Milford chronicle., 1932-10-21

there are still others that haven
and there seems to be no equitable
way to meet the situation except by
legislation. When the General AS.
sembly meets in January, It may be
advisable to have them pass on the
question and see if within different
salary ranges all State employees
can't be treated equally.
ITO Judge from their exceeding in
terest in the subject, it would seem
that, in the opinion of many people
and | refer to the strict prohibition
ist and the extreme anti-prohibi-
zionist, the repeal of the Eighteenth
Amendment is the most important
issue before the American peole.
am not able to agree with those OF
either group who hold this to be So
and ask if, for instance in our own
State, the welfare of the unemployed
is not more important. If not l am
expending a lot of unnecessary
worry.
Granting that the 18th Amend
ment removed a hideous curse from
the country by the abolish:ng of the
saloon, tile evils that have since
grown out of it are gnawing at the
roots of our government and cOndi-
tions resulting from the amendment
have come to be such that they are
intolerable to the masses of the
American people, as evidenced by
the stand of the delegates to the last
national conventions of our two ma
jor political parties.
81 endorse the repeal plank in the
Republican state and national plat
form and believe each of them pref
cradle and safer than those adopted
by the Democrats of this State and
Nation and hope to see the day when
there is national temperance in
America instead of bootleggers,
racketeers, speakeasies and poison
liquor.
zone of the Acts passed by the
last Legislature, from which l have
derived a great deal of comfort, was
the Old Age Pension Law. Those
nlemDers OF the. General Assembly
who voted for it, and | think it was
unanimously passed, did a Christian
deed and those of the Pension Com
mission who have since administer
ed the law have done a splendid job.
Although the Commission has
now in hand a number of eligible
applications they have not been able
to take care of, l hope they will at
least get the same appropriation
that was given then two years ago,
which was 100000 annually, and
that It won't for any cause he neces-
sary TO reduce this amount.
During my term of office l have
many times heard the Democratic
war cry. THE State ought to reduce
taxes" referring of course, to tax
es paid by individuals and particu-
larly those levied on real estate, and
today this same statement is being
broadcast to the citizens by our OPP
ponents in this campaign, but l have
vet to hear a single suggestion Of
fered as to how they would go about
it. If one really stops to think about
it, two meanings can be attached to
this statement-one, that the State
should reduce its taxeXs; the other,
that the State through its General
Assembly ought to find a means of
reducing taxes, regardless of wheth-
er they are levied by the State it
self or one Of its subdivisions. The |
intended inference is that the States |
are the ones to be slashed.
"To those who are not familiar
with their States system of taxa
ton, let me say that the State of
Delaware exacts no taxes from its !
citizens while living, other thar the !
income tax, the gasoline tax, the
operating and registration fees for
and the small mercan-
tile tax on certain classes of busi-
ness. Where them the taxpayer
may properly ask can we look for
relief of taxes annually levied
against our farms, homes and places
Of business? l will tell you. and it
Is one that couldn't possibly be
more far-reaching in relation to the
number OF citizens it affects.
at CONGO rms all property owners
n the State every home owner, ev-
cry farmer, rs well as those who
own a store, apartment house, but
cher shop, gas station or other
place of business Furthermore. it
Indirectly affects those who own no
lrOperty but rent thei: homes, Of
ices, stores and business stands.
Literally, l cannot think of any
lass of citizens who would not
,enefit by Inc adoption of the sug-
,estion l wish to offer for your con-
liberation.
"The really surprising thing to
ne is that the people have not be-
ore this demanded that some action
e taken in the matter, but that
hey haven't is, l think, because
hey do not understand what they
re being taxed for. ]
1T is reasonable to suppose that
lost of you in the audience reside ]
\ Wilmington or close by and l s
hall address you now as residents ;
New Castle county. {
"If you live in the country and ]
wn property, look up your county '
TX bill when you go home. You will
nd that on your assessment, what /
YER it may be, you are taxed 80 f
ents for county roads, Z 1-2 cents {
oor tax and a 81 1-2 cent county Q
ax, or a total tax of $1.05 on each
undred dollars of assessment. You (