Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-17
Every 10zEc
Evening Yesterday xOSOO
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER IL, 1919.
Crazy to Capture Kent County.

With unanlmity and great eagerncss.
partisan Republican organs IN hent
county criticise and condemn the ad-
ministration Of local affairs under
Democratic regime. Nothing that has
been done or is propoeed TO be done salts
fio. them. They claim to sec in the situa-
ton only continued tncfficiency and ex-
travarancc, q condition that cxacts heavy
taxes from the taxpayers and gives them
nothing 10 return.
The people, however. appear TO be
prrttv well satisfied with the Democratic
administration in Kent county. II now
nearly ten years since they kicked tho in
competent and extravsgant Republican
administration out Of power, deliberately,
and with purpose se-that Of making
radical change in the hope they would
secure Improvement. And IN this hope
they were not disappointed
The previous Republican administra-
t,ons IN Kent county had been wasteful
and ncfsicnt Under their reign nothing
vas done in the way Of permanent inn
rrovcmcnt. and current affairs were very
no1rlv administered. Taxes were high,
and there was gross incfIicioncy IN the col
lrrtions. The official statements regularly
showed a drfclt in the county treasury.
Prom the beginning the Democratic
administration in Kent county proved
real reform II put q stop TO cxtravsgance
and lnaueurated a policy Of real econ
omv. combinei with good results. Busi-
ness methods Supplsntcd the previous
domination Of partisan policy. Taxes
we're collected with such efficiency that IN
short tine Il became the regular Gus
ton-contlnued to this day-to collect
each wears tax levy, 70 the LAST dollar,
within the limit Of each tax year. This
was really startling reform, hitherto IN
known m Delaware. and still stranger 70
local administrations in the other two
counties.
The Democratic Levy Court of Kent
county also inaugurated 3 practical
svstem Of road improvements, and IS
carving it cut very effectively, although
procrcss in this direction is not SO rapid as
could be wished for, on account of dlf-
fcsllties hard to overcome. But 1t has
more than made good In the extent OF its
financial reforms, not only collecting the
taxee IN the manner above stated, but e1-
pending the money with such care that
the annual deficits under the old partisan
Republican administrations have given
placa 10 annual cash balances And among
other improvements was the conversion OF
the h1melv old court house at Dover into
handsome and useful county building,
st an expense Of nearly hundred thou
sand dollars, every cent Of which was paid
without increasing the tax rate or incur
unr a dollar Of Indebtedness, bonded or
floating.
But. the better the showing made by
these Democratic administrations, the
moro desperate became the scheming Re
publican politicians to oust them and re-
store themselves IN power. Election after
election they made every endeavor 70 &c
cure control, but the wise and prudent tax
pavers repudlatcd them upon each oc-
casion. They knew when they were well
off, and refused to turn out capable and
businesslike administration to make room
for lot of partisan profiteers Even with
the most lavish use OF money these Re
publican scherners were unable 10 over
come the Just verdict Of the honest voters
Of Kent county.
At the latest session Of the Legislature
these Republican partisan schemers, an
Eered at repeated defeats at the hands Of
the people, endeavored to secure what
thev could not win-or purchase-at the
elections by process Of ripping" But
honest public sentiment defeated this
partisan attempt 10 upset the verdict OF
the people OF Kent county and force upon
them an administration which they had
repeatedly declared they did not want and
would not have as long as they had the
opportunity Of making choice by their
ballots. And so the miserable attempt TO
overthrow an honest verdict by the people
at popular election came TO grief.
Still the partisan Republican schemers
are hard al work Their best card now is TO
sndeavor To discredlt The eff cient Demo
cratic administration in Kent county by
false representations. But they will fail.
There il no doubt that as long as the
Democratic administration remains faith
ful TO its trust and gives the people what
they want in results il will be sustained
by safe popular maiorities at each recur-
ring election.