge with concrete floor and abut- |
ments, near Viola.
Long wooden bridge (15O feet)
with permanent piers over the Chop !
tank, IN the Ninth and Sixth districts.
New steel bridge and stone abut-
ments over Cah0on's C eek, Fourth
dist let
"Sundry little bridges, costing from
$40 to $iO0, built after traction en-
sines had crushed out the old ones.
fleming's bridge. in both New
Castle and Kent counties. A Repub-
iican Levy Court built this bridge but
q Democratic administration paid for
Considering their resources and
the floating debts they had to pay. the
results obtained by the present Kent
county administration are astonish-
We then exposed the falsity of the
above as follows, and the News re-
iused to reply. and in fact no reply has
come yet. Here is the statement to
which no Democratic paper has vet
replied to and which the Levy Court
itself dare not answer:
Fist item, "Six miles good roads
extending from Frederick to FELTON,"
lhat road is a common clay road.
plowed and ditched. and is to-day al
most impossible. II is NOT a perma-
nent modern road.
Item Good roads from Harring-
ton TO Farmington." Same as above.
Item 3-"New Drawbridge at Mar
uns. This bridge is not even CON
tfacted for yet No bids nave even
been submitted for it. II this sort of
deception isn't giving the taxpayers
dope we'd like to know what il
Item Elaborate new drawbridge
at Leipslc.' Here is "Drawbridge"
that won't draw. I'm fact won't work
al all, and there is already talk OF its
removal. Certainly, il will have to
be partially rebuilt as the govern
ment demands "A "Drawbridge" there.
There is little history connected
with this elaborate" bridge which the
taxpayers may desire to make note of.
When the court decided to build this
bridge, the Democratic majority re-
fused to have specifications drawn.
They ignored an offer of Engineer
Carswell, of Wilmington, to submit
plans for bridge, and decided to
allow bidders TO submit plans Of
their own. OF course. this robbed
the bidding of any competitive fea-
lures and was something decidedly
new in the line Of bidding for con-
tract work. The bid of the Canton
Bridge Company was accepted It
was for 81 ,l65 for a "Drawbridge.
Then through some blunder an adj
ditional S575.0O had to be expended
on il, bringing the total up to ST.
139. Now We have it on good author
ity that the bid and plans of the
Brown, Tatnall Company, Of Will
mingtOn, a Delaware and home cor
poration, outlined a bridge Just as
serviceable as the Canton Company's
bridge. and the Wilmington firm Of
fered 10 put up the bridge complete
for S3,S00 But this Democratic Levy
Court ignored this bid-which would
have saved the taxpayers S3,939-and
gave the contract to a foreign cor
poration at an extravagant cost And,
as We state above, the bridge to-day
will not work. Wasn't this Doping"
the taxpayers?
Item 5-"Elaborate exterior i'm
provements to the sheriff's resi-
dence." This consists OF a simple
porch that should have cost less than
S2O0-more Dope"
Take the "Flemings Landing
Bridge" The News say II was built
by a Republican Levy Court and paid
for by the Democrats" This is more
deception and Dope" for the tax
navare That bridge was b,,flf xvhfla